Teacher Heidi Hanner who is leading the “Garden” effort explains how Field Park students learn to conserve, “We just started the TerraCycle program,” she said. “We collect and send in items that would otherwise be trash (used Ziploc bags, juice pouches, chip bags, Clif Bar wrappers) and they are made into something else.”

Eco-friendly students at Cape Cod Hill School in New Sharon are collecting food waste off lunch trays to make their own compost and they are collecting empty juice pouches, chip bags and cookie wrappers for Terracycle, a nationwide program that pays schools to collect non-recyclable waste that is converted to other products. So far, the project has made more than $500. Mt. Blue Regional School District board members this week heard from teachers Katy Perry and Patricia Murray and Principal Cheryl Pike on the growing environmental activism. Working on the Terracycle recycling project are, from left, Colton Nason, Hunter Robbins, Brianna Jackson, Ben Christopher, Dawson Adams and Addisyn Davis.

Piñon Elmentary School PTO President Gloria Brehm introduced Terracycle to the school last year and the results have been significant.  Three thousand juice pouches have been given to TerraCycle, a company that turns non-recyclable waste into eco-friendly products.  Additionally, 1,000 chip bags have been shipped to the company. The PTO does receive a small fee for its waste. For instance, the PTO receives 2 cents per juice pouch and has earned a total of $60.   Although with bins collecting trash at Canyon Vista Pool and Piñon Park Pool, more money could be raised. Brehm said the students have really caught on to depleting the amount of garbage that is sent to the landfill.

Piñon Elmentary School PTO President Gloria Brehm introduced Terracycle to the school last year and the results have been significant.  Three thousand juice pouches have been given to TerraCycle, a company that turns non-recyclable waste into eco-friendly products.  Additionally, 1,000 chip bags have been shipped to the company. The PTO does receive a small fee for its waste. For instance, the PTO receives 2 cents per juice pouch and has earned a total of $60. Although with bins collecting trash at Canyon Vista Pool and Piñon Park Pool, more money could be raised. Brehm said the students have really caught on to depleting the amount of garbage that is sent to the landfill.