W.H.'s Green Team tackles recycling

About a dozen people sat in the West Hemsptead Middle School cafeteria last week to partake in a meeting of the school district’s recently created Green Team and to learn about how the group’s initiatives are helping save both money and the environment.

Felix Rozon, a representative of Royal Waste Service Inc., was invited to speak to those who attended the Nov. 8 meeting about the benefits of recycling — particularly about how the district’s recycling program was saving it money and, it turned out, earning it some green as well.

Royal Waste provides the district with recycling bins, made of recycled materials, and picks them up — free of charge — when they’re filled; West Hempstead schools recycled 10 tons of materials in April and June, and eight tons in September and October. That amount of recycling helped save 285 trees and 135,520 gallons of water, according to Rozon. “I think you’re doing a wonderful job,” he said. “We’re obviously not saving the world, but we’re doing our part. It’s a win-win situation for all of us.”

To further promote its recycling program, Rozon encouraged the district to hold a paper drive as a fundraiser. Royal Waste would deliver a container that holds about 10 tons of material, which members of the school community would have fill with papers and documents. When filled, the container would be collected and both Royal Waste and the school district would be paid for their recycling efforts. The fundraiser could generate a good chunk of change because each ton is worth about $150. Rozon said Royal Waste would split profits with the district.

But already Royal Waste has decided to show what Rozon called “a small token of appreciation” to the district by presenting the Green Team with a $200 check and recycled pencils made from newspaper.