Within the school lies the cemetery of an entire forest of trees. Fallen, shredded and bleached, they are crumpled into the remains of an old algebra assignment or a discarded hall pass. But they have the potential to become something new.

The student body and faculty must take responsibility for the proper disposal of their waste. Food waste and plastic wrappers are regularly put in recycling bins, while paper ends up in trash bins. This defeats the purpose of recycling. To solve this issue, Leo Club volunteers are picking up recycling bins outside of classrooms every Thursday and sorting the waste to bring to the dumpster behind the school.

“If we had a policy in place it would be much better,” biology teacher Sheri Knight said. “I don’t think that anybody is held accountable for it. It’s unfortunate because I think that the students are better than what they’re showing. And it’s not like everyone’s always trashing the school.”

According to the Texas Facilities Commision, recyclable items in Texas include paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Recycling bins in classrooms are black and recycling bins in the hallways and cafeteria are blue. 

“I feel like it’s important to recycle because it’ll help our campus and help our views,” freshman Leo Club volunteer Aiden Uballe said. “It’ll help us as a whole, really.”

Paper towels, tissues, food waste, glass, and Styrofoam cannot be recycled in Texas. These materials should not be put in school recycling bins in order to maximize Trash bins in classrooms are beige and trash bins in the hallways and cafeteria are gray. 

“I know it’s hard to micromanage consequences for throwing your food in the recycle bin,” Knight said. “But maybe if there were some sort of consequence for it, you know, they would be more willing to think about what they’re doing.”

Recycling can make a difference. According to the Austin Resource Recovery Department, recyclables are taken to a sorting facility and sold to businesses for manufacturing into new bottles, clothes, buckets, plant pots, flooring, bike racks and more. 

According to The University of Texas at Austin Facilities Services, providing enough materials to the recycled content supply chain can help fuel innovation in new uses for plastic waste.

On campus and at home, students can find new ways to use items that otherwise would be recycled. Take-out containers can be used as Tupperware and scrap paper can be used for notes or drawings. 

“If I get a reusable box after going out to a restaurant or from a fast-food location, I’ll use it for whatever is the most practical,” senior Leo Club Vice President Mia Garza said. “Even with cardboard Amazon boxes I can reuse them for a school project or a gift box.”