Meridian Waste Sponsors Student-Managed Recycling Pilot Program

ELSBERRY, Mo. – Meridian Waste, an integrated, non-hazardous solid waste services company, is partnering with Elsberry High School to create an on-campus recycling program run by the student body.

The recycling program was requested by the students and is overseen by the faculty, led by teacher Jason Vandivort. “Our students are very interested in conserving natural resources and finding a way to make a positive impact on the community through proper recycling and helping to educate themselves and others regarding Recycling Right,” Vandivort said. “We teamed up with Meridian Waste knowing they understood the current recycling markets, could help store and then deliver the economically viable recycling materials to end processors and had the civic commitment to help jump-start the school’s recycling pilot program. We are very appreciative of their knowledge and sponsorship.”

Meridian Waste has donated two roll-off containers that will be placed near the greenhouses at Elsberry High School. One container will be for Rigid materials such as plastics, tin and aluminum cans.
The other container will be for Fiber materials such as paper and cardboard boxes. This dual-stream recycling method helps to keep the two types of materials cleaner with less contamination and allows for more options when it comes to marketing the materials to recycling processors and end-users.

Students have committed to keeping the areas debris-free around the containers and to help promote the recycling program, including what can and cannot be placed within the containers for recycling in the school and throughout the community. The program will run for the next three months and include a community recycling event at the school in the Spring. The program began Monday, March 2.

“Recycling to keep our communities clean and green starts with the consumer and has a compound effect on the community. We are proud to support this partnership that will help educate the community on our local recycling practices and get the students involved at the ground level,” said Natalie Denando, Meridian Waste’s Government & Community Affairs Manager.

How to Recycle Right in Elsberry:
● All items should be clean and dry before being placed in the proper recycling container
● “Rigids” include plastic jugs, bottles and other containers (#s 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7), aluminum and tin cans. No black plastics.
● “Fibers” include office paper, phone books, flattened cardboard (shipping boxes, cereal boxes), newspaper, magazines
Common items that are NOT acceptable for this recycling program include glass and soiled materials such as greasy pizza boxes or sandwich rappers with food still on them. Batteries and tires of any kind are not recyclable through this program.

To learn more about the City of Elsberry’s residential garbage and recycling, visit https://www.meridianwaste.com/mo/elsberry