Although orange is our favorite color, the Anaheim Ducks and the County of Orange are proud to support all things green.

With many local partners, we actively promote local environmental stewardship and recycling best practices in classrooms, at home, at the Honda Center and throughout our communities. Check here often for updates on educator programs, special events, coupons, impact stories and more.

Small changes make a big difference. Together we have the power to ensure a safe and healthy environment for current and future generations. Join the team!

Pucks, Sticks & Reuse Tricks

Enter Now

Turn your classroom waste into a hockey-themed work of art and be eligible to win tickets to an Anaheim Ducks hockey game!

OC Waste & Recycling, the Anaheim Ducks Hockey Club, and Inside the Outdoors invite students to participate in a creative classroom art project through upcycling. Inspired by the County’s free Project Zero Waste curricula, the contest encourages young minds to turn trash into treasure while learning that most waste can be reduced, recycled, or reused through upcycling. The contest opens on February 26, 2026, and closes on March 26, 2026.

What is upcycling?

Upcycling turns clean, reusable materials such as bottles, cans, plastic containers, and cardboard into something new. Students will transform these items into a hockey-themed work of art.

This activity introduces sustainability concepts by encouraging students to reduce waste, reuse materials, and divert unnecessary waste from Orange County’s landfills.

Suggested Supplies

  • Clean recyclables (cardboard, paper tubes, plastic bottles, bottle caps)
  • Old or broken sports items (hockey sticks, pucks, jerseys, laces)
  • Craft materials (glue, tape, scissors, string, paint or markers)
  • Found items (fabric scraps, buttons, small boxes)

Tip: Use items you already have at home or in your classroom to keep your project low-waste and creative!

Eligibility

  • Participating classrooms or after-school programs must register for Project Zero Waste, the County’s free waste diversion curricula.
  • Only submissions completed by eligible students and submitted through the designated platform will be accepted.
  • No AI-generated submissions will be accepted.
  • Photo and/or video submission required. We welcome photos of students and teachers alongside their works of art.

How to Enter

  1. Register for Project Zero Waste, the County's free eco-curricula.
  2. Students must submit their upcycled artwork through the submission page (LINK) between February 26, 2026, and closes on March 26, 2026.
  3. Contest Dates: February 26, 2026, and closes on March 26, 2026.
  4. Winner Announcement: March 30, 2026

Prizes

The grand prize winner(s) will receive tickets to a home game for their classroom or club and be recognized by the Anaheim Ducks Hockey Club and OC Waste & Recycling.

How does this benefit my classroom?

Winning submissions will receive two Anaheim Ducks game tickets per student/teacher and Ducks string backpacks for the classroom. Participating classrooms or after-school programs must register for the County’s free Project Zero Waste curricula, which aligns with State educational standards and supports hands-on environmental learning connected to waste diversion.

This project combines creativity and classroom learning that helps students score big with sustainability!

Rights and Permissions

By submitting an entry, participants grant permission for submitted artwork, school or district names, and related materials to be used for promotional and educational purposes by OC Waste & Recycling, the Anaheim Ducks, and the Orange County Department of Education, including use on websites, social media platforms, and other outreach materials. Students will not be pictured without permission from the school.

FREE ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES FOR OC EDUCATORS

Ready to talk trash? The County of Orange (OC Waste & Recycling), Orange County Department of Education and Discovery Cube OC are teaming up to bring exciting new tools to educators and the classroom. Our free EcoChallenge resources are designed by and for educators to meet important requirements and to help preserve our local resources. Promoting a sense of community and circular knowledge, EcoChallenge teaches students that small changes make a big difference - starting in their own backyards!

This free, environmental literacy program provides educators standards-based K-12 curricula, with an engaging lesson sequence that aligns with Common Core, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and incorporating Environmental Principles & Concepts (EP&Cs). EcoChallenge can be easily integrated into classrooms and existing environmental clubs and green teams on campus. Lessons convey how best recycling habits can help reduce greenhouse emissions, cut down on food waste, and reduce carbon footprints.

With opportunities for fun classroom incentives like autographed jerseys and field trips, EcoChallenge provides valuable tools to local educators while simultaneously meeting goals for waste diversion education. Classes can earn free reusable lunch bags, lunch kits and more while supplies last!

"The long-term benefits to the environment and teaching children they can make a daily difference were well worth it. I can also say how much I learned and made changes because of this lesson sequence. Thank you!"
- Kim Cox, Garden Grove Unified School District 5th Grade Teacher

"What resonated the most with my students was the fact that they got to learn about waste diversion and experience it firsthand. They were shocked how much we waste!"
- Ann Berger, 5th grade teacher at Esencia Elementary

Explore Discovery Cube OC Exhibits, Assemblies and Field Trip Opportunities

Eco Challenge Exhibits -- The County of Orange and Discovery Cube OC invite families to Take the Eco Challenge through hands-on environmental exhibits at the Cube. Families can test their recycling skills sorting various items on the Race-to-Recycle conveyor belt or put their “green” thinking caps on while shopping in Discovery Market where it’s all about smart packaging and food conservation. Visit our Eco Garage to learn about proper handling of hazardous waste at home, and don’t forget to stop at our wiggly worms of composting outdoors in the new Organic Waste Lab! 

Education -- OC educators can bring the Eco Challenge directly to classrooms and students. In partnership with OC Waste & Recycling, Discovery Cube offers 5th and 6th graders a fully funded, two-part program that includes a standards-based assembly and a Discovery Cube field trip with a bus stipend award. Find our field trip flyer here.

Discovery Cube partners with a variety of agencies to offer FREE water, waste, and recycling programs to students in specific service areas. These programs are conducted at the school site, are grade-level specific, and correlate with NGSS and Environmental Principles & Concepts. For more information, visit Discovery Cube education here.

COUNTY OF ORANGE FREE COMMUNITY COMPOST PROGRAM

Are you an Orange County resident, landscaper or organization interested in free compost or mulch? OC Waste & Recycling's community compost and mulch program is accepting requests!

  • Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
  • Bee Canyon Greenery, Irvine
  • Capistrano Greenery, San Juan Capistrano
  • By appointment only at OCLandfills.com/compost
  • STA certified by the US Compost Council

This program is made possible by recycling residential curbside green waste at OC landfill greeneries. Big changes make big impacts locally. Thank you for doing your part and recycling right!

DID YOU KNOW

  • Our Orange County landfills produce renewable energy from methane gas to generate electricity for OC homes?
  • OC landfills operate 106 pieces of heavy equipment and 115 engines on renewable diesel fuel to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 75% over previous fuel.
  • OC landfills recover and recycle mattresses, metals and green waste to give back to our communities as valuable resources such as compost and energy.
  • In 2022, OC Waste & Recycling completed 198 acres of coastal sage scrub restoration supporting natural habitats in south county and quadrupling the number of gnatcatcher breeding pairs in the area.
  • In 2022, OC Waste & Recycling repurposed 16,842 tons of green waste for composting through our on-site greeneries. This is curbside green waste going back to our communities full circle.