Dad Finds Brilliant Way To Reuse Leftover Crayons From Restaurants And Schools
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Bryan Ware, an inventive dad in San Francisco, has come up with a brilliant way to reuse leftover crayons that get thrown out by restaurants and schools – he melts them down and recycles them into new crayons for children at hospitals.
He came up with the idea in 2011 when celebrating his birthday at a restaurant. His waiter had brought his two sons some crayons, and he wondered where the crayons go after they’re done with them. His discovery that they get thrown out led to the Crayon Initiative, which delivers crayons to hospitals throughout California.
More info: thecrayoninitiative.org | Facebook | Twitter (h/t: themighty)
Every year, up to 75,000 pounds of crayons get thrown away by restaurants and schools
Image credits: The Crayon Initiative
Creative dad Bryan Ware found a brilliant solution – he melts them down
Image credits: The Crayon Initiative
He then pours them into special custom molds
Image credits: The Crayon Initiative
He makes 96 new crayons each time he does this
Image credits: The Crayon Initiative
These crayons are thicker and easier to grasp for young children and kids with special needs
Image credits: The Crayon Initiative
The finished crayons are delivered to hospitals throughout California
Image credits: The Crayon Initiative
They’ve already delivered more than 2,000 boxes
Image credits: The Crayon Initiative
“If these crayons give them an escape from that hospital room for ten minutes, we did our job,” said Bryan Ware
Image credits: The Crayon Initiative
Image credits: The Crayon Initiative
Image credits: The Crayon Initiative
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Wonderful idea and recycling initiative.
Idea is briliant, but I don't understand why restaurants and schools throw crayons away? They seems to be good enough to use them
At the restaurants, its a health thing. As for the schools, most of the crayons at the end of the year are destroyed, so this is a great way to get that last bit out of them. :-)
I don't know any teacher that destroys them. Thye throw out the ones that are half eaten.
Seems to be a great reuse of them. And the health issue is always a factor.
Some restaurants will reuse the same batch of crayons for each kid, but larger ones will throw them away because they could be a health issue. Germs can remain on the crayon and be passed from one kid to the next. It's also a lot easier for the staff to toss them out with other things on the table, than it is to return them to a shared container.
I would think because they get small from use.
Crayons get broken into pieces and kids peel off the labels. The remaining labels get oily and stained. Eventually they look really dirty and unkempt and that's the last image you want to give at sanitary restaurant.
Because of Cooties duh.
That didn't help at all.
Well done! Not only for these kids but also for the environment, we do waste to much material and we can recycle it.
Wonderful idea and recycling initiative.
Idea is briliant, but I don't understand why restaurants and schools throw crayons away? They seems to be good enough to use them
At the restaurants, its a health thing. As for the schools, most of the crayons at the end of the year are destroyed, so this is a great way to get that last bit out of them. :-)
I don't know any teacher that destroys them. Thye throw out the ones that are half eaten.
Seems to be a great reuse of them. And the health issue is always a factor.
Some restaurants will reuse the same batch of crayons for each kid, but larger ones will throw them away because they could be a health issue. Germs can remain on the crayon and be passed from one kid to the next. It's also a lot easier for the staff to toss them out with other things on the table, than it is to return them to a shared container.
I would think because they get small from use.
Crayons get broken into pieces and kids peel off the labels. The remaining labels get oily and stained. Eventually they look really dirty and unkempt and that's the last image you want to give at sanitary restaurant.
Because of Cooties duh.
That didn't help at all.
Well done! Not only for these kids but also for the environment, we do waste to much material and we can recycle it.