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Recycling options a top priority for sixth graders
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Thomas Smith
Staff Reporter
It is not often students have their questions answered first hand by someone from their school system's administration, but Monday afternoon, a sixth grade class at Mount Airy Middle School had just that opportunity.
This past Earth Day, Marcy Marion's sixth grade science students wrote letters to the Mount Airy City Schools Board of Education, expressing their concerns about their cafeteria's use of Styrofoam plates. In those letters, the students asked why this was the case, when they had learned as a part of their studies that Styrofoam has one of the longest decomposition cycles of any synthetic material humans use today and cannot be recycled.
The
class has been learning all year about the ways of recycling, which
goods can and can't be, and what other products can be made from
recycled materials.
In response to the letters, Board of Education Chair Wendy Carriker spoke to Marion's class Monday afternoon to let the students know their voices and concerns had been heard, and to offer them numerous projects they could participate in to help with recycling practices at their school.
“I knew it was coming,” Carriker said. “We (the board) had already talked a little bit about the Styrofoam trays and had looked at other options. But when I saw the kids' letters, I was pleased to see that they cared about it as much as we did.”
Carriker gave the students a crash course in what the Board of Education is and what it does, and of how its decisions affect each student. She then asked the students how many of them had gone to school and used heavy lunch trays that needed to be washed. Only a three hands went up, including Marion's and Carriker's.
Carriker explained to the students the heavy trays cost more to purchase and also use energy and water when being cleaned. She said they also require someone to do the washing, leaving room for possible unsanitary conditions which could cost the system more money.
“So somewhere along the line, and I am not sure when that happened, we decided to go to disposable trays, but we are looking at changing that,” Carriker explained. “But it might take a little bit of time. It might take a little bit of ingenuity on our part, because the budget is pretty tight and we don't have a lot of extra funds.”
Carriker then told the students about a company called TerraCycle, which buys recyclable waste from schools and other areas and turns it into a variety of products such as potting mix in a milk jug container, soda bottle plant food, and a 2-liter bird feeder. The company pays six cents per plastic bottle. They also accept plastic cookie wrappers, drink pouches (i.e. Capri Sun), energy bar wrappers and yogurt containers. TerraCycle will purchase those items for two cents each.
Carriker urged the children to work towards creating a recycling club and find a way to recycle their school's waste efficiently.
“Basically, it is up to each building if they want to do recycling or not, but it's also up to the kids,” Carriker said. “Recycling is not going to work unless the kids get behind it and do it. I know a lot of these kids, you live in a community you get to know their parents or friends, and they need to realize that when you write a letter people read it.”
The students said they were very interested in starting some sort of club to help with recycling and said they were excited to come back next year and find a way to make their school a better and cleaner place. They still will be looking for something to do with the Styrofoam.
Contact Thomas Smith at tsmith@mtairynews.com, or at 719-1930.
Staff Reporter
It is not often students have their questions answered first hand by someone from their school system's administration, but Monday afternoon, a sixth grade class at Mount Airy Middle School had just that opportunity.
This past Earth Day, Marcy Marion's sixth grade science students wrote letters to the Mount Airy City Schools Board of Education, expressing their concerns about their cafeteria's use of Styrofoam plates. In those letters, the students asked why this was the case, when they had learned as a part of their studies that Styrofoam has one of the longest decomposition cycles of any synthetic material humans use today and cannot be recycled.
In response to the letters, Board of Education Chair Wendy Carriker spoke to Marion's class Monday afternoon to let the students know their voices and concerns had been heard, and to offer them numerous projects they could participate in to help with recycling practices at their school.
“I knew it was coming,” Carriker said. “We (the board) had already talked a little bit about the Styrofoam trays and had looked at other options. But when I saw the kids' letters, I was pleased to see that they cared about it as much as we did.”
Carriker gave the students a crash course in what the Board of Education is and what it does, and of how its decisions affect each student. She then asked the students how many of them had gone to school and used heavy lunch trays that needed to be washed. Only a three hands went up, including Marion's and Carriker's.
Carriker explained to the students the heavy trays cost more to purchase and also use energy and water when being cleaned. She said they also require someone to do the washing, leaving room for possible unsanitary conditions which could cost the system more money.
“So somewhere along the line, and I am not sure when that happened, we decided to go to disposable trays, but we are looking at changing that,” Carriker explained. “But it might take a little bit of time. It might take a little bit of ingenuity on our part, because the budget is pretty tight and we don't have a lot of extra funds.”
Carriker then told the students about a company called TerraCycle, which buys recyclable waste from schools and other areas and turns it into a variety of products such as potting mix in a milk jug container, soda bottle plant food, and a 2-liter bird feeder. The company pays six cents per plastic bottle. They also accept plastic cookie wrappers, drink pouches (i.e. Capri Sun), energy bar wrappers and yogurt containers. TerraCycle will purchase those items for two cents each.
Carriker urged the children to work towards creating a recycling club and find a way to recycle their school's waste efficiently.
“Basically, it is up to each building if they want to do recycling or not, but it's also up to the kids,” Carriker said. “Recycling is not going to work unless the kids get behind it and do it. I know a lot of these kids, you live in a community you get to know their parents or friends, and they need to realize that when you write a letter people read it.”
The students said they were very interested in starting some sort of club to help with recycling and said they were excited to come back next year and find a way to make their school a better and cleaner place. They still will be looking for something to do with the Styrofoam.
Contact Thomas Smith at tsmith@mtairynews.com, or at 719-1930.
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