Recycling

St. Francis of Assisi School

Recycling Program

Overview

The recycling program at our school has raised over $20,000.00 since it began in 2000. This income is essential to the running of a school in our province. In fact, much of this recycling income has been used and will continue to be used to equip the Computer Technology Program with more efficient computers and with improved software to enhance the education of our children. Funds raised through recycling will also be used in many other projects that otherwise would not be possible at St. Francis of Assisi. Examples of these projects include a class set of calculators, the Accelerated Reader Program, science supplies and many other curriculum related materials and activities for our children.

Our recycling program has another purpose as well. It serves to teach our children to be environmentally responsible. If we can eliminate waste going to landfills, we are doing a good thing for the earth. If the children learn this when they are young, it will stay with them through life. We as parents should be role models for them by recycling at home. Please encourage relatives and neighbors who live in our Town but who do not have children at St. Francis to recycle as well. If you or anyone you know does not recycle beverage containers at work, perhaps you could start collecting there and donating them to our school as well.

Where to bring recyclable materials

The St. Francis of Assisi School recycling shed is located behind the Town Hall on Logy Bay Road. This shed was funded by the Town Council of Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove and was built by parent volunteers in 2002. Residents of the Town can bring recyclables to the shed anytime and put them in the hatch doors at the side of the shed or wait until the Saturday morning drop-off days. Notices of these drop-off days are sent home through the school and will be posted on the mailboxes and the sign outside the Town Hall if space is available.

Beverage containers

Recycling revenue comes through the return of beverage containers. For schools entered in the MMSB sponsored School Recycling Program, the regular refunds of 5 cents and 10 cents that are paid by the recycling depot are doubled to 10 cents and 20 cents. All beverage containers on which you paid a deposit are eligible for the refund. These include all containers for soft drinks, juice, water, liquor, wine, alcoholic coolers, sport drinks, domestic and imported beer.

Other recyclable materials

In addition to beverage containers, many other items are also recyclable even though the school does not get any refund for them. This is where we truly teach our children that recycling is a good thing to do because it is not done solely for financial gain. The following items are accepted at our recycling shed:

• Newspapers and fliers (Residential Only)

• Corrugated cardboard (Residential Only)

• Cardboard from things such as cereal boxes, tissue boxes, etc.

• White paper shredded or unshredded (Residential Only)

Even if your family recycles beverage containers but uses the refund money for a special purpose within your own household, you can still recycle these types of items and bring them to the shed behind the Town Hall. It makes good environmental sense to do so.

Because facilities do not exist in Newfoundland for certain items to be recycled, we    

do not accept the following at our shed:

• Milk cartons

• All household plastics such as ice cream containers, shampoo bottles, etc.

• Styrofoam of any kind

• All glass food jars such as jam, pickles, etc.

• All steel food cans such as peas, beans, etc.

• Plastic supermarket bags (supermarkets have drop-off facilities for these)

• Glossy paper such as magazines and catalogues

Because they are likely to attract mice or rats, we ask that no cardboard pizza boxes be placed in the shed.

Preparing items for recycling

All beverage containers should be rinsed out. This way they do not attract flies, either at home or at the shed. Put beverage containers in separate bags from newspapers.

Please remember that all recyclable material should be securely bagged or bundled. Newspapers fit neatly in supermarket bags. If you put them in garbage bags they are often very cumbersome to move and to store.  To save space, cardboard boxes should be flattened, not nested in one another. One large box can be used to put other flattened boxes in. Cardboard can also be bundled and tied together. This way it can be stowed neatly both at home and at the shed.

Volunteers

The recycling program would not be able to continue without the commitment of our volunteers. If you would like to help out in any way, please contact the school office at 437-6663.

Thank you for helping St. Francis of Assisi School and the Town of Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove through your recycling efforts.

Recycling Shed located behind the Town Hall, Logy Bay Road