Cardboard Metals Paper Electronics

placed in the proper bin. It is not always caught, though, and this can lead to contamination at recycling facilities. Non-recyclables can jam the machines and injure the employees that sort them.

Moreover, materials with food on them are also poor candidates for recycling. Cardboard goods, such as pizza boxes, cannot be recycled due to the grease from the food they carry. It is therefore essential that students check the school lunch dishes for grease and residue before recycling in order to prevent complications in the recycling process. In addition, students should always be separating plastic bottles from their caps before recycling as they are two different materials and need to be recycled separately.

STEM teacher Rustom Meyer said that packaging and single-use plastics are two large contributors to plastic waste. Meyer advocates for recycling and encourages others to do so.

“Even though [recycling is] a flawed system, it is better than just using up a huge number of natural resources [by] using them once and throwing them away,” Meyer said. “How could I take something that I use once every day and replace it with something that I can reuse somehow? That really goes a long way.”

Students can follow Meyer’s advice by consciously making an effort to reduce the amount of disposable plastics they use. Whether that’s buying a new water bottle, eating less take out or bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, it makes a difference. And in some cases, when plastic usage is necessary, simply ensuring that it is recycled properly is still incredibly impactful.