The Environmental Club is reintroducing a program for recycling at City High. Though there are recycling bins in almost every classroom, they don’t usually get taken out.

“[City High custodial staff] do not do recycling in the classrooms,” Cory Burkholder, the head of City High Custodial staff, said. “It is supposed to be taken to a recycling bin by staff or students.”

In past years, the special education department and Environmental Club have led student recycling initiatives. However, in the 2024-2025 school year, there was a lapse. This year, though, Environmental Club has created a student-led program for taking out the recycling.

“There are two large recycling Yardies [bins] down in the courtyard. Around the courtyard, students will go take the recycling from their classroom [and] pour it out there,” Siena Brown ‘26, a co-president of Environmental Club, said. “At the end of the week, Environmental Club students will take that and put it into the larger recycling that eventually gets actually taken away and recycled.”

Similar to the composting program that Environmental Club set up, students can earn Silver Cord hours for taking out the recycling in their classrooms.

“It’s a great, easy way to get a Silver Cord. It really only takes five minutes, but you’ll get Silver Cord hours for doing it,” Brown said. “It’s something I would say to ask your teacher about, because they’re going to be the people who are figuring out and choosing who’s taking out the recycling for their individual classroom.”

This article previously stated that students could get a full silver cord hour for each time they take out the recycling, which was incorrect. Each teacher decides the amount of silver cord hours independently for their classroom and recycling.