The school year is drawing to a close and all those school supplies parents bought at the beginning of the year are used up or ready
To toss, right? Not exactly.
You'd be surprised how much good usable stuff is still in kids lockers. A teacher from East Ridge High School is spearheading an effort to recycle those school supplies, keep them out of landfills and pass them on.
More than a dozen boxes piled up outside Webster Thomas High School were filled with recycled school supplies donated and collected by students like Jenna Cooman.
She says, "Most of the students don't realize how much paper is
left in their spiral notebooks when they're done with them so when
they see three or four pages they're thinking throw this out."
Mitch Nellis is thinking, pass them on to someone who needs them.
His recycling idea is catching on with Rochester area schools.
"We had five schools the first year, 25 the second and this year 34
schools and we've got a whole bunch of teachers in the City and
surrounding areas that send me order forms to basically help them
out because there's a lot of kids out there who go to school without
the supplies they need."
Keeping usable school supplies out of landfills is one goal.
Debby Zemen is the supervisor heading up the Webster Thomas effort. She says students didn't limit their search for supplies to lockers. "Some of us also literally went into the dumpsters and pulled out binders." She adds, "What surprises us most is when
completely sealed unused packages of looseleaf paper have been thrown away, obviously things never even used. You wonder
what their parents would think. Where'd their money just get
thrown out."
She says once students became aware the collection boxes started filling up.
"I think students recognize themselves the need whether it's
for the environment or harder economic times the importance
of not just trashing things. They also know it's going to a good
cause."
Mitch expects Greenseed to continue growing. Next Wednesday a small army of students at East Ridge High School will sort through the supplies and pack them up for delivery.
Mitch carries loads and also calls on family and friends
to help out.
"I know we're going to have some stuff left over, we always
have extra folders, three ring binders locker shelves. That kind of
thing. Lots of high school supplies, paper that kind of thing. So we're
always looking for high schools to jump on board so we
can give them supplies."
Mitch is confident the kids will step up and help out.
"You give kids the opportunity to do the right thing
they're going to do it."