A new recycling program at High Point Academy has become so popular it already needs to be expanded.
The school recently put plastic bins in every classroom and several large bins throughout the school thanks to an S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control grant. The $1,500 helped Rivers Carroll, an eighth-grade science teacher, put the program in place.
"I noticed, while they're eating, they're throwing a lot of stuff away. And I come from a management background at a grocery store," he said. "There's a large population of consumers here. I thought, 'Hey, this isn't too good.'"
High Point is working with ReWorks. Company staff pick up the school's bins each week and separate the items to be recycled so students and teachers don't have to.
The bins hold just about everything but glass and Styrofoam.
The recycling program has led to an abundance of riches, in a way. Most of the school's bins fill up quickly, many the day they're emptied for pickup.
"A lot of these bins are already full. I had five original bins, and I had to order four more the next week," Carroll said. "And that's still not going to be enough."
Carroll applied for DHEC funding in August and was quickly approved. DHEC awards up to $1,500 each year for the implementation of recycling programs.
Instead of specially-designed recycling bins, Carroll bought more than 100 plastic bins to save money. He then cut holes in each bin's lid so students and teachers could drop items in.
"After school a couple days I used a jigsaw and carved a couple holes out. That actually saved the school about $1,500," he said. "I'm not cheap, I'm frugal."
The lids serve to minimize splash if any liquids are tossed in the classroom bins. Carroll plans on putting recycling lessons into his curriculum, but hasn't quite figured out how to integrate the topic just yet.
"It makes them understand more what's in their environment and the little things they can do to actually impact a change around them," he said. "The world is a big place, and there are a lot of inhabitants that are affected by what they consume. A difference doesn’t have to be big to start, but a difference has to start somewhere to accomplish something big.”