As we kick off another school year, we can also take this time celebrate the success of the 2015-16 school year. The LPS Recycling Program was once again available in all LPS facilities. This program allows our staff and students to recycle materials from 5 categories: Mixed Office Paper, Cardboard, Plastic & Aluminum, Newspaper & Magazines, and Tin Cans.
Environmental Reports are available for each LPS facility and a summary of the district impact is included. From July 1st, 2015 to June 30th, 2016, LPS facilities recycled over 1.3 million pounds of material. Each year, the district goal is to divert 25% of our waste stream from the landfill to be recycled. This year, the district successfully recycled 25% of its waste, and many schools went above and beyond that goal:
| School | Recycling Rate |
| Huntington | 51% |
| Irving | 34% |
| Sheridan | 33% |
| Beattie | 32% |
| Saratoga | 30% |
| Kooser | 29% |
| Southwest | 29% |
| Holmes | 27% |
| Southeast | 27% |
| Eastridge | 27% |
| North Star | 26% |
| Schoo | 25% |
| Calvert | 25% |
| Lakeview | 25% |
LPS recycled 562,313 pounds of mixed office paper, which is the equivalent of 607,906 one-subject notebooks. Schools also recycled 360,693 pounds of cardboard which is the equivalent to 1,093,827 pizza boxes! In addition to recycling, schools composted 254 tons of organic waste from cafeterias. That’s enough to fill 34 cement trucks!
These outstanding recycling efforts will continue in the 2016-17 school year, and 22 schools are now composting in their cafeteria.
Updated March 14, 2024