12,000 bottles and 4,000 gallons of paper from the high school were headed to the dump, but instead have been recycled. For the past year and a half, a group of students and I have been collecting and sorting recycled goods from around the school.
The recycling program, originally devised by a former student, used to recycle paper with boxes in a few of the wings. Today, there are recycling boxes for paper and bottles in every classroom. And there are also a number of bottle receptacles around the school and in the cafeteria.
| One to do the less appealing task of sorting the dirty bottles into redeemable and non-redeemable varieties. |
| And the other group collects paper and bottles from the classrooms |
A recycling company picks the paper up every few weeks, but we are still in the process of searching for a bottle company. Currently, I take them to be recycled at the Acton Transfer Station, which makes my parents’ car smell of an interesting combination of Coke, Fruitopia, Iced Tea and myriad other beverages. Sorry Mom.
So, if you know of any bottle recycling companies- please see me after the ceremony.
Anyway, despite the dirty bottles— the experience has been a lot of fun!
And it is of course rewarding to see something that definitely should be done because of the many environmental benefits actually happen.
In addition to the idea that we are taking a small action to save the environment- I feel that the recycling program has exposed me to a different kind of work than I’m used to. Most days- hard work means studying for two tests, writing that English essay I had been ignoring and doing some math homework to top it all off.
But on recycling days- it means carrying around heavy bags and receptacles- mopping the floors that we got dirty and working outside sometimes in the cold weather.
I think that in a suburban community the recycling program has given us students an exposure to the types of jobs we probably won’t be doing after college. And while I’m not saying it’s a bad thing that over 90% of AB students attend college- it’s important that we make ourselves aware and appreciative of the hard physical labor that many people do.
For this and many other reasons, I have gotten a lot of out of the recycling program. I am very appreciative of the support from the faculty and students, especially the 30 students who have helped with recycling collection over the years.
And if you would like to join the recycling program- we always need more help. We’ll meet in the cafeteria this Wednesday, January 21 right after school. Hope to see you there!
Note: The following speech was delivered on January 5,
2004. Since this speech was given we did find a company that recycles
bottles.
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