![Azalia Quinn fills out a mock ballot. On Thursday, Oct. 24 AP Government students did a pretend election to experience what it’s like. “If you can get [students] enthused about voting at a young age, the chances are higher that they’re going to continue this process throughout their adulthood,“ Brian Brown, the AP Gov teacher said.](https://mshsprospector.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18FGwFbMo8mtfWGnVEvaqiODxDZhuV9ipRw3DAgL-1200x960.jpg)
Environmental Club Brings Back Recycling
The new recycling bins are equipped with infographics to inform students and staff about how to properly recycle. They also have passes for the students who volunteer to collect recycling.
October 22, 2019
Manitou Springs High School (MSHS) has been recycling throughout the school for the last few years, having buckets placed in each classroom, and even some around the halls and in the lunchroom. Each had a piece of paper taped on it, indicating specifically which things to, and not to, recycle up until this 2019-20 school year when recycling was taken away. The group that usually collected recycling, WORRRMS, was also shut down completely. Students weren’t aware of this until janitors started collecting all the recycling buckets. Students thought that it would be the last time they saw them. This decision seemed to have happened in an instant and nobody was really informed that recycling was being done for and why.
But the reality is, the way MSHS’s recycling was being recycled was causing a high level of contamination. 90 percent of recycling was being thrown in the trash. The whole process was super unorganized, recycling wasn’t being collected properly or often enough. Admin had to make the decision to stop recycling to prevent contamination, something that many frowned upon. This decision didn’t seem like something they wanted to do either, especially in today’s day and age where many environmental issues and being brought into the conversation.
After implementing specific steps and policies, MSHS will incorporate recycling again, but the WORRRMS club will remain disbanded. Instead, Environmental Club is offered to students who are interested in helping and protecting the environment, including working on the recycling situation in the school. When recycling does come back, the process of collecting, and distributing properly will be each advisory’s responsibility. More specifically, every Thursday each advisory will receive a reminder to have a student volunteer dispose of the recycling from that classroom. Matter of fact, nothing will be the same as the last time recycling was collected. The recycling bins that will be put in the commons are going to be a little different this time around. There will be a sorting container to try and keep metals, plastic and paper all separated. This is all in hopes to keep everything organized and orderly. Another attempt to making things not so difficult is by working with the lunch ladies to try to use more sustainable supplies for lunch. This can make properly disposing of them a little bit easier. Environmental club is working hard and doing their best to have this process flow as smoothly, and correctly, as possible so that the student body is educated and can contribute by disposing of their recycling the right way.
Ben Schwartz (12) • Feb 10, 2020 at 8:58 am
Would it be possible to see follow-up stories or a guide to how students can individually promote recycling? I feel like an article that discusses why and how to recycle would also be helpful for students. Both at home and at school, students should know how they can make a better effort to advance their own part in environmental awareness. Since this is a topic that is rising in importance, it would be awesome to see more about it. Other than that, great article!
Mitchell W. • Feb 10, 2020 at 8:57 am
I think it’s wonderful that this club is still operating and still has support. It’s important in many different ways, not just for the environment. It helps to keep our local environment clean and healthy, even at a level as simple as a high school. If every high school did the same or more, it could even help the entire industry of recycling, who knows!
Levin Perry - Grade 11 • Feb 10, 2020 at 8:52 am
I believe that, although it is small and hardly noticeable, that recycling is important. I believe that we were all a little surprised when they started taking away the recycling, and were pleased to hear that they were reimplementing it. Although not everyone participates in recycling, I believe that this new system has helped with that, bringing more people to recycle and helping the environment. I hope that at some point in the future we can widen the view of recycling in our school, and have the entire system sorted out with every piece of rubbish and scraps in their respective bins. I support the recycling movement and have high hopes for it’s future!
Owen White (12) • Feb 10, 2020 at 8:48 am
For whatever reason, there doesn’t seem to be much of the emphasis on the students’ concern over the sudden disappearance of the recycling. Although there was a great deal of contamination in the recycling, I think a better solution would be better education the correct and responsible way to recycle instead of eradicating the system. In the future I think that before radical changes go into place, it would be important to make students and teachers aware well in advance to prevent the sort of whiplash we experience with sudden change.
Gabrielle Waters • Nov 8, 2019 at 2:39 pm
Thanks Aniah for the great write up and for helping get the word out there about recycling!