Broken crayons still color

By Ginna Young

When out and about in Cadott, you might spot some white pails at the elementary school, library and churches, but they’re not for putting extra zucchini in. They’re there to hold broken crayons, as part of The Crayon Initiative, an organization that repurposes the wax art supplies and donates them to kids who need some cheering up.

“They take broken and unused/old crayons people don’t want anymore, and they recycle them into triangular- shaped ones, with a paper wrapper and give them to kids in pediatric hospitals,” said Cadott Lions Club member Brian Dulmes.

Dulmes approached the club about starting the project in Cadott, after he learned about the initiative. The initiative came into being one night, when Bryan Ware and his family went out to eat, and Ware started wondering where crayons end up when they’re no longer usable.

The answer was a landfill, so Ware decided he needed to do something about it, at first melting crayons down and remanufacturing them. Since then, the initiative has grown, so that people the country over mail them to The Crayon Initiative.

Once the initiative receives a shipment of crayons, they sort them into five primary colors. The crayons are then melted down and the paper cover surrounding the crayons float to the top, which is then scooped out, ground up and used in fire logs.

“No waste at all,” said Dulmes. The new crayons are easier to hold and use, and don’t roll off a hospital tray. It takes about 40 pounds of crayons to make about 200 packs of new crayons, which are shipped to children’s hospitals, including those in Marshfield and the Twin Cities.

“And the kids get to take the crayons home after they leave the hospital,” said Dulmes.

To learn more, visit thecrayoninitiative.org.