Recycling has been a major concern among today’s generation. In a world full of many environmental disasters it is important to do our part, starting with something as simple as placing recycling bins in the cafeteria.

Recycling should be an automatic habit. When you see a piece of paper, the first thing you should think about is, where are the nearest recycling bins? Unlike our classrooms which are filled with these bins, the school cafeteria doesn’t offer any. The main problem seen is that many kids are putting recyclable items in the wrong bins.

Hundreds of students enter the cafeteria and dispose of items that can be recyclable. Now, why is this a concern? Many of those items can be repurposed. In the cafeteria, I see many people throw out items that could potentially be recycled. In order to understand the concern of the lack of recycling bins, you need to understand the importance of recycling. It prevents pollution, saves energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. With this being said, we should create a system for recycling or simply just bring in a bin and let people do the recycling on their own.

Our school has many clubs regarding recycling and creating a greener environment. For one, we have the Go Green Club. This club makes sure recycling is collected on a weekly basis (Wednesdays, unless otherwise announced) and taken to the appropriate area for the next step in the process. We also have the NARWHALS club, which is offered to students who are interested in learning more about the natural environment in Illinois while working to restore environments such as forests and savannahs back to their former health and beauty. So when I found out that our cafeteria only included trash bins I was shocked. How can you promote a club based on recycling and making the world greener, but the school can’t even promote the basic idea?

In a world of many environmental disasters due to the result of global warming, it is important to do our part in any way we can. This is why we need to start enforcing recycling at our school. Enforcing recycling can also encourage students to do it at home, which would help increase our green footprint in the community. Some ways you can reuse and recycle at home are by creating a cabinet for plastic bags to reuse and throw out the garbage in, keeping your newspapers to pack some fragile things in the future and converting old sheets into wash rags. Overall, even though the school isn’t pushing the importance of recycling, it is important for you to enforce it into your daily life and try to push for a greener school environment.