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Fifth-graders unite for school recycling
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Published: October 17, 2009
The research and hard work of fifth-graders at Cloverleaf Elementary School paid off Friday.
Not only will their school start recycling more items, but the entire school district will as well, Principal Wayne Harwell said after the students presented their research projects on recycling to Statesville Mayor Costi Kutteh.
"You were heard," Harwell told the students.
The elementary school on James Farm Road is just outside the city limits, and the students had written persuasive letters to Kutteh requesting a truck come pick up their recyclable material.
Students told Kutteh during Friday's assembly about the research they performed and about their concern for the trees, water quality, animal populations and landfill space.
Ten-year-old Brandon Gray wants to be a biologist someday, and saw the project as his chance to advocate for the environment.
"I've got to start now," he said. "The whole world is in a crisis."
Brandon said one fact that caught him by surprise was that a ton of paper is made out of 70 trees and 7,000 gallons of water.
Zachery Roberts said that by recycling, the students could do their part to reduce half the trash in the landfill.
"We've spent a lot of time learning about the importance of research," teacher Brenda Tab said.
Tab said students scoured books and the Internet, and she is proud of what they learned and accomplished.
Kutteh spent a while talking to the children about municipal boundaries and what the city collected as far as recyclables.
Kutteh promised to talk to the city about sending a truck to Cloverleaf shortly before Harwell made the announcement.
The district-wide recycling program is in response to the statewide mandate to recycle all plastic material, said Executive Director of Facilities and Planning Kenny Miller.
Iredell-Statesville Schools has made arrangements with Benfield Sanitation for a streamlined recycling program. The program will allow all 35 schools and five supporting sites to put all types of recyclables in one dumpster. The sanitation company will sort the recyclables.
The program will start in November.
"It is a good way to do it," Miller said. "It is an easy way on our side."
The program will cost the district an additional $17,000 a year. In addition, the district will have to build ramps to make it easier for employees to dump the recycling containers in the cafeteria into the dumpster, Miller said.
Miller was pleased to hear that the students at Cloverleaf are already excited about recycling. He said it will be up to students and employees to sustain the recycling program.
"We got to get our kids to take ownership," he said.
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