Silver Firs students turn recyclables into fun

Published 9:49 pm Monday, October 25, 2010

EVERETT — Students at Silver Firs Elementary School are learning that trash and cash can look a lot alike.

Earlier this month, 23 students got together to sort through roughly 300 pounds of discarded Capri Sun pouches, Ziploc bags, pop cans and more.

They filled boxes with the junk, and then sent it to recycling centers, earning a few cents for each item.

The money the recycling club raised — roughly $1,000 this year — will help pay for new playground equipment.

Mary Fuda, PTA co-president at the school, founded the club. She had been handling the school’s recycling efforts on her own for the past five years.

Each year, she collected more and more recyclables from students and their families. The idea of sorting through it all again this year made her head swim.

“I thought there’s no way I can do it by myself,” Fuda said. “It would be easier for me — and it would teach the kids in our school more about what they’re doing — if they were the ones that count it and were hands-on in sorting it.”

Third, fourth and fifth graders were given the chance to join the club.

The club’s biggest job each year will be sorting recyclables. Students and their families bring in aluminum cans and plastic bags for several months. Once the school has stockpiled a few hundred pounds of junk, they cash in.

“I’ve been blown away by what people have turned in so far,” Fuda said.

During the club’s other meetings, students pick up trash around the school grounds, learn about the environment and do craft projects with a recycling bent. Capri Sun pouches, for instance, can make a nice coin purse.

Fuda, who has a first and fourth grader at the school, said she enjoys raising money for the school, but her goal goes beyond that.

“I just want to teach the kids about recycling,” she said.

Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455; arathbun@heraldnet.com.