JCPS Recycles

The JCPS Districtwide recycling program allows students and staff to become actively involved in preserving our environment. The program saves hundreds of trees each day and reduces the cost of our solid-waste disposal. A recycling coordinator at each school is available for providing assistance in linking school recycling efforts with successful programs and enhanced curriculums. Teams of students and staff facilitate recycling throughout their school, and are involved through programs such as recycling clubs, environmental clubs, and a variety of service learning projects. The students and staff are key to the success of JCPS Recycles in Schools.

The Center for Environmental Education serves on the districtwide recycling committee. Over the past years we have:

Organized a film festival on recycling though ITFS. (Call 3295 for a complete list of recycling films that JCPS already owns.)
Designed and implemented over 15 recycling education workshops for PD credit.
Distributed EPA’s CD on recycling: Let’s Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (call 3295 for copies)
Co-sponsoring with Brightside a systemwide recycling awards program called” Environmental Excellence.

Historical Background

In September of 1999 the JCPS Recycling Committee researched the cost feasibility of implementing a new state mandate for recycling white paper and careboard in all Board-owned and operated facilities. The Committee found that reduction in solid waste and subsequent collection frequency offsets the cost of the recycyling program.

According to a new state mandate, each local board of education shall adopt a plan and procedures for recycling white paper and cardboard in all Board-owned and operated facilities.

The mandate was recorded as follows: AN ACT relating to recycling in school districts.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonweath of Kentucky:

SECTION 1. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 160 IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS:

Each local board of education shall adopt a plan and procedures for recycling white paper and cardboards in all board-owned and operated facilities.
A local board of education shall be exempt from the requirement to establish a recycyling program as described in this section if there is no recycyling facility within the county or recycling facility within the county or within a reasonable distance in an adjoining geographic area, or the district cannot locate a recycling vendor to service the the school district, without incurring a negative fiscal impact.
The board may delegate to each school or school council the responsibility for designing its own procedures; however, the superintendent or the superintendent's designee shall periodically review the operating procedures to assure tat recycling is being carried out.

School Program Success Story

Recycling Rebels
By Melissa Locke

Recycle, reuse, reduce, SAVE THE EARTH! These are only a few of the terms that you can hear coming form room 119 at Atherton High School. We are called the Recycling Rebels. We have many plans and ideas that we want to make happen at our school.

One of our plans is dealing with the people of Atherton. On Tuesday's and Thursday's we have a thirty minute study skills. Starting with the new yea, we the members plan to give seminars to the students and teachers of Atherton. We want to get the word out about how every sheet of paper, every single aluminum can, and every plastic bottle, that is recycled, can add up and help save our community and our earth.

For the members, besides the feeling that they are actually helping to save the community, they are also given a chance of earning service learning hours. The students may use these hours to fulfill one of their graduation requirements. They are given the hours because they are helping the community and our society without being paid. Members also receive Official Atherton Recycling Rebels polos for volunteering their time and effort to a cause that must always have participants.

Not only do we want to help the environment, we hope to set an example to other students at other schools that they can be part of that is much larger than one small high school.