Amanda Owens has turned trash into a high school credit. Amanda, 15, spent her sophomore year at Smith-Cotton High School running a recycling program as a class. Amanda said she was looking for a class to fill her fifth block when she heard about the opportunity to implement and manage the program. “I had to write a proposal to the administration first,” she said. Once administrators approved the proposal, it was sent to the school board, where it also was authorized. Then the real work started. Amanda needed large outside bins and several smaller containers to place inside the school before the program could even be initiated on campus. So, she wrote more letters, sent e-mails and made phone calls. The teenager’s tenacity paid off when the city of Sedalia agreed to place large recycling containers behind the school. And Sutherlands donated four large plastic trash cans with hinged lids. “When I got (the bins), I was excited,” Amanda said. “That’s what we needed to get started.” With the help of Mona McCormack, the Smith-Cotton teacher who served as the advisor for the recycling program, Amanda placed two bins in the teacher’s work rooms. She then sent another mass e-mail to teachers and staff members at the high school informing them of the placement of the bins and what materials would be accepted. “I collected newspapers, magazines and white paper,” Amanda said. With the paper collection sites set, Amanda expanded her operation to the lunch room, where she asked the cafeteria staff to place the large tin cans in the recycling bins instead of the trash can. Amanda said staff members embraced the program and immediately began filling the bins with empty cans. But Amanda didn’t stop there. Through word-of-mouth and a presentation played during lunch periods, Amanda also began asking students to drop off candy, chip and Capri sun juice bags in McCormack’s room. McCormack said the bags will be sold to a company called TerraCycle for 2 cents apiece. TerraCycle creates a variety of products with the bags including purses, coolers and pencil bags. The money earned will be put back into the recycling program. Amanda said the program, which is in its first year, has been a success and she is looking forward to expanding it during the upcoming school year.