Megan O’Neill

Senior Kirsi Balasz demonstrates the confusion felt by many students in regard to recycling policy at SHS

Recently, many of you may have noticed the new black trash cans in the hallways all around Stamford High. These are not just for show! There has been much confusion concerning the new trash cans and what their purpose really is; Arianne Spaulding and Lindsay Swatland, the vice presidents of Recycling Club, helped clarify the misunderstanding. Spaulding explained that the new trash cans in the hallway (the black rectangular ones) are intended for trash. The cylindrical, grey trash cans in classrooms are actually intended just for recycling. Anything can go in the trash cans in the hallways but waste is not supposed to go in the trash cans in the classrooms. There are typically cylindrical trash cans and square shaped recycling bins in most classrooms, both intended just for recycling, not waste.

The reason for this new policy is that in previous years, there had been such a small percentage of waste in most of the trash cans that they were actually recyclable. Swatland (also the Round Table editor-in-chief) clarified some confusion around the actual recycling policy in Stamford with regard to how much waste is allowable in recycling bins. Swatland told The Round Table that the total amount of recycling produced by Stamford High is permitted to be composed of 7 percent (or less) of waste. The reason there are now trash cans in the hallways is because the waste percentage in the recycling is becoming greater than 7 percent, causing all of the recycling to be discarded and not recycled at all.

It is important to abide by the new policy by using the bins in classrooms for recycling only and bins in the hallways for waste. If there is too much waste in the recycling, all of the efforts put towards recycling will be in vain. In addition to “doing the right thing,” Stamford High students should be encouraged to follow the new policy because SHS is participating in the Recycling Bowl. This Bowl is a competition between any schools in Connecticut, which choose to participate, to see which school recycles the most. Senior Matt McGoldrick, Recycling Club president, explains that the winning school can potentially win grants towards the recycling efforts in school or win an award or honor in recognition of their success.

For further clarification, these are the different waste/recycling bins and what is permitted to go in them:

Black rectangular trash can in hallway: waste (food)

Grey cylindrical bin in classroom: recycling ONLY (paper & plastic)

Blue square recycling bin in classroom: recycling ONLY (paper & plastic)

Short blue rectangular recycling bin in classroom: recycling ONLY (paper & plastic)

Red cylindrical bin in teachers’ lounges: waste (food)