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"1-2-3 Recycle!" That was the cheer marking the beginning of the Recycle Rallies at Conlee Elementary School. The rallies are fun, interactive 30- minute studies in what's recyclable and what's not... using recycling costumes, interactive games and dance!
On Dec. 13, Conlee Elementary School hosted two assemblies of hundreds of eager students who sang, danced, won recycling prizes and learned what actually goes into the bright blue bins ... and why. Studies show that through play children can learn about their environment, the people and the world around them. Having this in mind, the South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA) along with Keep Las Cruces Beautiful and Codes Enforcement brings Recycle Rallies to Las Cruces Public Schools with special participation by the Las Cruces High School performance dance team singing and dancing to songs like, "Stop, Don't Drop Your Trash!"
"These rallies are the best way to get children motivated about recycling," said Craig Fenske, Keep Las Cruces Beautiful coordinator, "We will be doing a total of six recycling rallies at elementary schools this school year."
Suzanne Michaels and Officer Danny Acosta get things started with questions and games for the children to see just how much they know about recycling. Kids who participate win small prizes for their contributions. "I love kids - I like to get them involved with recycling, and hopefully they will go home and teach everyone else about it," said Acosta. "We've got to recycle
To fire things up even more, several students were selected to wear recycling costumes featuring cans, plastic bottles and cardboard as well as non-recyclables like dirty pizza boxes, styrofoam cups and food contaminated take-out packaging. The point of this game was to learn what is recyclable from what is not. The children in the crowd were the judges and they yelled as hard as they could as costumes were deemed to be recyclable or trash.
At the beginning and end, students are treated to a performance by the LCHS Performance Dance Team. Fifteen dance members rocked the assembly while everyone cheered them on.
"This is the second rally we've participated in this year. My students are very excited to help out," said Pita Thomas, dance instructor at Las Cruces High School.
Jordan Marks, a member of the LCHS performance dance team, noted, "I really like teaching the kids about recycling, I would definitely do it again."
These are some of the lessons learned at the Recycling Rally
- You can drop off recyclables in the bright blue bins when your parents drop you off at school.
- Curbside Recycling is coming to your house this spring.
- Plastic grocery bags do not go in the blue bins.
- Neither do pizza boxes with melted cheese.
- Also not recyclable: peanut butter jars with peanut butter left in, and dog food cans that are not clean.
- Right now, glass is not recyclable in our area.
Thank you for recycling! If you have recycling questions, please visit our website at TheScrappyPages.com or call the SCSWA at (575) 528-3800
Recycling Connections is submitted by Suzanne Michaels, Education and Public Outreach, for the South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA) named 2010 Solid Waste Authority of the Year by the New Mexico Recycling Coalition. The SCSWA is the city/county agency responsible for managing solid waste and recycling in Las Cruces and Do-a Ana County.
