As the last weeks of the year appear, the school stationery lists for the following year have arrived. At the time stationery lists are sent home, life is a blur of impending summer holidays while we get ready for festive activities like Christmas. It's a busy time for parents and care givers while we close up a year and get ready for the new one.
Most schools in Australia team up with stationery stores, where the lists are filled out via an online order, then shipped to the school for collection at the start of term 1. I understand how much easier it is to click 'select all' and pay for the stationery list at a time when life is hectic. The thing is, if you are wanting to make the back-to-school stationery list more sustainable will require taking a moment amongst the chaos to slow down. Doing so will help avoid unnecessary waste and save money in the process. Plus, once you do it once, the following year is easier. Trust me.
Here’s how we approach back-to-school stationery prep in a calmer, more eco way. Plus there are tips on how to re-home and recycle stationery in Australia.
Start With What You Already Have
Before buying anything, take time to gather all the stationery the children already own. Do an audit checking what works and what does not:
- Pens
- Pencils
- Textas
- Rubbers/erasers
- Sharpeners and rulers
- Leftover glue sticks
- Exercise books
- Whiteboard markers
- Plastic pockets, document pockets, binders
- Earphones
- Scissors
- Pencil case
Reuse and Refresh Supplies
- Exercise books with half the book empty? Pull out the used pages for recycling and save the rest for scrap paper.
- Binders or folders can be cleaned and relabelled instead of replaced.
- Pencil cases often wash perfectly in a gentle cycle.
- Folders with mismatched dividers still work well and kids rarely notice or mind.
- Textas can be a wiped down on the outside with soapy water. If it's harder to get the grime off try rubbing with eucalyptus oil.
- Pencils can be cleaned using the same method as the texta's and sharpened.
- Clean rubbers/erasers by rubbing against a brick wall, fence or other sturdy surface. This will remove the dark outer layer that forms after use without cleaning. My son has used the same one for three years.
- Check electronic equipment like earphones and other gadgets for repairs which can be done by yourself or via a repair cafe or other professional. I repaired earphones last year with superglue saving us from needing to find new ones.
By following this method of sorting, cleaning and reusing, we mostly only need to buy exercise books for the following year, cutting our stationery bills in half. Last year we saved $75 from our back-to-school stationery order!
Remember: Back-to-school doesn’t need to be perfect. Stationery lists create the illusion that everything must be shiny, matching, and brand-new. But what children really need is tools that work not a perfectly colour-coordinated pencil case.
Remember: Back-to-school doesn’t need to be perfect. Stationery lists create the illusion that everything must be shiny, matching, and brand-new. But what children really need is tools that work not a perfectly colour-coordinated pencil case.
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| 1) Reusing half used exercise books for scrap paper 2) Repairing headphones for another year |
Buy Secondhand First
When we were given our first stationery list for Prep (Kindergarten in other areas of Australian) I was able to source everything, excluding textbooks, secondhand and each item is still in use three years on.
Here in Melbourne we are fortunate to have Green Collect, a social enterprise rehoming used office waste from pens to furniture to electronics. They have a wonderful storefront in Braybrook we'll visit to purchase post-it notes, some pens and glue sticks as per the school stationery list at a fraction of the cost.
I know Green Collect is not nation wide (yet) so here are other avenues to come about secondhand school stationery via:
- Friends and family
- Local buy/swap/sell groups and local community groups on Facebook. Ours in particular always seems to have folk offloading stationery. If your's doesn't try putting a call out and you'd be surprised who can help you fill in with a spare sharpener, pencils or textas.
- Facebook Marketplace listings
- Op Shops
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Visiting Green Collect in Melbourne |
Choose Sustainable New Options
If you do need to buy new items, look for:
- Exercise books made from recycled paper.
- Wooden or metal rulers instead of plastic
- Refillable pens and mechanical pencils. We get a set of refillable whiteboard markers from AusPen in prep and they'll be topped up for year 3.
- Paper or cardboard highlighters (yes, these exist!)
- Sturdy items that can last multiple years.
- Reduce plastic by choosing a pencil case made of cotton. If you are crafty make one using old jeans like my mum did (thanks mum!).
- When you choose quality over quantity, you’re saving future waste (and future shopping trips).
Buy Eco Green offers sustainable stationery options, as does Biome, Banish recycled pens, and even Officeworks is doing more in this area.
If your child's school prefers stationery ordered from a particular supplier chosen by the school and their practice isn't eco, what can you do? The only option here is to speak directly to the stationery supplier and ask them to do better. For example, exercise books ordered last year came with a plastic vinyl cover on top of the regular cardboard. A group of us emailed the supplier explaining this is an absurd use of plastic and was not needed. I just received our order of exercise books and only one of the exercise books rather than all still carry the plastic vinyl cover. A small victory won by collective action.
Oh, I'll be emailing about this one book with the plastic cover though.
Stationery supplier not that eco?
If your child's school prefers stationery ordered from a particular supplier chosen by the school and their practice isn't eco, what can you do? The only option here is to speak directly to the stationery supplier and ask them to do better. For example, exercise books ordered last year came with a plastic vinyl cover on top of the regular cardboard. A group of us emailed the supplier explaining this is an absurd use of plastic and was not needed. I just received our order of exercise books and only one of the exercise books rather than all still carry the plastic vinyl cover. A small victory won by collective action.
Oh, I'll be emailing about this one book with the plastic cover though.
Ask questions about the list
Sometimes school lists include brands, quantities, or items that feel excessive. A gentle conversation can help:
- Ask your child’s teacher whether alternatives are acceptable.
- Check if certain items can be shared within the classroom.
- Clarify which supplies actually need to be brand-new for hygiene or curriculum needs.
Where to donate used school stationery
If you want to give your “still-good” school supplies a second life or are looking for second-hand supplies to help your family here are some community organisations that run donation/collection or “back-to-school support” programs.
Stationery Aid (Australia wide)
Stationery aid a not-for-profit that collects used or unused excess stationery like pens, pencils, exercise books, rulers, paint supplies, rather than letting them go to landfill.
Give Write (Perth/WA)
Give Write accepts donations of new or lightly used school supplies and stationery and redistributes them to disadvantaged students in WA.
Kids4Kids Foundation (Brisbane / QLD)
You can donate unused or second-hand stationery (as long as it’s in good condition), or put together a “school supply pack” for a child.
Project Stationery (Melbourne/VIC)
Project Stationery is a group of volunteers collecting excess stationery from the Melbourne community from December to February. They will redistribute all stationery to not-for-profit organisations, such as community centres, homework clubs and schools.
Other options:
- Ask around in your local area: Even if a national or state-wide charity doesn’t operate in your neighbourhood, local churches, community centres, or “buy-nothing” groups often re-distribute stationery and school gear.
- Share with other families: If you have friends or neighbours with school-aged kids, pooling resources, swapping notebooks, dividers, folders, or gently used stationery, can save money and reduce waste.
- Check with local Op Shops to see if they can take it or know of an organisation in the area who would like it. Op Shops and local charities have great intel into where best to donate items and to whom.
Where to recycle stationery that can't be reused or rehomed?
Officeworks’ Bring It Back recycling program offers free in-store recycling. Customers can drop off items such as old computers, phones, chargers, pens, and cables, which are then either repurposed or responsibly recycled into new products. The program helps divert valuable materials from landfill while also supporting initiatives like Stationery Aid, which redistributes usable stationery to students in need.
Check with your local Council website to find out if there are collection points for any school stationery items, in particular electronics.
Some schools offer a Banish or TerraCycle box that allows for the of recycling of pens, highlighters, and markers. You can drop items at participating drop-off points or community hubs.
Preparing for the school year can feel like a whirlwind, but it doesn’t have to be expensive or wasteful. By reusing what we can, buying thoughtfully, and involving our kids in the process, we set the tone for a year of mindful habits and empowered choices.
Did I miss any organisations doing meaningful work in this space? Any ideas I should add? Let me know in the comments or via email.
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