Attribution

Last updated: July 25, 2025

  1. Schools discard an estimated 45 million gallons of milk annually. (The Cool Down)
  2. Schools spend 10–15% more on single-serve cartons vs. bulk milk. (Midwest Dairy Toolkit)
  3. 29% of school milk cartons are thrown away by kids, untouched. (Switch4Good)
  4. Cold milk is 35% more likely to be consumed by students. (Midwest Dairy Toolkit)
  5. Milk cartons constitute at least 50% of a school's lunch trash volume. (Dairy MAX)
  6. Milk dispensers reduce milk waste to roughly 4.5 cartons per student per year. (Chef Ann Foundation)
  7. Milk dispensers save 248 gallons of water and 30 pounds of CO2e per student annually. (Chef Ann Foundation)
  8. Milk dispensers have helped schools reduce purchasing costs by 40%. (National Service Center for Environmental Publications)
  9. Milk dispensers have helped schools increase milk sales by 40%. (National Service Center for Environmental Publications)
  10. Milk dispensers can reduce up to 91% of packaging waste by compacted volume (Bluestone Elementary study)
  11. Milk dispensers can reduce up to 89% of packaging waste by weight (Bluestone Elementary study)
  12. Milk wasted annually in U.S. schools emits the equivalent of over 77,000 gas‑powered vehicles. (WWF)
  13. Milk wasted annually in U.S.schools consumes nearly 10,000 Olympic‑size swimming pools worth of water. (WWF)
  14. Elementary schools save $3,000 annually on milk after switching to bulk dispensers. (King County Green Schools Program
  15. Schools allowing students to self‑pour report 76% less milk waste. (PLOS One)
  16. Schools serving bulk milk report a 56% reduction in daily milk waste. (WWF)