Bottle Cap Competition
by Ginny Moore
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This winter the plastic caps on the orange juice containers in the cafeteria have been going missing, but they are a sacrifice that we are willing to take for an important cause.
Discarded bottle caps along with other discarded waste have created floating masses in the Pacific Ocean that if combined could cover the state of Texas twice. They pose a serious threat to marine animals. Sea birds such as the Albatross are dying from swallowed caps.
Many recycling centers are not capable of processing bottle caps. St. Bernard’s is taking its collected caps to a recycling center in West Babylon, New York. The next closest recycling center that accepts them is in Iowa.
Discarded bottle caps along with other discarded waste have created floating masses in the Pacific Ocean that if combined could cover the state of Texas twice. They pose a serious threat to marine animals. Sea birds such as the Albatross are dying from swallowed caps.
Many recycling centers are not capable of processing bottle caps. St. Bernard’s is taking its collected caps to a recycling center in West Babylon, New York. The next closest recycling center that accepts them is in Iowa.
On December 7, 2012, the president of the Environment Club, Nico Mendoza, explained how bottle caps are a waste problem and announced that the homeroom class that collects the greatest amount of bottle caps by Earth Day, April 22, 2013, would win a pizza party. Since then, boys have been bringing in caps by the hundreds.
The Environment Club, which is mentored by Mr. Malenky and meets Tuesday mornings, is orchestrating the collection and competition. Membership is open to any boy with interest, and every homeroom class has an elected representative.
The club’s main objectives are to increase environmental awareness and to encourage greener practices in the school community. It has run campaigns to turn off lights and computers and has grown herbs and spices for the cafeteria hydroponically. Historically the club has also raised money for endangered species and conservation. This year’s focus has been the endangered black rhino.
The club’s main objectives are to increase environmental awareness and to encourage greener practices in the school community. It has run campaigns to turn off lights and computers and has grown herbs and spices for the cafeteria hydroponically. Historically the club has also raised money for endangered species and conservation. This year’s focus has been the endangered black rhino.
At meetings members learn about current environmental issues, discuss community engagement project ideas, vote on ideas to implement, help to implement school-wide projects, and participate in club-only projects.
But the recent meetings have been about bottle caps, thousands of bottle caps. Bags full of caps and labeled by homeroom are poured onto tables for members to sort out the non-recyclable caps. Dirty caps are cleaned. Who brought in the sticky maple syrup cap? Recyclable caps are returned to their bags and weighed. The weight is recorded on a homeroom tracking spreadsheet.
But the recent meetings have been about bottle caps, thousands of bottle caps. Bags full of caps and labeled by homeroom are poured onto tables for members to sort out the non-recyclable caps. Dirty caps are cleaned. Who brought in the sticky maple syrup cap? Recyclable caps are returned to their bags and weighed. The weight is recorded on a homeroom tracking spreadsheet.
Each Friday Nico announces the homeroom classes with the greatest bottle cap weight. The front-runners are VII Pennoyer and I Flannigan. At the end of February, over 200 pounds of caps had been collected. Where are all these caps coming from?
Some boys have set out collection boxes in the hallways of their buildings and their parents’ offices. If the boys are sneakily competitive as I suspect, they are keeping secret stashes to bring in right before the deadline. Earth Day, get ready!
Some boys have set out collection boxes in the hallways of their buildings and their parents’ offices. If the boys are sneakily competitive as I suspect, they are keeping secret stashes to bring in right before the deadline. Earth Day, get ready!
