As schools and other organizations navigate the pandemic with new safety measures, it’s important to think about the long-term implications of these choices. Keeping everyone healthy is our top priority, but many are beginning to realize that some sanitizing methods, such as wipes, are an unsustainable practice.

Phones, laptops, and tablets can carry germs, including COVID-19, for days. Device sanitizing is an essential component of schools and other organizations’ safety plans. But, let’s take a look at the numbers.

In Maryland, for example, Prince George’s County Schools has 132,000 students within the district. If these students each use just 1 wipe per day over 180 school days, that equals 23,760,000 wipes per year that will end up in landfills. The out-of-pocket cost averages around $.06 per wipe, which totals to $1,425,600 per year spent on wipes, a staggering amount.

Sanitizing wipes are costly and are clogging up landfills—it’s crucial that schools find a better way to keep devices clean. Our UVC Charging Carts are an eco-friendly, cost-effective alternative to sanitizing wipes.

Sanitizing Wipes Are Wasteful

By bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, driving hybrid cars, and shopping eco-friendly brands, consumers are making a conscious shift towards sustainability. Sanitizing wipes are not aligned with these values.

They can only be used once, and then they need to be discarded. Each wipe may not be very big, but consider the effect of an entire student body’s daily wipe use for just one month. Cumulatively, these wipes fill up landfills and have a significant impact on our environment. Sanitizing wipes are made with synthetic materials, so they are generally not biodegradable, which means they will not break down in landfills.

Make a Sustainable Choice

Schools and organizations can prevent waste from sanitizing wipes by opting for a more sustainable solution. Our UVC Charging Carts do not create any excess waste and can be used over and over again, while charging up to 65 devices simultaneously. Just one cart replaces countless wipes, meaning fewer bags of trash to deal with, and less landfill waste. Aside from being more eco-friendly, our carts also charge devices while they’re sanitizing, meaning students and teachers will never have to worry about low batteries again!

Sanitizing Wipes Are Costly

In addition to the environmental cost, sanitizing wipes can have an immense financial cost. With growing student populations, teachers, and staff each using sanitizing wipes multiple times a day, even smaller schools will need to buy in bulk. Wipes constantly need to be repurchased and restocked, which is an expensive endeavor. Not to mention, with constant shipping delays, what happens when you run out of wipes before more arrive?

Although the upfront cost of a UVC solution is higher than a single supply of wipes, the investment pays off rapidly. Our UVC Charging Carts are designed with durability in mind and are intended to serve for the long term, making it an ideal solution for schools.

These days, every cent of a school’s budget and every square foot of a landfill counts! Let’s work together to find smarter, more sustainable solutions.

Do you have any questions about UVC charging or our other sanitizing solutions? Contact us—we’re always happy to help! 

With high volumes of individuals coming together from different households, schools are all too often a breeding ground for COVID-19 and other viruses. We need to keep students, teachers, administrators and staff safe in schools during the pandemic.

New Funding Opportunities

In order to help alleviate some of the financial burden caused by COVID-19, schools have been allocated additional funding. Congressional COVID funding for schools has come in the form of 3 different relief plans: the CARES Act, the Covid Relief Package, and the American Rescue Plan. Additionally, the CRSSA Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund has been signed, which authorizes additional stimulus aid.

All together, schools can expect billions of dollars that can be used towards COVID-safe operation and pandemic response. They are now faced with re-budgeting this funding and figuring out how to invest in smart solutions.

Invest In A Direct Solution

One avenue that this funding can support is direct efforts to keep schools clean and prevent the spread of these germs. PowerUp’s device sanitizing solutions are an immediate, cost-effective investment that will keep students safer and help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools.

The Importance of Device Sanitizing

Every day, people are bringing in their own devices, like cell phones, laptops, and tablets into the school. Many schools also use shared devices like laptops for students; these especially need to be cleaned between uses to prevent the spread of bacteria. A device sanitizing solution helps stop the spread of the germs that inevitably build up on these devices throughout the day.

The PowerUp UVC Charging Cart can be placed in classrooms, lunch rooms, teacher’s lounges, or any other convenient location. Once the device is plugged in, it only takes 5 minutes for the cart to complete the UVC disinfection process. The device will charge during this time as well. That way, it’s easy for students to clean and charge their devices between classes, or for employees to do so during their lunch break.

These carts are a great way to respond to COVID-19 concerns in the short-term, but also to keep everyone healthy in the long term. Through the power of 254nm UV light, our UVC carts can kill any kind of bacteria or virus—including MRSA, Staph, E Coli, influenza and other pathogens—not just COVID. Our UVC charging carts are a wise investment that will make a difference for countless school years to come.

Contact Us

Let us help you stop the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses in schools by implementing sanitizing and charging solutions. Please contact us for a quote on any of our products, including our USB or AC UVC charging carts.