Wando High School Pushes for Small Business Recycling

Michele Powell - Wando High School

Students in Michele Powell’s Environmental Science class at Wando High School were inspired to action by observations made while many of them worked at part-time jobs. Over half of the students are employed at retail or restaurant outlets in Towne Center, the local mall. They found that the only way to recycle was to take paper, bottles, cans and other items home with them for pick-up. When these students requested recycling bins for use at their stores, they were told that Charleston County does not pick up any business recycling and the management company was not willing to absorb the cost of hiring a private company for recycling pick-up.

Students developed a plan to bring recycling to Towne Centre by consulting with the management company and Jenny Bloom with Charleston County Waste and Recycling (CCSWR). Students learned that many municipal recycling programs provide revenue through and that Towne Centre management pays for municipal waste pick-up by volume, which could be reduced by recycling! Charleston county picks up residential recycling bi-weekly so students proposed a pick-up at Towne Centre in the schedule but were met with opposition. In a phone meeting with the director of CCSWR, students were told simply that, “There is no municipal small business recycling pick-up.” The students felt that they had not yet reached out to all of the stakeholders and, with encouragement from Ms. Powell, sought presentation time in front of the Charleston County Council finance committee. They also decided to conduct a trash audit at Towne Centre to examine the amount of material that could be recycled, thereby reducing the amount of trash.

After presenting before County Council, students were optimistic about their project as council members and the director of CCSWR assured students their project was an action item that would be addressed soon. Toward the end of the school year, students followed-up with selected council members and the CCSWR director. Although the students were originally told that their pilot, small business recycling program was going to be implemented, the timeline has not been completed to date.

By the end of the process, students said they felt both empowered and responsible. Students realized that there were different points of view to consider and that once the county began providing this service to one location then they would be obligated to expand the program. Ms. Powell’s students felt proud that they followed through on their project and did not give up when they were told “No”. These students are looking forward to seeing the “blue bins” in the stores where they work very soon!