Environmental science teacher Kelly Rowland has estimated that the school currently uses 4000 plastic bottles a day and has been looking for ways to reduce the number of plastic bottles that go into the solid waste output. Rowland finally convinced Waste Management to give the school recycling bins for only plastic bottles.

“The ultimate purpose is to reduce our solid waste output,” Rowland said. “When we realized that all of our bottles on campus were plastic, the numbers were really high. So if we could reduce that and put those in for recycling that would drastically drop our solid waste production at this school.”

The new recycling program is a privilege for students. The school is the second school in the district to be granted the benefit of the bins.

“[Waste Management doesn’t] currently do it for schools, except on an individual basis,” Rowland said. “So they do it at Morris Elementary and now here. I would like to get the word [out] and get the students to get how important it is to recycle those plastic bottles.”

Students are appreciative to have the opportunity to participate in the program.

“I think it’s a smart idea,” junior Josey Brown said. “The number of plastic bottles you see getting thrown in the trash cans can really ruin the environment.”

While the bins seem successful, Waste Management and Rowland still have many concern regarding the student body’s participation.

“My biggest concern is that the program won’t fly,” Rowland said. “We’ve tried to do this for several years now and finally got Waste Management to agree to do it so I would really like for it to be a success and spread to other schools in the area.”