Did you know that recycling just 10 plastic bottles will provide enough energy to power a computer for 25 hours? Many people are unaware of the benefits and power of recycling, but it is far greater than they realize. Rochester High School participates in recycling through its environmental wellness club.
For members of the Environmental Wellness Club, recycling is more than just a weekly responsibility — it is a personal commitment to protecting the environment. AJ said she joined the club after realizing “how even the little things that people do every day can really affect the environment in a bad way and cause it to be harmful.” What once seemed small or insignificant began to feel urgent.
She admitted that during COVID, environmental trends like “save the turtles” did not feel completely real to her at first. However, she later understood that “it’s a real thing and that plastic can seriously hurt animals and just other people.” That realization changed her perspective. Recycling, to AJ, is about taking responsibility for those everyday choices that add up over time.
She believes schools play an important role in shaping those habits. “It can make people kind of learn that it is important and that it’s not just special,” she explained. Instead, recycling is something students can “do at home really easily” if they “do a little research on it just to get more info about it.” By encouraging awareness at school, she believes students can carry those habits into their homes and communities.
Allie witnesses the impact of those habits every Friday when the club collects recycling from classrooms and hallways. “We collect the recycling bins from the trash can, and we use gloves, and we collect it all in bins,” she said. “Then we take it out to the recycling bin, the big one out by the school in the parking lot.” The process usually takes about 20 minutes, depending on how many students help, but she noted that “there’s usually a lot sometimes.”
Most of what they gather is “plastic water bottles and stuff,” along with “some paper” and even coffee cups. However, both students emphasized that recycling only works when done correctly. AJ pointed out that many students “throw away the wrong kind of plastic, because a lot of food plastics are not the same as recyclable plastics.” Allie agreed, saying that “a lot of people end up throwing away food stuff, and there’s always liquid in the recycling.”
These mistakes can contaminate entire bins, making the recycling process less effective. Beyond environmental benefits, Allie also noted that recycling “helps save money” and “definitely helps the environment so people don’t get plastic in the environment.” To her, environmental wellness simply means “taking care of the environment and just being smart about decisions about your waste.”
Their shared message to the student body is clear and practical: “Make sure whatever you are recycling is actually recyclable.”
Through their consistent effort and leadership, these students show that meaningful environmental change starts with informed, everyday actions inside their own school.
Recycling is something that everyone can do at home, school, or in their community. Recycling is the key to restoring the wasted energy to the earth, and reusing the precious resources the earth has given us.
