A school recycling system is finally implemented with Eco Club’s efforts
Claire Wu throwing a juice carton into the proper recycling bin (Photo: Josie Eubank, The Puma Prensa)
By Josie Eubank, staff writer
The task of implementing a school recycling program has proven to be far more difficult than one may think; however, that hasn’t stopped the consistent efforts of Eco Club. After months of planning, conversations with administration, and advocating for a proper recycling system for Maria Carrillo High School, Eco Club’s hard work and dedication has finally paid off.
Due to the fact that recycling is not a part of the custodian’s job description, the task of recycling has been passed down to students who are willing to take it on. In the past, Marine Bio Club was responsible for recycling. Cassidy Dorr, Eco Club Co-President and senior at MCHS, stated that she “participated in taking out the recycling once a week during Advo, but the club dissolved after COVID.”
This year Dorr decided to step up and take on the leadership position. Initially, she wanted to take the issue to the school district to implement recycling directly into the custodian’s contract. However, as the club realized this plan was unrealistic, they decided they were better off doing it on their own as it was the only practical option for the time being.
In order to take action, Eco Club devised a plan to ensure a lasting impact on campus. “Our goal is to put eight more recycling bins out into the quad, and Eco Club will rotate people in groups to take out the bins one day a week during Advo,” says Dorr. A schedule detailing the people who are responsible for the various sections of the quad has also been created. Additionally, they have worked on advertising by filming a video for Carrillo Live that explains the difference between trash and recycling with their laminated labels to make it easier for students to understand and follow.
Dorr states that she has been in contact with Principal Luke about establishing the system since the first semester. “It was a slow process to contact and wait for a response,” Dorr says. For a while, the only thing slowing down their process was the need for administration’s approval. Gemma Ahern, senior at MCHS and member of Eco Club said that “we would take it out if we could, but we can’t.” With the proper resources readily available, “recycling is a feasible thing everyone should be doing, especially a highschool in California,” argues Dorr. Overall, Dorr and Ahern expressed their frustration in a lack of action taken by administration despite the pressing issue.
However, with Eco Club’s persistence, the push for a recycling program was approved by Luke as she approved of the club’s plan to move bins into the quad. Though Luke was unable to comment on the reasoning as to why the process was so slow before publication, Eco Club is excited to have a functioning system in place.
Both Dorr and Ahern believe in the importance of recycling as it promotes a sustainable lifestyle that is better for the environment. “We can turn things that would otherwise crowd up a landfill into things that can be reused again and again so we save our resources and don’t have as much trash—schools are a big producer of trash, so having a school recycling system is an effective way to ensure that mass amounts of recycling go to the recycling,” says Ahern.
Eco Club has proven themselves to be incredibly passionate about waste management on campus; furthermore, their willingness to initiate change and concern for the overall impact the school’s actions have on our planet is truly inspiring. Ahern said, “We need to slow down and think about our consumption, and think about what we’re doing rather than going with this out of sight out of mind mentality, because that is how we end up with sweeping climate change and the pacific garbage patch. Those huge problems can be traced down to an individual’s decisions, and those individual decisions can be traced back to the societal standards and systems we have in place that influence our actions.”