Recycling Reboot: Paper, Plastic, and now, Produce

Scituate High School will soon be adopting a brand new recycling system in the cafeteria. The environmental club has plans to make lunch at school a much more environmentally friendly part of the day. Liz McGrath, co-president of the environmental club, says that this is the club’s main priority as of now because “the cafeteria is one of the places where many recyclable items are being put in the trash because students have no other option.”

The only problem is if students have the option to recycle, will they use it? The club plans on advocating the new program by visiting homerooms during H-block “to tell students about the new system, and to remind everyone what is recyclable, and why it’s so important that we do our best to recycle everything we can,” McGrath said. The club also plans to put signs in the cafeteria and around the building that easily explain whether or not an item can be recycled.

A major component of the new recycling system is the addition of compost bins in the cafeteria. The environmental club wants to lower the amount of trash cans in the cafeteria and replace them with recycling bins, “so instead of 7 we’ll have 3-4 plus two stations with recycling and compost bins where students can put the things that don’t belong in the trash.” The compost and recycling in the cafeteria will be very easy to navigate and will clearly show what can go in each bin.

Besides the new recycling program, the environmental club generally wants to change the culture here at Scituate High School regarding the environment. Plastic water bottles and paper are often seen in the trash. I asked the co-president if she had any easy ways people could be more environmentally conscious, and she said that people should reduce their use of paper and plastic by, “going digital or bringing reusable plastic items instead of disposable ones.”

With all of these ethical new changes coming, be on the lookout for new recycling bins around school, and don’t forgot to actually use them!