If you’re searching for an innovative fundraising idea that practically runs itself, you might want to follow the example made by the collective efforts of the Edison, New Jersey youth athletic leagues. The coaches and athletic directors, in collaboration with the town mayor, have developed a program where recycling bins are placed at each athletic field and the materials collected are then turned into recycling dollar s for the leagues. The town, which benefits from county and state sponsored Clean Communities and Recycling Tonnage grants, has so far traded 174,960 tons of trash for cash.

The eco-friendly program not only yields much-needed money for field and facility maintenance and reduces the amount of funds spent by the county to dispose of the materials, but it also teaches kids the importance of taking a proactive role in environmental preservation as well as the value of community teamwork.