I have a newfound appreciation for recycling teams, like the one at Sisler High School.
Before spending time with a few of the students on the school’s Recycling Team and Lauren Sawchuk , the energetic teacher in charge of the group, I didn’t give much thought to the day-to-day operation of a school-based recycling program.
With 1,800 students attending classes at Sisler High School, you can imagine there’s a steady supply of recyclables flowing into the building. Just think about all the bottles of water and plastic containers used during lunchtime. There is so much to recycle at the school that nearly 200 blue recycling bins have been placed in classrooms and hallways to accommodate the demand, and every one of them is emptied out regularly by the students on the Recycling Team.
Three times a week, the 50 kids on the team roll out their big carts, collect the recyclables and move them into the industrial-sized blue bin outside. It takes a real commitment, partly because of the time they dedicate to keeping their school clean and reducing waste in the landfill, and particularly because of some of the messy surprises that get tossed into the recycling bin instead of the trash.
I imagine students on the Recycling Team likely don’t get the accolades that come with wearing a football jersey or soccer cleats, but after seeing what they do to make the world and their community a better place – I sure wish they did.
So from me to all the students involved in recycling programs at school, here are three cheers for you!
Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!
To find out more about school recycling go to recycleeverywhere.ca.
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