Schools in the Salt Lake City School District have taken recycling to a new level. Reducing the amount of waste generated is the first goal (by using emails instead of printing out letters, for example); recycling is the second.
The school district is encouraging parents, children and staff to “Feed the Frog” and recycle their newspapers, paperboard, office paper and magazines at the schools’ green recycling bin. In February 2013, the school district recycled about 58 tons of paper and cardboard alone.
“It’s a good thing to do, so that the students can take ownership in protecting the environment and reduce the amount of garbage in our schools,” says Bryant Middle School principal Frances P. Battle.
With the students help, the school has been able to reduce the volume of trash going into a trash can. During meals, students separate liquid, food and the containers they come in. They then help stack the containers, so that they fit in the trashcan while taking up the least amount of space.
“The kids respect the program,” says Greg Libecci, Energy and resource manager for the school district.
Students have gone through elementary school learning how to recycle, which has contributed to the success of the program.
“Even if we’re not monitoring, they still do it,” says Bryant Middle School head custodian Erik Adams. “It’s pretty automatic for most kids.”
Bryant Middle School has reduced the volume of garbage sent to the landfill from 40 yards a week to 16 yards a week. An additional six yards get sent to recycling. In February 2013, the school recycled about 8 pounds of paper and cardboard per student and was third in the district for recycling per student.
“Before we started recycling, we had five 55 gallon (bags) per lunch,” says Adams. “We’ve cut it down to two 55 gallon (bags) for both lunches.”
Adams has seen a cleaner, safer environment in the area of the dumpsters. The removal of the liquid has resulted in fewer bees and no smell.
This reduction has resulted in paying less for garbage pickup, and earning money from some of the recyclable materials.
According to Libecci, the school district’s annual savings is “just shy of $50,000” in its third year. That includes the lower fees for picking up recyclable materials and the income generated from paper, cardboard and metal recycling.