Middle Gate Students Learn How To Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

By Eliza Hallabeck

Students in Middle Gate math/science specialist Pam Fagan’s room on Monday, April 23, heard a presentation from Housatonic Resources Recover Authority Director Cheryl Reedy on ways to help reduce, reuse, and recycle during their daily lives.

While it is possible to make energy from garbage, Ms Reedy said it is important to create less garbage to limit the amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the air during that process.

In San Francisco, Ms Reedy said, roughly 75 percent of waste is recycled and the city is attempting to raise that to 90 percent. In Connecticut, she said, roughly 30 percent of waste is recycled.

“So we have a long way to go. Don’t we?” she asked the students assembled before her.

Ms Reedy listed ways the students can reduce consumption and recycle more in their homes, like using reusable water bottles instead of disposable water bottles, using newspaper comics as wrapping paper instead of purchasing paper, using reusable shopping bags instead of plastic bags, and more.

If plastic shopping bags are used, which Ms Reedy admitted has to happen on occasion, she said the plastic bags can be deposited in a container to be recycled in front of every grocery store in the state.

“We can recycle all kinds of stuff in Newtown,” said Ms Reedy.

In the next few years Ms Reedy said larger bins for recycling objects will be available, because the items that can be recycled tend to take up more space than items that cannot be recycled or composted.

Any kind of plastic can be recycled, she said, like yogurt, margarine containers, or shampoo bottles. Metal food and beverage containers and aluminum products are other examples of items that can be recycled.

After items are recycled, different products can be created from them, according to Ms Reedy. She held up a fleece vest made from recycled plastic bottles, a piggy bank made from old money, and more as examples.

“You can really make some neat stuff out of recycled materials,” Ms Reedy said.

Ms Reedy also gave teachers at the school packets and items for the students to bring home to remind them of ways to recycle and where things can be recycled in Newtown. Each student also received a pen made from recycled plastic bottles.