By Kim Siebert MacPhail
Rather than see all sorts of useful items head to the landfill or incinerator following the mad rush to vacate school at year’s end, Recycling Coordinator Gretchen Carey has spearheaded a pilot program to reclaim and reuse the school supplies commonly found in student lockers.
The idea for the initiative came originally from Bedford Television Director Madeleine Altmann, Carey said, giving credit also to Altmann and Production Manager Greg Dolan for public service videos that were made by Bedford TV to support the effort. BHS Science department Chair Mike Griffin did much of the organization on the school level and Public Works provided bins and buckets. Ron Scaltreto from Facilities assisted by hauling the bins from place to place as needed.
“Last week, we worked with the senior class for an organized locker clean-out,” Carey said in a phone interview. “It was hugely successful. This Friday (June 14), I’ll be helping the rest of the high school students and next week, we’ll do a grade a day for three days at John Glenn Middle School.”
Carey said that the teachers, so far, have been thrilled to be beneficiaries of much of the material that would otherwise be thrown away: paper, binders, pens, pencils, markers and the like. The staff have told Carey that these are all items they might have bought with their own money; they also said that they will be better able to help students who need—but can’t afford—these school supplies next fall.
“The custodial staff are going to love this, too, because the lockers and hallways will be cleaner than they would normally be at the end of school,” Carey related. “It’s a win-win-win. The town gets the money for recycling paper rather than throwing it in the trash; the teachers get materials they can use; and the custodians don’t have a big mess to deal with when school is out.”
Carey added that at least some of the pens, pencils, crayons and markers that are reclaimed from locker clean-outs will go to Kids Club and Bedford Youth and Family Services.
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