During a recent phone interview about the Lyons Township Recycling Club, club co-sponsor Will Meuer was temporarily distracted by a school P.A. announcement, ironically enough, mentioning the LT Recycling Club.
The timely interruption served as proof positive that the burgeoning club is “making news” in its inaugural year at LT.
“The [LT] Recycling Club is a genuine attempt to encourage what many students and faculty assumed was already happening at the school,” said club co-sponsor Tom Swiontek.
“The initial response by many was surprise and embarrassment. Most of us assumed that our paper waste was already being recycled. Since the initial shock, students and teachers have responded favorably; now it makes sense to students because they know that the paper will be reused.”
With 36 students collectively in the Recycling Club at the North and South campus locations, the club’s main objectives are to increase District 204’s recycling and to reach a goal of recycling more than one ton of paper at each campus every month.
“The first item we wanted to tackle was paper recycling, because our school uses so much paper,” Meuer said. “We have a bin in almost every classroom. We have a two-week pickup system in place, and if a bin overflows, we hope teachers can pick students and deputize them to help out as well. The big message we hope to get across is that if everyone pitches in, even a little, it makes a big difference.”
On paper, statistically that is, it’s also apparent that plenty of recovered paper is recycled throughout the country. According to American Forest & Paper Association over 50 percent of the paper in the U.S. is recovered for recycling. American businesses use enough paper daily to circle the globe 20 times over and every ton of paper that is recycled saves 3.3 yards of landfill space.
By recycling paper, fewer trees are cut down to make new paper and institutions/businesses with efficient recycling programs reduce costs for trash removal.
“I recycle at home and I expect my neighbors to do so,” added Swiontek, a social studies teacher at LT, “but it is clear that the biggest producers of waste are our businesses and social institutions. This is my way of saying I am not complicit with ‘business as usual’ when it comes to the biggest issue of our time. The more families, institutions and businesses do their share, the more efficient it becomes.”
LT, which has a garbage contract with Waste Management, has extended its environmentally conscious offer to recycle paper to District 204 residents by encouraging them to drop off their paper, magazines, newspapers and mail at either campus’ Abitibi recycling retriever.
The bright yellow and green Abitibi recycling retrievers are located at the North Campus (100 S. Brainard Ave., LaGrange) on Park Road (next to the loading dock) and at the South Campus (4900 S. Willow Springs Road, Western Springs) on the west end of the south parking lot.
The recycling club also has started aluminum and plastic recycling initiatives at school by placing several bins in the cafeterias.
Although the club is in its formative year, Swiontek and Meuer already feel the group has made significant strides promoting activity over apathy regarding environmental issues.
“One reason I decided to get involved is that I often hear students express apathy toward big issues,” Swiontek said. “Many feel powerless when it comes to politics and social problems.
“Recycling at LT is a way for students and faculty to exert some control over an issue that we otherwise may feel powerless to change. Teachers need to model the behavior we wish to see in our students and the change we want in the world.”
Meuer, who teaches global relations, human geography and world history, believes the recycling program-even if overdue-is getting the attention and application it deserves.
“About five or six years ago, I remember teaching a human geography class and talking about uses of conservation and ‘being green’ regarding our environment,” he said. “We were teaching our students about these issues in the classroom but not practicing it. We were talking the talk, but we were not walking the walk.”
The expanding LT Recycling Club is walking the walk now, all the way to the nearest recycling bin.