Recycling Made Easy at Lacey Township High School

The Environmental Science department will embarking on a green project after receiving a recycling grant from the county’s Board of Chosen Freeholders, teacher Karen Hopson said.

“The grant will provide LTHS Environmental Science students a great opportunity to improve recycling through continued outreach to peers, family, and staff groups,” Hopson said.

Hopson, an environmental science teacher, applied for the grant last school year. Her students were involved as a part of the solid waste management portion of the curriculum, she said.

This year, her new students will reap the benefits as they received a 50 percent matching grant worth $1,897.

The money will be used to purchase recycling bins to improve recycling at the school, she said.

“Last years environmental students were instrumental in completing classroom recycling audits and making recommendation for improvement.  The grant money will allow us to move into the improvement state,” Hopson said.

With solid waste management, reduce and reuse as a part of the department’s curriculum, the students will monitor the improvement throughout the school by performing classroom audits and investigations, Hopson said.

“The current class will work on this topic in the form of project based learning.  They will perform an analysis of an environment impact (current conditions) and make recommendations for changes,” she said.

The project will teach the students environmental awareness and problem solving and they will be able to take what they learn to the community, she said.

“It’s a wonderful thing for the kids. It’s a real world project for them. They do get into the project and it all goes along with a successful recycling program at the high school,” she said.

The primary goal of the project will be to make recycling easier and more acceptable to students and staff, she said. During the implementation of new equipment, the environmental science students will launch an environmental action campaign to encourage recycling.

“Ergonomics tells us that it has to be obvious and easy to expect exceptional compliance with recycling. The project development and management of a recycling science project leads to development of many essential life skills,” Hopson said. “It is a terrific program and I am thrilled that we have been selected to receive the grant.”