Recycling is not just about throwing away garbage in an organized manner.  It is a process that needs to be done in order to prevent pollution and the harvest of new raw materials. Recycling materials also keeps animals habitats clean and prevents wildlife from consuming waste. At Newcomers High School, unfortunately, recycling needs to improve.

The classrooms have three bins. The green one collects paper, the blue one collects glass, aluminum, and plastic, and the third bin collects the rest of the non-recyclable garbage. If non-paper products such as banana peels end up inside the green bin which is for paper products only, then it becomes contaminated which means that it can’t be recycled properly and can end up causing harm to the environment. This is why it is important to encourage students to recycle their waste properly.

Each floor has a recycling center, and seven years ago, our Green Team won the recycling competition championship. The prize was $3,000 and we purchased the third bin for every classroom, the recycling centers, and the large garbage containers that the custodians push around to collect the garbage from the classrooms at the end of the day.

Newcomers leaders are trying their best to recycle properly. For example in the cafeteria there are student monitors who guide the students to recycle. The cafeteria has managed to recycle items such as paper trays, forks and empty milk cartons. In the classrooms, items such as paper products, cardboard and water bottles are being recycled.

Assistant Principal and former Green Team leader, Mr. Perlaza suggests that in order to improve recycling, the Green Team should meet with the head custodian and elaborate a plan on how to strengthen recycling in the classrooms. The custodians can also collect the garbage from classrooms at the end of the day and put it inside the correct recycling center bins so that the Sanitation Department can recycle the items that are sorted properly.

Another solution could be to design a campaign to help educate students and teachers. “Everyone should be involved since saving the planet should be everyone’s concern,” Mr Perlaza said.

It’s important that we all make an effort to recycle properly because not only does it make the Sanitation Department’s job easier, but it also helps the environment and saves many animals’ lives.