Montgomery County's Environmental Learning Center is promoting money-saving, waste-reducing habits throughout the school year, the county said in an Aug. 17, 2026 news release.
The ELC points to reusable, secondhand and lower-waste alternatives as ways to ease back-to-school expenses while keeping usable goods out of landfills. According to the release, Commission President Carolyn Rice said sustainable practices frequently involve purchasing less and making greater use of items families already own, rather than increasing spending.
Among the agency's suggestions: take stock of supplies left over from prior years before shopping; pack lunches and snacks in reusable containers, bottles and bags instead of single-use products; buy used goods where feasible; plan meals to limit discarded food; repair or repurpose everyday items; and limit purchases to genuine needs.
The release also frames these habits as teaching opportunities, saying that involving children in decisions about reuse, secondhand purchases and waste reduction can build practical, long-term habits. The ELC asks residents to treat sustainability as an ongoing practice rather than a seasonal goal, tying it to both household budgets and environmental outcomes.