An important part of day-to-day life was the environment people choose to be in. Whether that means their homes, the parks people choose to walk their dogs in, or the grocery store where they buy groceries. A big part of helping the environment was keeping it clean through recycling. Recycling was known for separating reusables from non-reusables. This can include recycling plastic water bottles, cans, cardboard, and more.
Recycling is a large part of almost everything, as it is especially involved in larger environments such as schools. Teachers, custodians, and students can work hard to keep this environment clean. Functional skills teacher Peter Ting said, “I did a recycle lesson with the students and I went through with them what is recycle and what’s not recycle. We have a certain routine for buildings that we go to. I try to make a routine for them, and then I give them very specific directions of what to do. I feel like making a routine helps with efficiency… The recycling also contributes to a lot of team bonding and helping us grow connections.” Ting takes multiple students at a time to collect the recycling from classrooms around campus.
A big part of the reason the school’s environment was clean was because of the custodians. The head custodian, Edward Neal, said, “I do believe that you guys [students] are doing quite well putting the trash in the correct bins and getting recycling where it needs to be. We are doing our best to keep the school clean because Perry is a very busy school and will continue to get cleaner.” Neal strived to keep the environment clean. He emphasized that the students’ help has greatly impacted the school and made his duties a little easier.
People do their best to recycle but can always be more efficient, as people typically throw all the recycling and trash into one bin to dispose of it all together. Ting added, “I think more communication and making things go into the correct bin would make it a lot more efficient and get what we need to recycle.” The recycling system at the school is good but could always be improved in areas that involve separating trash and recycling better, using fewer unneeded materials, and helping the environment.
Recycling benefits us in many ways, such as conserving natural resources, lowering pollution levels, and reusing materials. These actions could help reduce energy consumption, improve the ecosystem, reduce greenhouse gases, and gain a sense of community. Improving the environment can create jobs and produce economic benefits. Overall, recycling was crucial to the planet’s future, as throwing an empty soda can into recycling after lunch can impact the planet without even knowing it.
