The Ecology Club at Wiscasset Elementary School kicked off a new recycling routine last week. They have been collaborating with school chef Terrie Johnson to find ways to reduce waste from the cafeteria. Last year, the Ecology Club led a campaign to end the use of plastic utensils by introducing the “Save Our Silverware” campaign.

Now the Ecology Club is training students to recycle paper napkins and milk/juice cartons. The fourth-grade students of the Ecology Club created an educational video for the whole school teaching them the new recycling routine. Then volunteers began helping all the students practice recycling paper napkins and milk cartons.

This new recycling routine has reduced our waste from two garbage bags of cafeteria waste daily to just under a quarter bag a day. Fourth graders are tracking the weight of waste collected at the end of each lunch. Most recently, the waste was just three pounds for the whole school. Everyone at Wiscasset Elementary School is delighted to see this waste reduction. The school pledge includes, “We take care of each other at WES.” Now the students can say we take care of our world as well.