2012 Antelope, CA, USA
When Brandon Schinina walked over to his school’s library to brainstorm his CFW proposal, he saw a student walk out with a cardboard box full of recyclables. The student then dumped all the bottles and cans into the nearby garbage, where it would have forever ended up in a landfill. Plastics and cans, if not properly recycled, can stay in a landfill for hundreds of years without degrading. Plastics and cans are also common trash items that find their way into our waterways. This inspired Brandon to reform the schools recycling system in hopes that it would help the school be greener and the students more aware.
Brandon’s plan was simple, to equip each classroom and the campus with recycling bins in order to have proper recycling happening at school and to encourage students to recycle more in their personal lives. With $916 in Nutrien implementation funds and the CFW matching school award, he was able to purchase the needed bins.
With the help of the “People for the Planet” club, he placed 8 new large recycling bins on the Antelope High School campus and smaller bins in the classrooms.
Now that there are good bins around the school and in the cafeteria/ lunch areas, students and teachers don’t have to resort to throwing the recyclables away with the trash.
By providing the opportunity to recycle, Brandon helped not only the students, but also the teachers to recycle more. He has been personally thanked by students and staff members when the club went through the classes and put the bins in place. The campus looks cleaner as well, with less cans and bottles left around the school. Brandon is happy when he sees students using the bins and knows that he has made a difference in his school community.