Ready
Set
Sort!
Fresno County's K–12 Recycling & Waste Reduction Education Program
The Fresno County Department of Public Works brings free, hands-on waste education directly to your classroom.
Our Ready, Set, Sort! program teaches students how everyday choices affect our community and our planet.
Through interactive lessons tailored to every grade level, students learn to identify the three waste streams (Gray for solid waste, Green for organics, and Blue for recycling) and discover how proper sorting keeps Fresno County clean, reduces landfill waste, and fights climate change.
Whether your students are just learning the basics or diving into environmental science, we have a program for your classroom.
Grades K – 6
Ready?
Building Young Recycling
Heroes
What goes in the Green bin? What about the Blue one? Our elementary education program makes sorting fun and memorable. Through age-appropriate activities, students explore:
The Three Bins: What goes where… solid waste in Gray bins, organics in Green, and recycling in Blue
Food Waste Fundamentals: The difference between edible food and food scraps, and why food belongs in the Green bin instead of the trash
Why It Matters: An age-appropriate look at how sorting waste helps the planet, from reducing landfill pollution to creating compost that feeds gardens
Recycling Hero Challenge: Interactive activities that test sorting skills and turn students into certified Recycling Heroes
Grades 7 – 8
set!
Understanding the Science Behind
Sorting
Middle schoolers are ready for the “why” behind the bins. Our 7th and 8th grade program goes deeper into the environmental science that drives California's waste reduction laws and connects sorting habits to real-world impact. Topics include:
Climate Change & Waste: How organic waste in landfills generates greenhouse gases and how diverting it makes a measurable difference
From Waste to Resource: How composting and anaerobic digestion turn food scraps into fertilizer, renewable energy, and fuel
Edible Food Recovery: Why perfectly good food gets thrown away and how schools and organizations are working to redirect it to people who need it
Students leave with a clearer picture of how individual actions connect to county-wide environmental goals.
Sort!
Rethinking Waste for the Next
Generation
Grades 9 - 12
High school is where sorting becomes systems thinking. Our 9 through 12 program challenges students to look beyond the bins and examine waste as an environmental, economic, and civic issue. Areas of focus include:
Ideal for environmental science, civics, and CTE courses, our high school programming connects waste education to career readiness and community responsibility.
Rethinking Waste: Moving beyond "reduce, reuse, recycle" to explore circular economy principles, waste stream analysis, and the true cost of what we throw away
Recycling Deep Dive: Contamination, material recovery, and what actually happens after the Blue bin is picked up
Policy & Regulation: A look at SB 1383 compliance, California's waste reduction targets, and how local government enforces environmental mandates
Organics Infrastructure: How composting facilities, anaerobic digesters, and wastewater treatment plants convert waste into renewable energy, fuel, and agricultural resources
CTE Connections, Automotive & Motor Oil Waste: Specialized content for Career Technical Education programs covering responsible disposal of automotive fluids, used motor oil recycling, and hazardous waste regulations
Bring Ready, Set, Sort! to Your
Classroom
Our programs are free and available to all K–12 schools in Fresno County. Whether you're looking for a single classroom visit or an ongoing partnership, we'll tailor the experience to your grade levels and learning goals.
Fill out the form below to schedule a visit or learn more: