Students set recycling example

Re: Today’s letters: Thumbs down for plastic bags in green bins, April 8.

I agree that switching to plastic bags in compost bins is a step backwards.

We are at a small OCDSB high school program in Stittsville, called Frederick Banting Alternate Site. We compost food and paper towel waste at our school to divert waste from landfills. On Fridays, prior to classes bringing their blue, black and compost to our recycle audit area outside my class, students get together to make the week’s compost liners from newspapers. To assure safety, we researched and discovered that the dyes used in the Citizen are vegetable-based and safe for compost.

We get several copies of the Citizen daily. We collect the used newspapers through the week and, once read, they are repurposed into compost liners. We have done this for several years and the easy origami design comes from the City of Ottawa website on waste.

We have small compost bins in about 30 areas throughout the school. It is a fun and easy activity that students feel good about. Sometimes we even wear them while making the liners (they can double as party hats).

As each class brings its compost and recyclables for the final check/classroom area rating for best weekly recycling and compost practice, we transfer them from the mini bin to the larger green bins, then take them out to the holding area prior to our weekly pickup by city. In the bottom of the bigger green bin, we place small boxes such as an opened cereal box or several pages of newspaper or other such items.

We don’t need to pay for these expensive store-bought liners and will not use plastic as more and more information emerges about the impact of plastics on health.

Students are also trying to reduce plastic waste from coffee cup lids and have started a petition to change non-recyclable coffee cup lids from fast food outlets and coffee shops to compostable lids. They are also promoting Lug-A-Mug as a first step to reduce plastic and paper waste.

Janet Perry, Science, Frederick Banting Alternate, Stittsville

We don’t need to pay for these expensive store-bought liners and will not use plastic as more and more information emerges about the impact of plastics on health. Janet Perry

ERROL MCGIHON Janet Perry is a science teacher at Frederick Banting Secondary Alternate Program in Stittsville. The school has been making green bin liners out of recycled newspaper for years.