School Recycling Program Benefits Needy Families

Editor's Note: The following is a news release that was issued by Lawrence Township Public Schools.

The “,” a group of sixth-graders at Lawrence Intermediate School (LIS), spearheaded a recycling program at Lawrence Intermediate School. The students began the planning stages in January during a two-day character education program, sponsored by State Farm Insurance.

Students developed a plan of action to reduce the amount of trash from the cafeteria and individual classrooms by setting out bins in the lunch room to collect Capri Sun drink pouches and Frito-Lay chip bags. The leadership group packaged the recycled goods and sent them to TerraCycle in Trenton, N.J.

Each item collected earned the school points. By the end of May, LIS’s recycling group had accrued over 6000 points. The students decided to bring $60 worth of points back to LIS to aid in the continuation of their recycling program. In an effort to give back, these future leaders used the remainder of their points to: provide 11 people with clean water for one week, supply a homeless child with school supplies for one day, purchase a baby chicken for a needy family, and reduce two pounds of carbon from the atmosphere.

In addition to taking part in the TerraCycle program, students were each assigned a homeroom to monitor 'green' behavior. The homerooms were awarded points for keeping their trash free of recyclable products, such as plastic bottles and paper. At the end of each month, the homerooms with the most points received water-ice, donated by LIS’s PTO.

The 'Leaders for the Future' are currently collecting applications from fifth-graders who are interested in overseeing the program’s continuation next year