Students help recycling at Balloon Fiesta, earn grants

Money will help them attend two local conferences

Students are helping keep the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta green.

It’s not the grassy field they are tending to but, rather, the recycling.

Albuquerque Institute for Mathematics and Science students will be emptying recycling bins at the fiesta and are getting a grant in return for their elbow grease.

On Monday, Keep Albuquerque Beautiful and the City Solid Waste Management Department said in a news release that AIMS kids who are helping out at the park will get a $4,000 grant.

“This grant is a great opportunity to not only support STEM students, but (also) to help encourage our community to recycle during one of the biggest annual events in Albuquerque,” said Matthew Whelan, director of the Solid Waste Management Department. “We encourage attendees to recycle their cans, bottles, plastic and paper cups, as well as to give a warm greeting to the students who are servicing the bins during the fiesta.”

Diane Wikler, spokeswoman for the solid waste department, said there’s typically 50 to 60 students who participate throughout the entire event.

The kids sign up for shifts before or after school.

Wikler said the grant has been given out annually for around eight years.

The grant will go to help pay for two conferences for the students, the New Mexico Model United Nations Conference and the YMCA New Mexico Youth and Government Conference.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our students, not only for them to contribute to their community, but also to fund initiatives in alignment with the school’s mission,” said Katharina Sandoval-Snider, AIMS principal.