[ot-caption title= “We may have those blue bins around school, but does PC even recycle? (via, Sabine Katsoulos, junior)”]

Have you ever wondered where plastic and paper items end up after they enter a recycling bin? In most cases, recycled objects are collected by trucks and taken to sorting centers, where they will eventually be converted back into reusable items. However, many students at Pine Crest believe that the items they throw into the recycling bins don’t have the same fate. Rumors around Pine Crest have led many students to believe that recycled items are treated like regular trash. This hearsay upsets many students who desperately want to believe that Pine Crest is working to remedy, rather than hinder, environmental issues. As an avid environmentalist, I felt it necessary to do some sleuthing about the truth behind these unimaginable allegations at PC.

The truth was not difficult to come by.  I went straight to maintenance, where any rumors about recycling were squashed. Head of facilities Marc Ranta, explained, “We, here at Pine Crest in the Facilities Department, recycle all our waste through our Waste Management Contractor (SWS). We have compactors and dumpsters on our campus and when they are taken to the waste site, SWS discards the materials there. The materials are placed on a single line separator, which is a conveyor belt. All the recyclables are separated through different means. We do everything here at Pine Crest to help our precious planet and environment.” While PC may not recycle through the blue bins on campus, all trash is eventually separated and sorted, benefiting the environment. The next question, however, soon became more pressing: if we do, in fact, recycle, why doesn’t Pine Crest ensure the students and faculty of this fact? And why aren’t we doing more to enforce the importance of being environmentally aware?

Without knowing that PC recycles, several students have become more involved in the battle to save our environment.  Many students feel responsible for protecting the environment because of the constant exposure to the dangers of environmental neglect present on social media. Videos on Facebook and Instagram shed light on the truth about our endangered environment. This media content positively affects the lives of our generation, as it motivates students to conserve, protect, and recycle. The recycling component is especially important for students, as they spend eight hours a day in schools that use tons of paper, plastic, and cans. Student Amanda Gibson was shocked to learn that we do recycle at Pine Crest, and expresses her desire to become more informed; she shares, “I understand in abstract terms that recycling is important. I think that if environmental awareness were to be more enforced at school, and I could better understand why my efforts make a difference, I would be more eager to recycle and stay active in the community.”

As the future Co-President of the Environmental Action Club, junior Mariana Giraldo is aware of the recycling policy at Pine Crest. “The system we have now at school is adequate because as far as I’m concerned, maintenance sends the recycled items to a facility to get separated into various categories to be recycled. But, I don’t feel like we are doing enough to educate the student body about the effects that their consumption has on the environment. In the past, we implemented a system that consisted of different receptacles to teach students to recycle by hand. But now, when you walk by the printer at the library, for example, an exorbitant amount of paper is just dumped into the nearby trashcan due to the lack of awareness.”

Students are not the only ones at Pine Crest concerned about a lack of recycling. Many teachers, especially those in the science department, are perplexed by the student body’s lack of awareness. Ms. Rice, a PC biology teacher, states, “Pine Crest should work to better enforce environmental action by promoting recycling around the school. I feel like it is important for the school to endorse recycling so that we can work to combat environmental issues.” Along with teachers, many of the administrators have agreed that they try their best to incorporate recycling into their daily schedule. Mrs. Metzger remarks, “Obviously, as a citizen of our planet, I believe that recycling is important and one of my responsibilities. I try to make choices as part of my daily routine that consider waste. For instance, I use and refill a reusable water bottle and coffee mug. I try to ensure that all my paper products and other recyclables end up in the blue recycling bins. Speaking of paper, I actually try to use as little real paper as possible. I try to do as much as possible digitally to avoid overusing paper.” It is this kind of awareness that needs to be promoted throughout the school.

Even if the blue bins only serve as a symbol at The Pine, perhaps this symbol has value.  Teaching students exactly why their decisions about what they do with their trash matters can have a real impact. The Pine Crest student body is not only interested, but excited to become more environmentally aware.  We just need the tools and resources to do so.  There should not be any question about whether or not PC recycles.  We should be spreading this around school, and taking the next step to become more educated about our environment.

Sources: Wonderopolis