We are very excited to be starting plastics recycling here at Boca Ciega High School in the next few days or so. As most are aware plastics recycling is problematic as there is no financial incentive in the process so it is an expense for all participating.
 We were very fortunate to have established a dialog with Mr. Bill Sanders of Keep Pinellas Beautiful after the International Coastal Clean Up and he was happy to help us get started. After the clean up at the Tampa Bay Watch headquarters, they provided little pocket ash trays on the table with the t-shirts with the Keep Pinellas Beautiful logo on it. I was intrigued as we have a few smokers on our faculty and thought that they may appreciate them. I contacted him about getting a few for those in our family who could use them and he was very happy to provide them for us.
While at their offices we spoke about the problems associated with plastics recycling and he indicated that they were seeking a grant that would allow them to invest in the machinery and storage capacity necessary to expand their influence. In the interim he gave us a 90 gallon plastics bin and a handy stand to make collections easy. Initially, the plan was to just give Bill a call when the 90 gallon container had been filled.
 Right before Thanksgiving break I got a call from Mr. Doug Addis of The City of Gulfport indicating that they would like to assist in the plastics recycling as well. We were excited to find out that the streets and sanitation department was going to contribute another 90 gallon container and as many classroom containers as needed.
The initial survey of teachers indicated that twenty five of our teachers would be interested in having a container for plastics in their class rooms and we plan to pick them up on Thursdays with our newspaper and aluminum efforts.
We're very much looking forward to seeing how much of our plastics can be removed from the waste stream. As many teachers allow students to drink bottled water in class, but not other beverages, we feel that it will provide an extraordinary impact and increase student awareness of the importance of recycling personally.
As we gain more experience with the process we expect the school to generate enough volume to make a separate plastics pick up worthwhile but for now we are including them with our regular Thursday pick up.
If you are a BCHS student or teacher who would like to be involved in any capacity, please feel free to use the contact form on this site or to send a note via PCSB email to Mr. Mason.
We are deeply indebted to Mr. Doug Addis of The City of Gulfport, Mr. Bill Sanders of Keep Pinellas Beautiful and as always... our teachers and students who make the effort worth while. |
