For the next Global Recycling Day, think outside the crayon box. Organize a donation drive and collect crayons for sick children.

Global Recycling Day comes back around on March 18, 2021. Created by the Global Recycling Foundation, this day serves as a reminder to world leaders and everyday people how vital recycling is in our world. With humans consuming more resources in the past fifty years than in all the years before, recycling is more important than ever.

How can you make the most of Global Recycling Day? Put together your own fundraiser and donation drive!

The Crayon Initiative takes discarded crayons and re-manufactures them to send to children’s’ hospitals. Because new crayon production takes a toll on the environment, this is the ideal way to put a smile on kids’ faces and find a new life for all the discarded crayons in homes and businesses.

Here’s how you can take part in this cause.

How To Organize Your Own Crayon Drive For Global Recycling Day

Gather Your Supplies

The Crayon Initiative store has all the resources you need to set up a one-day donation drive.

Start by getting the word out to pique others’ curiosity. Get yourself a shirt, hat, or mask and wear them when you can. Tell people about The Crayon Initiative when they ask about it.

Better yet, grab a stack of leave-behind cards for all the information they need. These are also handy to hand out at businesses to drum up early interest before World Recycling Day. Also, grab a few crayon collection buckets to leave behind so people know where to put their old crayons.

Talk To People

Along with drumming up curiosity, you also want to be proactive about finding partners. Start with your parent friends by asking if they have any old crayons they’d like to get rid of. Kids go through art supplies quickly, and parents are often happy to get abandoned crayons out of the house.

Go a step further and ask businesses to partner up when the time comes. Restaurants who give out crayons typically throw them out after one use, so they’re prime targets for these donation drives. Other partners include schools and daycares.

Social Media

Don’t rely on face-to-face interactions to get the word out. Thanks to the internet and social media, you can reach more people than ever before without leaving your couch. The Crayon Initiative has created the hashtag #shareyourcolors for this reason.

Link back to TCI’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn when you can.

Send Off The Goods

Once Global Recycling Day comes and goes, and you have your collected crayons, here are instructions for shipping. You'll need a sturdy box and a UPS shipping label. Using TCI's shipping label will give you a discounted shipping rate.

TCI, the environment, and hospitalized children all thank you for your donation!

About The Crayon Initiative

The Crayon Initiative recycles old crayons and sends them to children’s hospitals across the country. We’re helping the environment and brightening the lives of hospitalized children. Learn more about our mission here.