If you read that list and immediately thought crayons, you’re among the 99% of U.S. consumer households who recognize the pop culture stamp of the Crayola brand. We love coloring and we love crayons, it’s undeniable!
Back-to-school is back again, which means many of us find ourselves updating our school and at-home art supplies. Collections of broken color nubbins and ratty-tatty, half wrapped crayons get replaced with fresh and perfectly organized rainbows in a neat little box. What happens to our misfit friends? We toss them in the trash.
More than 12 million crayons, made of petroleum based wax, are produced in the U.S. every day. That’s roughly 60 tons! Now consider how much crayon is left on each stick when we deem it unfit and throw it out. It adds up quickly – but it doesn’t have to!
In 2003, Crazy Crayons, a now nationally recognized company, started to change the way we view our used and abused leftover crayons by recycling them into new and special treasures. With the help of kids, educators, and recycling programs around the nation, as well as the Crayon Recycling Program, Crazy Crayons has recycled more than 96,000 pounds of unwanted crayons!
How does the Crayon Recycling Program work? Gather your less than desirable crayons (or what used to recognizably be crayons). No need to remove the wrappers, in fact they prefer you leave them on. Place your collection into an appropriately-sized box and ship your misfit crayons to the Crayon Recycling Center. It’s as easy as that! They recommend collaborating with your friends and community to collect enough crayons to fill a small, less than 5lb, box for efficient and affordable shipping.
What happens to your old friends? After an extensive sorting process, to eliminate crayons not certified with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (which could contain toxic materials), Crazy Crayons makes them into the coolest crayons you’ve ever seen! Some are shaped like stars and some are shaped like worms, but all of these brand new crayons are just as fun as the crayons we buy at the store.
