A group of students from Charles Dewey Middle School in Sunset Park is schooling us all with their recycling and waste management knowledge. Teachers say these students, who have dedicated themselves to cutting down waste and improving recycling programs, are the reason why Charles Dewey Middle School is receiving an award for being a zero-waste school.
The students are part of the school’s Green Team—a club that meets twice a week to discuss how to increase recycling efforts and minimize waste at school and beyond. During these meetings, the students plan various educational projects for their peers.
Sample projects include creating informational arrows to help other students figure out which recyclable items go in which bin and creating campaigns to educate about the importance of not littering.
“There’s an actual plate, and there’s an actual fork, and things that they throw away. So they can immediately see it and know where it goes. And that improved recycling a lot,” says science teacher and sustainability coordinator Karen Huurman.
Their efforts have increased recycling at the Sunset Park school, and many students say they are utilizing their newfound knowledge at home, too.
“I actually told my sister how to recycle, because she would just throw everything in the trash bin. I explained to her how we’re supposed to have three different bins,” says sixth-grader Diana Cortez.
