You won’t find a lot of paper blowing in the breeze over at Orion Oaks Elementary School these days.
Orion Oaks students and staff have hopped on the recycling train this year, partnering with Abitibi Consolidated Recycling Division of Detroit to recycle their old newspapers, magazines, catalogs and photo copied papers.
“We were contacted by (Abitibi),” said Orion Oaks Principal Brian Kaplan. “They are a paper-only recycling company. We were thinking of doing something with recycling because we have so much waste every day.”
Kaplan said Abitibi is a relatively new company with an office in Detroit, and they offered to involve Orion Oaks in its recycling program for free.
“They gave us a bin and we’re going to be reimbursed financially for the paper we recycle,” Kaplan said.
The school will receive $5 per three tons of recycled paper, and Abitibi said each bin holds between one ton and one and a half tons of paper. Abitibi will come to the school as often as needed to empty the bin, at no cost to the school. Community residents are also invited and encouraged to bring their recyclable paper to the school to put in the bin.
“Parents originally didn’t see the bin back there…they walked in with bags of newspapers from home,” said Kaplan. “We think we’re helping our environment in some way.”
Collection containers have been placed in every Orion Oaks classroom for recycling paper, and Kaplan said the project has gotten many students more interested in recycling at home.
“I saw a little girl on the playground pick up a piece of paper and take it to the bin,” he said. “If nothing else, we’re making the kids more aware so maybe they’ll do it at home as well.”
Currently the bin is being emptied every two weeks, but Kaplan said he hopes the amount of recycling through the community will change that.
“We’d like to get it up to once a week,” he said.