The Recycle Center

Students at an elementary school in Chicago studied ecology. They learned that there was so much trash that it was a world-wide problem. They asked their teacher if they could do something to help solve the problem. “It is a very big problem,” she said, “but if every community helps, that would really make a difference.”

The students decided to set up a Saturday Recycling Center. They would collect trash. Then they would get it to a place. The students used the Internet to find out more about recycling in Chicago. They found that there are 15 “drop off” sites, places where people can bring trash to get it recycled.

The students had to figure out how to get the trash to the site. They went to talk with the minister of the church near their school. They knew that he drove a van and helped people. They went to ask him to help with their plan.

The minister agreed to help. He said he would pick up the recycling one Saturday each month after the students pack it. He said it was such a good plan they could use the churchyard for the Recycling Center. They decided it would be once a month, on Saturday afternoon. They chose the first Saturday of the month.

So everything was organized. All they needed was trash to recycle.

The students made posters to put in stores in the neighborhood. The minister announced the new recycling program at the church service and put up a poster, too. The community center put a note about the recycling center in their monthly newsletter. The students went in to the other classrooms at their school and asked children to tell their families about the Saturday recycling.

The first Saturday was a great success. In fact, they got so much trash that the minister had to make two trips to take it all to the drop off site. The students still send reminders home, but now most people in the community know that if it’s the first Saturday it’s time to recycle.