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ADD TO YOUR CART to receive a collection on your next service.

CLICK HERE to make a monetary donation.

At the beginning of every school year, teachers face the challenge of filling their classroom with all the school supplies their students need to thrive. To fill the gap, teachers often pay from their own pocket or depend on donations from students and their families. This school year, WasteNot is partnering with The Parlor to give teachers a leg up. 

From July 31st - August 13th, 2026, WasteNot members can place one (1) bag of accepted classroom supplies alongside their WasteNot bucket. Our team will collect and deliver your donations directly to The Parlor, a project of Trash People.

The supplies will be distributed for free to teachers at The Parlor on August 15th as part of their Teacher Supply Fair.

$3.00
$3.00
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HOW IT WORKS

  1. Pack a standard paper grocery bag full of accepted school supplies.
  2. On the outside of the paper bag, write "For WasteNot" so our team knows its for us.
  3. Place the labeled paper grocery bag next to your WasteNot bucket on the service day immediately following your order.
  4. Our team will collect your items and deliver them to The Parlor.
  5. Volunteers at The Parlor will sort and organize the supplies.
  6. On August 15th, The Parlor will open its doors and any school teacher will be able to shop the supplies for free.

GET INVOLVED

DONATE: Support the event and the work of Trash People with a monetary donation.

VOLUNTEER: Sign up to help sort items on the day before the event, August 14th.

TEACHERS: RSVP to attend the fair and shop for free supplies.

View full details

ACCEPTED

  • Backpacks (Excellent Condition)

  • Pencils & Pens (Black, Blue, Red)

  • Notebooks & Composition Books

  • Markers, Caryons, and Colored Pencils (Complete Sets)

  • Scissors & Glue Sticks

  • Paper: Printer, Construction, Lined, & Graphig

  • Highlighters & Dry-Erase Markers

  • Post-Its & Index Cards

  • Rulers, Protractors, & Calculators

  • Pencil Sharpeners, Erasers, & Soft Pencil Cases

  • Lysol Wipes, Ziploc Bags, Kleenex, & Hand Sanitizer

  • NOTE:

    Partial packs and loose supplies are accepted – with the exception of markers, crayons, and colored pencils. See the full list of accepted items here.

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Items should be in good, reusable condition. Gently used items are encouraged, however we ask that you are thoughtful when considering what to donate. Every item is hand sorted by volunteers at The Parlor. Sorting through unaccepted and unusable items takes valuable time away from the volunteers making this collection possible.

NOT ACCEPTED

  • Books & Textbooks

  • Tablets, Laptops and Other Personal Electronics

  • Batteries

  • Broken & Unsuable Supplies

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MORE INFORMATION

SIZE & SPECS

All donated materials should fit inside a paper shopping bag.

PRINTABLE LIST OF ACCEPTED ITEMS

Print a list of all accepted items:

AVOIDING CONTAMINATION - HELP KEEP THIS STREAM CLEAN!

Please take time to ensure each item placed in the Classroom Supplies Collection is among our list of accepted items. Consider that every item is hand sorted by volunteers at The Parlor. Sorting through unaccepted and unusable items
takes valuable time away from the volunteers making this collection possible.


If your bag contains contamination, it is also possible the entirety of its contents will not be able to be processed. Certain contaminants, such as batteries, electronics and broken items can pose serious risks to our operators and partners. If you have any questions or doubts about whether an item can be included, please don't hesitate to reach out to our customer support team at HQ@wastenotcompost.com.

FAQs

Who are you partnering with? What happens with the collected materials?

WasteNot is collaborating with Trash People of Chicago, and their resource redistribution project, The Parlor, to process and distribute the supplies collected with this service. Trash People of Chicago is 501c3 non-profit that facilitates hyper-local trash cleanups and brings neighbors together over a shared care for community. 

The Parlor is a special project of Trash People where neighbors can drop off unwanted items that are then redistributed to local nonprofits and mutual aid groups. The classroom supplies we collect through this service will be distributed for free to teachers on August 15th as part of The Parlor’s Teacher Supply Fair. Learn how to volunteer for the event here.

Who is eligible for this collection?

Currently, all residential WasteNot members who receive either weekly or bi-weekly compost collection in the Chicagoland area are eligible for this service. We are not able to collect classroom supplies from non-members at this time. However, non-members and ineligible members may drop off their supplies in-person at The Parlor, by booking an appointment online. 

What is accepted in this collection?

Check out our complete list of accepted items here. You can also find this same list on the product page and in the email confirmation you will receive when you check out. 

What do I need to do to prepare for collection?

Fill up any paper grocery bag with accepted items. Please write FOR WASTENOT on your bag so our operators know it is intended for WasteNot. Place the paper bag on top of or near your bucket in your regular service location. The bag must be placed out on a service day between July 31st and August 13th. Classroom supplies can not be accepted outside this window. 

What if the collection fails due to my bucket being missing or inaccessible?

If your bucket is inaccessible or missing, but the Classroom Supples Collection bag is accessible to our operator, we will collect the bag. If your Classroom Supplies are not placed out on your regularly scheduled service date between July 31st and August 13th, they cannot be collected on a future date. If you miss the window, you can schedule an appointment online to bring the supplies directly to The Parlor in Logan Square. Due to volunteer availability, The Parlor requires an appointment to be booked in advance.

When will the bag be collected?

The bag of classroom supplies will be collected on the service date directly following your order. This collection service is available for a very limited time, so unfortunately we are not able to collect supplies placed out on any service date outside the collection window of July 31st - August 13th.  If you miss the window, you can schedule an appointment online to bring the supplies directly to The Parlor in Logan Square. Due to volunteer availability, The Parlor requires an appointment to be booked in advance.

Will my bucket also be serviced?

Yes.

What if all of my supplies do not fit within a single grocery bag?

Due to the limited time and availability of this seasonal collection, we are unable to collect more than one bag of classroom supplies per member. If you have more supplies than fits into a standard paper grocery bag, you can schedule an appointment online to bring the supplies directly to The Parlor in Logan Square. Due to volunteer availability, all dropoffs require an appointment in advance. 

What if I forgot to put out my bucket but did remember to put out the bag of classroom supplies? 

Don’t worry, your bag of supplies will still be collected!

Can I order more than one collection and/or put more than one bag of supplies out with my bucket?

Due to the limited time and availability of this seasonal collection, we are unable to collect more than one bag of classroom supplies per member. If you have more supplies than fits into a standard paper grocery bag, you can schedule an appointment online to bring the supplies directly to The Parlor in Logan Square. Due to volunteer availability, all dropoffs require an appointment in advance. 

Can I sign up for a recurring subscription?

Currently this is a limited time offering and can only be ordered from July 29th - August 12th.