Don't Waste It!
​An Educator Guide

Don’t Waste It! is an educator guide to waste management, recycling, composting, and waste reduction, which includes 11 lessons covering five themes: municipal solid waste, recycling, plastics, composting, and landfills.

Developed by Chatham County Solid Waste & Recycling in North Carolina, Don’t Waste It! is available throughout the southeast.  SEEA was awarded an environmental education grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create state-specific versions of the guide and then host in-person and virtual training opportunities for educators across the southeast to learn the curriculum.  Don’t Waste It! programs were developed in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee. The grant was completed in 2022, but Don’t Waste It! continues on through Chatham County Solid Waste & Recycling.

Designed for Educators

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Don’t Waste It! is for both formal and non-formal educators with lessons for pre-K to 12th graders that can easily be adapted for adult audiences. Each lesson includes a group activity, independent practice, extensions, and additional activities.

The Don’t Waste It! project will help current and future educators understand the systems for solid waste management, recycling, and composting in their state.  We're excited to provide educators across our region with resources and lessons to share this knowledge with students and inspire their local communities to get involved with composting, recycling, and other waste reduction activities.

Get Your Copy

Contact Shannon Culpepper, Chatham County Solid Waste & Recycling, shannon.culpepper@chathamcountync.gov for more information about this project and to get in touch with your state’s Don’t Waste It! facilitators and if you are interested in developing Don't Waste It! in your State.

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