Waste Not, Want Not ...

What does "Zero Waste" mean?

Zero Waste means drastically reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills so that the majority of waste generated is reduced, reused, recycled or composted. Achieving this goal requires a shift in mindset and change of habits.

What will Hatch be doing to strive for Zero Waste?

The Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity is offering schools a chance to apply for a grant in order to help them achieve Zero Waste status.

On Thursday December 11, 2008, Hatch School will conduct a school-wide Waste Audit to determine our current daily waste levels. The data collected will provide valuable information for planning waste reduction strategies that will be used in our grant application.

Students, faculty & parent volunteers will be working together to understand our current waste habits and come up with creative strategies by focusing on the Three R's:

Reduce consumption and waste
Reuse goods already at our disposal
Recycle all resources including composting organic material

Questions? Want to get Involved? Contact Cathi Knickrehm.

Why should we be concerned with reducing our waste?

There are only 8 active landfills in the Chicagoland area, and these have limited life spans.
Haulers are forced to travel longer distances to landfills, burning more fossil fuels and contributing more emissions to the atmosphere.
Landfill runoff pollutes our groundwater and soil.
Landfills release methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than CO₂.
Valuable resources are buried in landfills, requiring industry to harvest new, non-renewable resources for manufacturing.

What can you do to help?

The Zero Waste Committee encourages you to speak with your child(ren) over the next several weeks to learn more about this initiative and how everyone can help make a difference.

Our hope is that this effort will be contagious and lay the groundwork for Zero Waste middle schools, high schools, homes and villages. With everyone's help, this goal can be reached.

Stay informed and check back here regularly for Zero Waste updates.

Thank you for your support!