Fourth grade students Jacob Robinson (L) and Robert Sturms
gather recyclables each day at Pleasant Hill Elementary
Pictured (L-R) Jeremy Parsons, Jakiah Hickman, Alex Nicholas,
Hayden Richards, Erica Heiney, Jasmine Nicholson, D'artagnan
Atkinson, 4th grade students who lend help with the project
Submitted by Amanda Morris
Students at Pleasant Hill Elementary took part in Earth Day activities, but they have been doing their part with recycling all year long.
The students take care to recycle paper and plastic bottles used at school. Most of the classrooms have a recycling bin for these items. Each day two fourth grade students collect the recyclables.
There are large bins located upstairs where they are stored until a teacher or parent volunteer takes the items to the recycling center. The fourth grade volunteers are very good at their job. They remove the lids from the bottles and they also check to be sure they are empty.
It is a great way for the children to learn about recycling. According to the Planet Forward website, "8 out of 10 plastic water bottles end up in a landfill...where they take 400-1000 years to biodegrade." That statistic can't apply for Pleasant Hill Elementary because the only way most plastic bottles get out of the door is by way of the recycling bin.
On Earth Day, the students listened to stories about helping our environment, cleaned up playground litter and made Earth Day posters that will hang in the recycling area and around the school.
Children love animals and plants and therefore want to help our planet. Recycling is a simple thing that they can learn about at school, and then do at home with their families since we have such a clean and easily accessible recycling center right here in our town.
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