As a student here at Hoover, I’ve noticed that a lot of recyclable items are thrown into trash cans since there aren’t any recycling bins to throw them into. Why is that?  This question has bugged me since our planet has so many problems, maybe this could be a solution to help get rid of at least one problem.

There is a new club on campus called Green for U, which has to do with environmental problems like these. I wanted to address this problem as seeing recyclables put in trash which is wrong, as they get put with food and other items. And after talking with Principal Babineau, he feels awful that our trash and recycling aren’t separate. After talking with the operations director, Mr. Ivan Gonzalez, there was more to this story than initially thought.

As it turns out, a year ago we did have recycle bins, but were either damaged, destroyed or mysteriously disappeared. Mr. Gonzalez asked other schools for their spares as the district didn’t provide any more. Though we do have the big recycling bins, I don’t think many students would walk all the way to the 300 building just to throw away a small can or bottle. Why make new trash when we can just reuse the plastic that we already have. Especially since plastic is one of the main materials used for food or anything in general. Our ECO club hopes to spread more awareness about problems like these. They want students to build a voice and learn to become more activists.

There has already been some improvement in classrooms who received small recycling bins which is a step in the right direction. I do hope that this gets to others as one way to stop this problem from becoming bigger and if more staff, teachers and students are aware. I know the problem won’t be gone in a day, but you have to take the first step in wanting to stop it. As everything requires a step in the path you choose how you handle this problem. Our planet is worth protecting as it’s a place full of life and our home.