School: It's not easy being green
Teachers Cathy Mercurio and Carole Forman with the Kids for Saving Earth Club
For two years, Kids for Saving Earth Club at Gardiner Manor School in Bay Shore has been involved in recycling efforts. The Town of Islip provided us with WRAP bins for paper, but they won't pick up the paper because the district doesn't pay taxes. In May 2007, the club wrote to Supervisor Phil Nolan and included a petition signed by the entire student body hoping to change this policy. After all, recycling students become recycling adults. We hoped local government would support all recycling efforts, but this is not the case.
--Teachers Cathy Mercurio and Carole Forman
We don’t know what happened to the petition, but after we called Islip Town Supervisor Phil Nolan, he cut through the green tape and found that the town's own trucks pick up garbage and recyclables in that neighborhood.
Officials will be notifying the school that paper collected by club members will be picked up at the curb. "We'll just add that to our collection every other Wednesday because that doesn't cost us anything more," he said.
The town would not have been able to offer the same service if the area were serviced by a private carting company contracted by the town because the contract calls for pickup in residential areas only.
Nolan said he’s planning a townwide discussion for school districts to begin programs that will enhance the e-waste recycling initiative he implemented. "A massive amount of garbage that goes into the dumpsters in school districts is recyclable materials," he said.
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