Goals for Maspeth Recycling Program
 1) Ensuring all classrooms have the
appropriate containers and instructions for
recycling.
 2) Ensuring all students and staff know
where to place common recyclables as well
as trash.
 3) Preventing contamination of the
containers.
 4) Ensuring timely collection of plastic bottles
and paper waste.
 5) Placing recycling bins in the hallways and
cafeteria and ensuring compliance in these
shared spaces.

I am proud of how far the recycling program has come at Maspeth High School. We now have
the basic infrastructure in place to properly reduce and recycle the school's waste. MHS
hallways have clearly marked recycling stations. Every classroom is equipped with green and
blue bins to separate recyclable materials such as cans, plastic bottles, paper, and cardboard
from trash. The Green Club created box tops for the bins that help students identify what can
be recycled at school.

The sole obstacle our school must now overcome relates to compliance. Most students are
committed to the recycling program but a few continue to contaminate bins by placing trash in
recycling bins and recyclables in trash containers. Sadly, this reduces the effectiveness of the
program, costs the school money, and harms the environment. Some students don't realize all
of the connections recycling has to our city's appearance, our planet's well-being, and even our
health. A small act can initiate a large impact.

With the help of dedicated Green Club members and the Maspeth student body, I hope to
uphold Maspeth's core values of truth, goodness, and beauty by better educating our students
and staff members about the benefits of recycling. An area of particular concern is the
cafeteria, where we now have the ability to remove liquids, food, and recyclables from the
waste stream. As lunch periods tend to generate the most waste, following the rules at the
cafeteria's new recycling stations could lower the school's landfill waste by 75% or more. It
takes just a bit of work (and only a few seconds of time) to get it right. Each week I have
observed improvements but we certainly aren't there yet. Food from the brown cafeteria bins
is collected each day and conveniently composted in New York City to one day become soil for
our lawns and parks. Even one piece of plastic can disrupt the process.

Maspeth High School has already made a name for itself when it comes to sustainability
projects. We are three-time Golden Apple Award winners and one of just twenty-five Green
Flag schools in the nation. It is going to take group commitment, planning, and action to make
Maspeth's recycling program great rather than good but I am certain we'll achieve our goals. It
really does come down to answering questions central to our human existence. Who do we
want to be? How do we want to live?
Recycling Game
Featured on NYC WasteLess Site
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/resources/promo_recyclinggame.shtml