the verdicts (Re)cycling blame PAUSD IS FAILING AT WASTE MANAGEMENT
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LUE. GREEN. GREY. It Rebecca Navarro, the school district shouldn’t be hard. But as lone- Sustainability Program manager, initially ly waste bins are scattered across directed us to the Zero Waste Champion at Palo Alto High School’s campus, Paly, Christy Resinger, for available waste it is evident that neither students nor the reports. Resinger did not respond to inadministration care about sorting waste ap- terview requests and did not provide any propriately. waste report data. Data provided by the Paly ECO Club Can it be that Zero Waste Champi— which only reons hold a puppet ceived one waste role and simply report from Nov. 8, There is an inherent give students a 2017 — highlights problem with placing false confidence Paly’s struggles with that waste is being trash. Of 526 piec- full responsibility on one handled correctly? es of waste sorted Or is there is teacher to promote better into three categoan inherent probrecycling. ries, only 50% of lem with placing waste in trash bins full responsibility was landfill material, 49% of waste in com- on one teacher to promote better recycling post bins was compostable and an abysmal and to handle all waste data at a school of 33% of waste in recycling bins was recycla- over 2,000 students? ble — no better than random chance. Paly custodians also receive an undeIn a climate where environmental pres- serving amount of blame for these waste ervation is heightened, Paly is failing in the management issues. fight to manage waste. Until PAUSD starts “It’s a little frustrating as a custodian making this a priority, students will contin- because we get audited too,” says Albert ue to believe that the assortment of colored Hidalgo, a Paly custodian who has worked bins means that their waste is being sorted in the district for 23 years. “It falls on us correctly, which lulls them into a false sense when a majority of the stuff in there is not of security about their recycling habits. compost and it’s in the recycle.” Unfortunately, our investigation into Sorting waste incorrectly causes serithe district’s waste management does not ous complications when excess garbage show any strong promise of an improved breaks down in landfills system. and liquid leachate The Zero Waste Initiative, a program forms, contaminating committed to reducing waste within Palo groundwater and damAlto, supposedly serves as a database of in- aging wildlife and formation about Paly’s waste management. human health with However, other than the single waste report harmful chemicals. from the ECO Club, we did not find any These appalling useful data on the subject. findings not only highThough a Zero Waste Champion is light students’ relative assigned to each PAUSD campus to en- lack of understanding courage students to actively sort their trash, about how to sort waste many are unaware of who their representa- and a general apathy tive is or of their responsibilities. towards maintaining
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environmental health, but also a bigger issue that stems from PAUSD’s leadership. Rather than faulting students and staff members for making poor use of the disposal system, the district needs to step up and take charge to address our unending lack of accountability for poor waste management. The Zero Waste Commission and PAUSD must collaborate with teachers and students to implement a comprehensive waste education program, as well as meetings to better prioritize waste organization and emphasize our shared responsibility in improving environmental consciousness. Additionally, we can keep school trash, recycling and compost bins in groups of three, no matter where they are. Nobody is making an extra trip to find a can of another color — they’ll just use what’s at hand. “I think it’s got to be total chaos in order for them [PAUSD] to step up and do something, because I don’t know if [organizing waste] a big priority,” Hidalgo says. “We want the mentality of having proper sorted bins, but who’s the enforcer?” v Art by Megan Andrews
