Talking Trash

Friday, October 28, 2011

At events, we share recycling information... and are inspired in return

Most weekends find Division of Solid Waste Services staff and volunteers at community fairs, festivals, and other happenings. These events give us great opportunities to bring you our displays, to give you literature and other goodies and to answer your questions about waste reduction, recycling and trash disposal.

We teach at these events, and we also learn. We get to hear about the interesting and inspiring things you and your families are accomplishing!

Last Saturday, a colleague represented our Division at Bethesda Green’s “Green Home Expo”. In chatting with an Expo visitor, she learned about Kate. Kate is a local middle school student… and a filmmaker.

When an English class assignment tasked her with reporting on her experiences about a community project, Kate focused on recycling.  She wanted to show her class the importance of recycling, and the consequences of not recycling. To accomplish this, she set to work on a video, scripting, filming, and adding voiceovers and music.

Her research took her to our Recycling Center, where she filmed video segments of the Tour Room and the sorting process. She was surprised to see how many workers manually sorted recyclables passing by on swift conveyer belts.   In an email interview, her mother reflected that “Kate learned that recycling at the Montgomery County Recycling Center -- with all its mechanical parts and quick hands -- is very complicated. She also learned that our role in everyday life is simple -- just put recyclable items into the right bins.

Beyond the classroom, Kate also showed the video to her church community.  She didn't stop there, however.  She also organized a recycling drop-off event for her church!

Come see the Recycling Center’s sorting process yourself by dropping in for a visit or scheduling a group tour.

Review what’s recyclable in Montgomery County, and refer to our Recycling Basics flyer for a quick visual reference on what goes in your blue bin at home.

Kate, thanks for the inspiration!

How do you share recycling with your community?  Send us a comment -- we love hearing about your projects!

CATEGORIES: Notes from the field , Recycling , Recycling Center
POSTED AT: 3:36:00 PM |