Dive Brief:

• The Hurstville Interpretive Center in Maquoketa, IA, home to the Jackson County conservation department, has been attracting attention for its crayon recycling efforts in recent months, as reported by WQAD.
• Students and residents have become engaged in the program, bringing in an estimated 200 pounds of crayons over the past six weeks. Though the cost of shipping these crayons to a company called Crazy Crayons (about $19 per box) is too high for them to continue. They plan to stop the program in June unless enough donations are received.
• Colorado-based Crazy Crayons recycles the old writing utensils into new products for schools and nonprofits. The company estimates that more than 12 million crayons are manufactured each day, though minimal recycling options are available for them.

Dive Insight: Compared to the many, many tons of other refuse and recyclables that the industry deals with every year, crayons may seem like a minor element.