User submission 188.4K 1.6M Parenting, RecyclingSep 04, 2015 Dad Finds Brilliant Way To Reuse Leftover Crayons From Restaurants And Schools Dovas Community member Open list comments 123 Vote arrow up Vote arrow down 664 Open list comments 123 Checkmark Link copied! Share icon Share Checkmark Link copied! Share icon Share Modal close ADVERTISEMENT 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 schoolsShare iconImage credits: The Crayon InitiativeCreative dad Bryan Ware found a brilliant solution – he melts them downShare iconImage credits: The Crayon InitiativeHe then pours them into special custom moldsShare icon Image credits: The Crayon InitiativeHe makes 96 new crayons each time he does thisADVERTISEMENTShare iconImage credits: The Crayon InitiativeThese crayons are thicker and easier to grasp for young children and kids with special needsShare iconImage credits: The Crayon InitiativeThe finished crayons are delivered to hospitals throughout CaliforniaShare iconImage credits: The Crayon InitiativeThey’ve already delivered more than 2,000 boxesShare iconADVERTISEMENTImage credits: The Crayon Initiative“If these crayons give them an escape from that hospital room for ten minutes, we did our job,” said Bryan WareShare iconADVERTISEMENTImage credits: The Crayon InitiativeShare iconImage credits: The Crayon InitiativeShare iconImage credits: The Crayon Initiative Anyone can write on Bored Panda. 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Add photo comments POST HeatherDarby HeatherDarby Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Wonderful idea and recycling initiative. Vote comment up 46 46points Vote comment down reply JustėKažukauskaitė JustėKažukauskaitė Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Idea is briliant, but I don't understand why restaurants and schools throw crayons away? They seems to be good enough to use them Vote comment up 45 45points Vote comment down reply RhoEdmunds RhoEdmunds Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report 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. :-) Vote comment up 35 35points Vote comment down reply Load More Replies... JJFrancais JJFrancais Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report I don't know any teacher that destroys them. Thye throw out the ones that are half eaten. Vote comment up 2 2points Vote comment down reply TinaClemons TinaClemons Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Seems to be a great reuse of them. And the health issue is always a factor. Vote comment up 0 0points Vote comment down reply CaraDrake CaraDrake Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report 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. Vote comment up 2 2points Vote comment down reply JaneWilliams JaneWilliams Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report I would think because they get small from use. Vote comment up 0 0points Vote comment down reply ChristyGreen ChristyGreen Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report 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. Vote comment up 0 0points Vote comment down reply cayenne523 cayenne523 Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Because of Cooties duh. Vote comment up -1 -1point Vote comment down reply TasyaKurniva TasyaKurniva Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report That didn't help at all. Vote comment up 0 0points Vote comment down reply JulianaMota JulianaMota Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Well done! Not only for these kids but also for the environment, we do waste to much material and we can recycle it. Vote comment up 3 3points Vote comment down reply Load More Comments POST HeatherDarby HeatherDarby Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Wonderful idea and recycling initiative. Vote comment up 46 46points Vote comment down reply JustėKažukauskaitė JustėKažukauskaitė Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Idea is briliant, but I don't understand why restaurants and schools throw crayons away? They seems to be good enough to use them Vote comment up 45 45points Vote comment down reply RhoEdmunds RhoEdmunds Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report 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. :-) Vote comment up 35 35points Vote comment down reply Load More Replies... JJFrancais JJFrancais Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report I don't know any teacher that destroys them. Thye throw out the ones that are half eaten. Vote comment up 2 2points Vote comment down reply TinaClemons TinaClemons Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Seems to be a great reuse of them. And the health issue is always a factor. Vote comment up 0 0points Vote comment down reply CaraDrake CaraDrake Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report 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. Vote comment up 2 2points Vote comment down reply JaneWilliams JaneWilliams Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report I would think because they get small from use. Vote comment up 0 0points Vote comment down reply ChristyGreen ChristyGreen Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report 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. Vote comment up 0 0points Vote comment down reply cayenne523 cayenne523 Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Because of Cooties duh. Vote comment up -1 -1point Vote comment down reply TasyaKurniva TasyaKurniva Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report That didn't help at all. Vote comment up 0 0points Vote comment down reply JulianaMota JulianaMota Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 9 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Well done! Not only for these kids but also for the environment, we do waste to much material and we can recycle it. Vote comment up 3 3points Vote comment down reply Load More Comments You May Like “Comes With The Territory”: 39 People Who Judged Parents Too Soon Ilona Baliūnaitė Mom Blames Herself For Turning Her 9YO Into A Karate Girl Defending Friends From Bullies Ieva Pečiulytė 30 Hilarious Pics That Demonstrate How People’s Lives Changed After “Getting Toddlered” (Best Of All Time) Indrė Lukošiūtė Back to Homepage More about Parenting Homepage Trending Parenting Arrow point to left Homepage Next in Parenting Arrow point to right Related on Bored Panda
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