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County’s recycling program is among top twenty in N.C.

As the only county in the state with a designated recycling program in the school system, Granville County has piloted several successful programs that make an environmental impact while providing an educational recycling message to our students. Since the recycling program was initiated in 2010, projects have been put into place that not only save money and put good habits into practice, but have moved Granville County into the top twenty in the state for its recycling efforts.

 

 “Granville County is a pioneer when it comes to recycling,” said Recycling Coordinator Teresa Baker. “We want to teach our students that this is not a disposable society.”

 

Baker’s position of Recycling Coordinator is a shared one between Granville County Government and Granville County Public Schools, where she has worked closely with school custodians and with the child nutrition program to implement the recycling programs used every day. Although the recycling of milk cartons and other items have been in place since the 2010/2011 school year, as well as a transition from disposable lunch trays to re-useable lunch ones, Baker says that there was a desire to “do more.” The use of re-usable utensils has also been implemented to reduce waste as more menu choices are provided which offer healthier options. Unopened, pre-packaged snacks that are not consumed are also made available at “Grab and Go” stations or used in the “Backpack Buddies” program for students in need.

 

“We’re teaching kids to be responsible for their waste by realizing they can take re-usable trays and utensils to the dishwasher and by emptying their milk cartons and plastic drink bottles into five-gallon buckets with strainers for a clean collection process,” Baker noted. “Working with our school custodians and the child nutrition team, we’re making the idea of re-using and recycling a part of their daily routine – creating good habits our students can use throughout their lifetimes.”

 

Other ongoing projects include the recycling and re-use of office furniture; setting up collection boxes for scrap metal at the bus garage and at the maintenance department; recycling obsolete electronics and used textbooks; collecting used markers for recycling through Crayola; recycling fluorescent light bulbs and pallets; setting up collection boxes for clothing; utilizing recycle carts and dumpsters for aluminum cans and cardboard; and taking advantage of other “green” opportunities.

 

These projects have resulted in tremendous cost savings as Waste Industries, one of the recycling program’s greatest allies, provides a monthly report to monitor the school system’s progress. As a direct result of these recycling efforts, approximately $90,000 is saved in trash pickup each year. From June 2017 to July 2018, for example, a total of more than 177 tons of recyclables were collected by Waste Industries alone. In addition, almost 50,000 pounds of electronics was collected by Power House Electronic Recycling; Metech Electronic Recycling reported 1,455 pounds collected; more than 47,000 pounds of clothing were recycled by Friendship Used Clothing; Recycling Management Resources reported 5,000 pounds of outdated textbooks collected; more than 20,000 pounds of junk vehicles were scrapped at CJ Iron and Metal; Pallet One reported 2,200 pounds of pallets recycled; and Shred Ace collected 3,760 pounds of shredded paper.

 

According to Baker, all funds derived from the sale of scrap metal, used clothing and other items is put right back into our schools, helping purchase new equipment, new books, and even new recycling bins.

 

Expanding on that idea, a “Maker Space” has been introduced to keep young minds engaged by re-purposing and re-using teaching tools no longer needed, such as leftover art supplies, games with missing pieces, etc. that would have most likely ended up in the trash. Butner-Stem Elementary has recently opened their new Maker Space for creativity, with other schools soon to follow.

 

“We’re trying to spread the message that recycling, re-use or re-purposing should be our first action when something does not have any use to us,” Baker noted. “We’ve got to teach our students to be responsible and to be good stewards of the environment.”

 

To learn more about recycling in Granville County, contact Baker by phone at 919-725-1417 or by email at bakertd@gcs.k12.nc.us.

 

 

 

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