The process we use at the Color My World Project is very simple and effective:
We place a bin in the kitchen of every restaurant we work with.
When crayons are collected after meals, the servers can place the crayons in the bin,
which is just as convenient as a trash can would be.
Once the bin is full, the Color My World representative for that particular restaurant collects the crayons.
We then consolidate the collections from the restaurants and sort them, taking out any unusable crayons.
After they have been consolidated, we apply a UV-C light to the crayons, using a UV wand.
(The Verilux CleanWave® UV-C Sanitizing Wand uses the same advanced UV-C light technology
used to sanitize hospital equipment for over 30 years. www.verilux.com)
We then deliver them to the schools, centers, or shelters to which we donate. The crayons that cannot be donated (because they are unclean or broken) are melted down and molded into new crayons, thanks to our partner Overflow Creations.
When we donate the crayons, we spend time coloring with the children and teach them about recycling and its benefits.
All of Color My World's volunteers are middle school, high school, or college students who commit their unpaid time to the cause. Our organization is built on the dedication of our members, the support of our partners, and the strong sense of community that we strive to achieve.
When CMW representatives came to the Center to present...the children noticed the name of the restaurant on the crayons, which sparked their interest in the crayons. The relationship between the crayons and the popular restaurant stimulated a conversation with the children about recycling. This provided a good discussion topic for the children and served as a good socialization tool for the classroom. Later on in the week, the class talked more about recycling, using plastic bags as an example of something that could be recycled for other purposes."
When Gawan visited the Evergreen School...he spoke to our students and explained the importance of preserving our natural resources and ways we can all do our part. Gawan showed our students that even teenagers can make a big difference. And he even left us...900 crayons and a set of coloring books!"
