In order to begin recycling at your school you must first understand your school's system for dealing with the waste that flows through it. This movement of waste through your school is called a waste stream. Your task in this section of The Recycle Challenge will have four parts:

• Identify the waste stream in your school.
• Create a recycling plan that will modify the waste stream to help your school recycle.
• Predict how your plan will impact the waste stream.
• Implement the plan and collect data.

Identifying the waste stream helps highlight recyclable materials currently going into your garbage. To simplify your task you should focus on one or two easily recyclable materials–like paper and plastic.

Once you have identified your school's system for dealing with garbage it will help you to identify the places in your school's waste stream where you can have the greatest impact with a recycling plan. The plan you develop will help direct recycling efforts at your school. It will also let you collect data that can be used in your final report to the school to help convince others of the value of recycling.