spring 2005 new hamshire school recycling club newsletter

8/8/2019 Spring 2005 New Hamshire School Recycling Club Newsletter

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Spring 2005, Issue 20

Litter WalkA Lesson Plan to

Celebrate Earth Day

in the Classroom

Best of the BestSchool Recycling Awards

Submit a Nomination

2 3&

6 7&

BelmontMiddle School

School Profile

News Flash

4 5&Bag It, Grab It, Recycle It

Peer Matching Listserv

Kids Speak Out!

Joins the Club!


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Celebrate Earth Day (April 22nd) in the Classroom!

Lesson Plan

his is a great lesson to do this time of year. Its a wonderful Earth Day activity since all the snow has melted and

the littered landscape is very prevalent. With slight modifications, any age can benefit!T

Background:Litter is waste that is disposed ofimproperly. It can be made of human-made objects

and also be natural materials. We tend to think of lit-ter in the human-made category plastic bags, paper

cups, snack food wrappers. But an apple core,

banana peel, torn branches and leaves are also

Please contact THE CLUB for other Earth Day activity ideas and take advantage of our loaning library where

you can borrow videos, curricula, and the EcoCycle Kit.

Procedure: EAR

NA

STAR

!!!

Litter Walk: What is the difference between human-made and natural litter?(adapted from Association of Vermont Recyclers, Teachers Resource Guide, 1999)

defined as litter. The difference being, natural litter

replenishes natural systems if they are composted

and left in the woods. Human-made litter needs to besorted and disposed of in special ways. If done prop-

erly, this can save some of the natural resources (i.e.

bauxite to make aluminum cans, iron ore to make

steel cans) that were used to make it.

1. Write the words natural and human-made on the blackboard. Look around the class-room and name objects that are either natural or human-made. Discuss the purpose of the

objects, and even touch them to describe them in more detail.

2. Pass out paper grocery bags for collecting litter. Discuss items that the class mayfind on their litter walk that would be natural and human-made litter.

3. Take the class on a short walk around the school yard. Set the boundaries for the littersearch and set a time limit of fifteen minutes for the hunt. Caution the students about sharp objects

they find, have the younger ones ask for assistance if they find broken glass. Litter should be collected in their bags.

4. Pair the students and have one in each pair pick up samples of natural litter, and one pick up samples of human-made litter.

5. Back at the classroom, have students present their findings. For younger students they can make posters or a dis-

play of their litter. For older students, they can sort and categorize according to type glass, metal, paper, plastic, rub-

ber, textile, food, yard, and misc. waste. Then graph in a bar graph the results.

6. Discuss the great results. In what places was most litter found? How did it get there? Why do people litter? Whatcan be reused? What can be recycled? Which items were left alone and why?

7. Ensure that the recyclables dont get thrown away again, bring them to the local recycling facility.

www.recyclewithus.org2..


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ts that time of year again. Its time to recognize those that have made it a fan-

tastic year in the World of School Recycling! THE CLUB wants YOUR nominations

for the Best of the Best School Recycling Awards. The categories are:

Best of the BestSchool Recycling Awards:

Submit a Nomination

ENDURANCE AWARDresented to the school that has demonstrated the ability to not only implement a

successful school recycling program but to also sustain the program over time!

RECYCLER OF THE YEARiven to the school recycler who has demonstrated the most enthusiasm,

commitment and leadership in promoting school recycling!

MOST CREATIVE RECYCLING AWARDresented to the school that has shown the most creativity in their recycling program(including educational and fund raising activities)!

THE STARS!!! AWARDiven to the school which has received the MOST STARS!!! Achievement Stickers

over the course of the School year!

SEND YOUR NOMINATIONS to THE CLUB @ 9 Bailey Rd., Chichester, NH by May 4, 2005.

We just need to know who is being nominated and why they should be a winner.

The winners will receive free registration for 2 student reps and one teacher per school,

to NRRAs 24th Annual Recycling Conference and Trade Show in Waterville Valley, NH, June 7.

Here students will receive their award and be recognized by many in the recycling industry,

attend workshops, visit the exhibition hall, eat for free all day while hob knobbing with

solid waste and recycling industry professionals from throughout New England.

For more information see www.recyclewithus.org.

IPG

PG

3..


4/84.. www.recyclewithus.org

Bag It, Grab It, Recycle It(with little effort!)

he Bagit System is a

great way to efficiently

recycle paper in your

school. The heavy-duty woven

polypropylene fabric bags are

not only durable and easy to

handle, they are also reusable

and made from 20% Post-

consumer recycled content!

Heres how it works:

The bag is hooked onto a

plastic frame (made from

tough, durable recycled

polycarbonate, virtually indestruc-tible under normal conditions) for easy stuffing. Once

filled with paper, the bag is closed by a drawstring and

carried away to the central storage area or placed imme-

diately into a staff vehicle for transportation. They are

lightweight so there is no need for expensive roller

carts. Plus they cost less than the large molded plastic

containers on wheels that are usually used for central

collection and storage bins.

You can even add some color to your program because the

bags come in white, green, yellow and blue. The BAGIT

System is attractive and durable. The soft pastel colors are

aesthetically pleasing and facilitate material separation.

The result a more efficient collection and material pro-

cessing system for your school paper recycling program!

If interested in the Bagit System, contact the company at

800-622-2442 or www.bagitsystem.com. The prices arereasonable and the more you buy the less it costs. The bag

color does not affect the price, bags range from $3.50 for

500 or less to $2.25 if you order 10,000+. The 1-bag free-

standing racks range from $17.50 (1-4) to $11.00 (500+).

T

THE CLUBs Peer Matching ListservTHE CLUBs Peer Matching Listserv is now operating. Its very simple. You and your students continue to

contact us by emailing [email protected], but now with the Listserv, we can start discussion groups among

CLUB members. It is hoped that this will be an easy way for students to share their success stories with each

other, as well, as provide assistance to each other. It is a nondisclosure system, so all messages need to be sent

to THE CLUB before we get them out to everyone else.

We just need to know that you want to take part. You can do this by sending us your email, and asking your

students to send us theirs. So lets get talking to each other by joining THE CLUBs Peer Matching Listserv!

heck out this great paper recycling system! Lightweight, efficient,

durable, easy to use and it CLOSES THE LOOP because its made from

RECYCLED MATERIALS!C


5/85..

Kids Speak Out!Last year Mrs. Halls class was working on the recycling project. We also

thought that composting might have been a good project to try, though we

couldnt because we were already doing a great thing at that time which

was to continue with researching the paper stream and build a shed to store

the things that we recycle. An opportunity soon presented itself this year. We were

politely asked if we wanted to try that particular project this year. So we started to try

composting.

We soon started to make landfills out of shoeboxes. We left them alone like a real landfill

would be except to check on them. One had a cover and one didnt. We checked them every

day almost religiously. One day when we checked them we noticed a small patch of mold in

the covered one. We soon realized that the food needed air to properly decompose, something

a real landfill wouldnt have.

Our compost is turning into great soil that would be useful for the school flowers. If we have

enough we plan to give some to the farmer that has some vegetables close to our playground.

Composting is a truly great investment for our school improvement. Certainly our compost

will be great for the earth, also, for flowers, veggies, and less landfills and mold.

Mrs. Halls sixth graders, Hinsdale Elementary School, Hinsdale, NH

A!

Name:

School:

Teacher or Student:

Grade:

Sign-up Sheet for ListserveMail in this form or fax it to 603-798-5744 or email us at [email protected]

First 20 students to sign up will receive a

T-Shirt made from recycled plastic bottles

EARN

A

STAR

!!!

Seeking Stories we want to hear from YOUR student recyclers!

What will it take to get them to write us about their experiences as stewards of the earth?We would love to print their words in this newsletter. Please contact us at

[email protected] or write to THE CLUB, 9 Bailey Rd., Chichester, NH 03258-6026


6/8www.recyclewithus.org6..

Belmont Middle School

School Profile

Grades, 5 8

Population, 475

Recycles, mixed paper, office paper,plastic bottles and aluminum cans.

Operated by, Belmont MiddleSchool Recyclers

Belmont Middle School (BMS) in Belmont, NH has just started recycling!

The program spark plug is staff assistant, Michelle Donelan. When Ms.

Donelan began working at BMS, one of the first things she noticed was

that there was no place to put her waste paper except in the trash. Knowing

that paper is the easiest and most abundant recyclable in a school setting,

Ms. Donelan made it her duty to help BMS catch up with the 21st century.

Garnering the steadfast support of the PTO and the BMS Principal, Ms.

Donelan designed a recycling program that fit the schools needs. She report-

ed that the key to her success lay in her willingness to take baby steps.

The first step was to purchase recycling bins. Taking advantage of THECLUBs matching grant program, the PTO purchased 10 classroom bins (for

paper) and 2 Clear Stream bins (central collection containers for bottles and

cans see page 7 ). In addition, Ms. Donelan purchased small white trash

buckets (for bottles and cans) for each classroom. The second step was to

recruit assistants. Six hardworking sixth graders wanting to help the school

and the environment, and two staff wanting to integrate recycling into their

curriculum, stepped forward to become the official recycling crew!

The collection is simple, it takes about a half hour, one day per week, it

involves the entire school for some of it, and the recycling crew for the finerpoints. Each classroom has a white bucket (cans and bottles) and a class-

room bin (paper). During guided study, selected 8th graders wheel a large

container to each classroom to collect the paper. In grades 5 7th, teachers

designate students in their classes to bring the white buckets to the cafeteria where they are emptied into 2 Clear Stream

containers. The recycling crew then processes the recyclables in the Clear Stream containers by sorting and emptying the

bottles and cans and placing them in a larger, more durable plastic bag. These plastic bags are brought to a trailer cage,

donated by the Town of Canterbury, parked near the greenhouse behind Mr. Wernings classroom. When the cage is full,

Ms. Donelan tows it to Canterbury because Belmont does not have a recycling center. Canterbury keeps the revenue for the

recyclables in exchange for loaning the trailer to the school. Great work Belmont Middle School Recyclers!!!

Peter Chynoweth, Zach Davies, Austin Bruce, Nate Keating,

Brandon Landry, and Tyler DeBonee. Great job guys!

Tyler DeBonee, cleaning bottles


7/87.

Classroom Recycling Bins Available at Half-Price!New Hampshire the Beautiful, Inc. is offering members of THE CLUB classroom bins at

HALF-PRICE for use in their schools recycling program! The 14 gallon plastic bins are

green, approximately 16" x 22" x 13", and are printed with the NH the Beautiful, Inc.

logo and the phrase Our School Recycles. The bins are only $3.00 each!! Follow

these three simple steps to get your classroom recycling bins:

1. Be a member of THE CLUB;2. Contact NRRA (603-798-5777 or [email protected]) for an application;3. Make arrangements to pick up your bin in Chichester, New Hampshire!

This is a great opportunity to outfit your school with neat and tidy collection bins.

EARN ASTAR!!!

Check out this stack of bins, for only $3.00 per bin!

Welcome New Club Members!Belmont Middle School (Belmont)

Colonel Shepard Montessori School (Milford)

Enfield Village School (Enfield)

Hollis Primary School (Hollis)

Swasey Central School (Brentwood)

Thornton Central School (Thornton)

Number of Bin Grants:Classroom Bins: 455

Clear Stream Bins: 25

Good Job Everybody!

Wanted: Middle School Teachers

The New Hampshire Geographic Alliance has partnered

with THE CLUB, Keene State College and Impact Earth

to develop a Secondary Level Vermicomposting

Curriculum for Grades 7-8 and 9-12.

We have completed the first draft of the

7-8 version and need to field test it.

If you are interested in co-teaching the curriculum with

us in your classroom, please contact [email protected] call Impact Earth at 358-0486.

We Need Your Help!

TheClearStreamRecycling BinsThis is the perfect bin for

collecting bottles and cans

in your school. The bins are

only $11.00 each!! Its strong

wire frame, see-through bag

(providing content visibili-

ty), bold graphics, and raised

4-hole lid dramatically

increase recycling participa-

tion and reduce the chance

of contamination. Remember,

you earn STARS!!! when

you order a bin.

EARN

A

STAR

!!!


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SchoolRecyclingClub

c/oNRRA9BaileyRoadChichester,[email protected]

J

oin

THECLUB!

If you are group with written permission from the principal,and are currently recycling, or agree to recycle at least one

type of item for one year, you can be part of THE CLUB!

Its Simple and Easy!

School Recycling Club

THE CLUB is designed to be a fun and innovative way to give kids

encouragement, direction, and networking possibilities for schoolrecycling programs. Benefits to joining THE CLUB include:

Hear the latest news in the school recycling community.

Gain statewide recognition for your schools recycling efforts.

Increase partnerships between your community and your school.

Receive technical assistance for your school.

Learn of FREE recycling educational resources.

NON-PROFITORGANIZATION

U.S.POSTAGE

PAIDCONCORD,NH03301

PERMIT#1267

THE CLUB is a project of the Northeast Resource Recovery

Association (NRRA), a proactive non-profit working to make

recycling programs strong, efficient and financially successful.

spring 2005 new hamshire school recycling club newsletter

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