Expanding 1plasticlife Recycling Programs in LAUSD Schools

Team fundraiser

Armando Ochoa and Marcus Rosenthal are organizing this fundraiser to benefit 1 plastic life.

Tax deductible

1 Plastic Life Supporters,

We have a tremendous opportunity to expand recycling programs within Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and are asking for your help to get the funds needed for the required insurance and materials needed for the 2024-2025 school year.

During the 2023-2024 school year we ran a successful pilot recycling program at the El Sereno Middle School. The Faculty and Students were pleased with the outcome and we have been asked to expand the programs to more LAUSD Schools. Learn a about the pilot in this feature about us recently on the CBS 2 News.

Here's the breakdown of what we need to run the program and our current financial situation:

Liability Insurance: $5472/year
Workers Compensation: $1482/year
Supplies to run recycling program: $1000
Fuel costs for pickup and deliveries of recyclables: $500

This totals about $8454. So far, through our existing fundraising, we have raised $2738 which means we need about $6000 to run the program.

This funding will allow us to expand our reach and impact within the community. Your support will directly contribute to helping us expand to 2 more schools in the 2024-2025 school year to make a positive difference in the lives of students across LA. Thank you for considering joining us in this important endeavor!

What does 1plasticlife’s Recycling Programs at LAUSD Schools include:

CRV Recycling Program: As a certified CalRecycle Community Service Recycling Program, we collect CRV recyclables as donations and bring them to local processors, maximizing the school's recycling rates.

Our 1plasticlife recycle bus that allows us to pick up large quantities of recyclables and transport our machines to schools or to the locations of the homeless in our community who are part of our job training program

Educational Materials and Courses: Providing materials and classes on plastic pollution and sustainability. We teach about how plastic waste effects our oceans, environment and health. The students learn about how their everyday choices can make an impact and how to take action to solve plastic pollution problems.

One of the plastic identifiers that we use to help students test what types of plastic various products are made out of

Customized Recycling Bins: Collaborating with students to design functional, upcycled recycling bins and determine optimal bin locations on campus.

Poster created by El Sereno Middle School Student as part of our pilot program to promote recycling program at their school

Solutions to Plastic Pollution: Hosting programs to educate students on the broader issues of plastic pollution and global solutions. This includes visits by leaders of local organizations combatting plastic pollution.

Precious Plastic DIY Recycling: Teaching students to recycle plastic using DIY machines, showing all steps from collection to creating new products.

We are one of the founding partners of Precious Plastic LA that hosts DIY workshops in Los Angeles to teach people about how to shred, inject, and mold recycled plastic into beautiful new objects.

About 1 Plastic Life

Founded in 2018 by Armando Ochoa, 1 Plastic Life is an El Sereno based nonprofit that has a unique dual-purpose mission of reducing plastic pollution and providing job training opportunities to homeless and unemployed people. The focus of 1PlasticLife is educating students about the plastic pollution problem and collecting single-use plastics on campus and recycling the plastics using Precious Plastic recycling machines. 1PlasticLife recycles the single-use plastics into new and useful items such as picture frames, chandeliers, and custom products requested by customers. 1PlasticLife is a certified community service program with CalRecycle that means we are authorized to place recycling bins at various businesses and organizations, facilitating the collection and recycling of plastic waste. 1PlasticLife collaborates with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority HMIS Program to understand the challenges of the houseless individuals and provide them with resources to improve their lives.

Follow along with our story on our IG @1plasticlife