How to Save the Planet With Your Kids Through Recycling

This Friday is Earth Day. It's in every flyer, it's on television, the Internet, and grocery stores are promoting their organic items and reusable bags more than usual. It's time to start thinking about how we can better serve our earth and our future generations.

I was introduced to the concept of recycling as a pre-teen spending my summer vacations in Massachusetts. Late afternoons would find me and my brother canvasing the beaches, collecting soda cans that had been left behind by lazy beach-goers. After cleaning the cans on our driveway, my extremely patient mother would drive us to the redemption center where we would collect our five cents per can.

It speaks volumes about how our society has changed when you visit the beach after a long gorgeous day to find almost no cans or trash left behind. Recycling bins are outfitted at each entrance making it easy for beach-goers to recycle. Obviously the world is not a perfect place. There are still those who don't dispose of their trash properly and it's a shame. It's a shame for our environment and for our future.

One way you can help is by recycling your paper at one of the many Paper Retriever bins that are found at most of our local schools. Paper Retriever bins are the green and yellow bins you see in many area parking lots that say 'Local Fund Raising' and 'No Cardboard' on the sides.

To find out more information, I reached out to the PTO President at Karen Gray. Gray was happy to talk about their relatively new Paper Retriever bin which has been in place since October 2010.

Gray explained the system: Every Thursday, students from each classroom collect a bin of used paper and deliver it to some fifth-grade students and teachers, who then dump the paper in the Paper Retriever bin outside. When the bin is full, Paper Retriever comes to Russell, empties and weighs the paper. The result is about $10 per pick-up for the Russell PTO. The more pick-ups Russell has, the more money they can make.

This summer when school is not in session, the PTO is counting on the community to keep those Paper Retriever bins full with paper.

And this fall when the kids return from summer vacation, they will be returning to a much greener elementary schools. The kids have already started collecting bottle caps for a

Gray also informed me that Russell plans to have a Green Team for the 2011-2012 school year. The Green Team will make the decision on where the incoming Paper Retriever money will go, but Gray pointed out that they plan to put it back into the environment somehow.

I did a little research and found out that Delaware County has a great recycling program. Here are some of the ways that you and your kids can recycle and help save our Mother Earth for future generations.

• Have your kids rinse out bottles and cans before placing in the recycle bin.

• Drop your old cell phone off at or libraries.

• Hazardous Waste Collection Events–These events are very popular. Besides getting rid of that old oil paint in your garage, you can also dispose of pool chemicals, compact flourescent light-bulbs, batteries, and the list goes on. The Marple event on May 7 will not be collecting televisions or computers. Please see the website for a comprehensive list of what is accepted at this event.

• Marple and Newtown have their own compost farms where you can take your leaves and other yard wastes once a month. Your yard waste turns into 'black gold' which is then free to residents. Check out their website for more information.

It's cool to recycle. The lawmakers think it's cool too: Marple Township is debating whether to. Daylin Leach, a state senator from Montgomery County has introduced legislation in Harrisburg that would impose a 2-cent tax on every plastic bag used in Pennsylvania. This tax would help support our statewide recycling efforts.

So before Easter this weekend, think Green for Earth Day, and recycle.