Recently, you may have noticed the mysterious disappearance of recycling bins in your classrooms. Wondering where they went, you toss your leftover Starbucks drink into the trash—but did you ever consider that’s what you were meant to do all along?
As of March 27th, the custodian committee made the executive decision to remove recycling cans due to improper usage. Mrs. Julie Hemling, the head of the custodial staff, says, “Old gum and coffee cups that students were bringing in and throwing out without rinsing were the main reasons why we decided to remove the bins.”
While students may not see the big issue with this, they fail to realize that it costs the custodial staff both time and money. Originally, the custodial team “put bags in the recycling bins to keep them clean so that [they] didn’t have to wash them out every night.” However, due to the improper use of the bins, this turned out to be a waste of money. Mrs. Hemling explains, “We were going through about 25 bags a day, which was minimal. The custodial staff would come up, see the trash in there, grab it, tie it off, put it in their trash bag, and then replace it with a new one.”
On April 2nd, members of the custodial staff appeared on the morning announcements to announce that recycling bins would be returning to some classrooms. Teachers who wish to have a recycling bin in their classroom will be fully responsible for ensuring that students recycle only the appropriate items, which currently include cardboard and paper.
In the future, Mrs. Hemling plans to work with the Green School Club to educate the student body on properly using recycling bins to help protect the Earth. Additionally, she plans to expand recycling to include water bottles if students continue to follow the guidelines of recycling only cardboard and paper.
As recycling bins make their way back into classrooms, students must take responsibility to make sure that they are used correctly. With the custodial team and Green School Club working together to improve efforts on sustainability, the future of proper recycling in our school depends on everyone’s commitment to doing their part.
