HIGHLAND PARK, NJ–—Irving Primary School in Highland Park won a prize for being in the top ten for their work in the Great Crayon Cleanout by saving 125 pounds of crayons from local landfills.

Many used crayons end up in local landfills, which is both wasteful and bad for the environment.

For the Great Crayon Cleanout, students were tasked with finding old, loose crayons in their homes and schools, ones that were unlikely to be used again.

The crayons were then used by the schools for various math tasks and games, teaching kids that old materials can have other uses, while at the same time providing them with a math lesson.

After the crayons were done being used they were sent to the Great Crayon Initiative where they will eventually be made into brand-new crayons.

These new crayons will be donated to eleven children’s hospitals through the .state

Seventy-five elementary schools in 18 counties in New Jersey entered the competition.  For finishing in the top ten, Irving Elementary School will be awarded a 3D Printer.

The Great Crayon Cleanout was organized by the Great Crayon Initiative, in partnership with Bedtime Math, a Summit-based non-profit organization.