“[Students] noticed more litter and the damage it does. They were more concerned about the environment and they felt this was something that they could do something about. They took more control of their own environment and paid more attention to their actions.”
The pilot program for Litter Kits in Schools lasted from March to December 2022, students from 20 schools across Durham removed 7,714 pounds of litter from their school campuses and neighboring communities. That’s enough litter to fill approximately 5 school busses!
Since then, the Litter Kits in Schools program has provided over 40 schools with a fully stocked litter kit including:
Lyon Elementary
Mangum Elementary School
Merrick-Moore Elementary School
Morehead Montessori Magnet Elementary School
Oak Grove Elementary School
Pearsontown Elementary School
Sandy Ridge Elementary School
Spring Valley Elementary School
WG Pearson Elementary School
Fayetteville Elementary
C.C. Spaulding Elementary
Lakewood Elementary School
Little River Elementary
Immaculata Catholic School
Murray Massenberg
Elementary:
Bethesda Elementary School
Branches Community School
Burton Elementary School
Club Blvd Elementary School
E. K. Powe Elementary School
Easley Elementary
Eastway Elementary
Eno Valley Elementary School
Forest View Elementary School
George Watts Elementary School
Glenn Elementary School
Hillandale Elementary School
Holt Elementary School
Hope Valley Elementary School
The Lerner School
Lakewood Ave Children’s School
Hillside High School
Jordan High School
Northern High School
Riverside High School
Southern School of Energy and Sustainability
Middle and High Schools:
Durham Academy
Brogden Middle School
Lakewood Montessori Middle School
Lucas Middle School
Voyager Middle School
City of Medicine Academy
Participating schools report back to Keep Durham Beautiful monthly on the cleanups they conduct using the kit.
With a reusable litter cleanup kit housed permanently at participating schools, teachers have the tools and flexibility to teach sustainability lessons on their school campus and the surrounding neighborhoods without the resource-intensive burden of bringing students to a service project and without the financial costs of purchasing a litter kit.
For more information or to have your school added to the Litter Kits in Schools waitlist, please contact us at info@keepdurhambeautiful.org.
Click here to view a 3-page PDF Summary Report
Special thanks to the NC Beverage Association, the American Beverage Association, and Duke Office of Durham & Community Affairs for awarding grants that made this program possible!