Every day at school students are told by teachers and staff that we need to recycle. But how many of us actually listen and recycle correctly? 

We have noticed that the students of Lake Forest High School consistently put trash in the recycling bin, and vice versa. Although it may seem easier to throw away all of your trash into one bin, it is detrimental to the environment. 

Incorrectly recycling creates a profound impact on not only our school but throughout the entire city of Lake Forest.

According to Rubicon, when a single piece of trash is placed within a recycling bin, it causes all the things placed correctly in the recycling bin to be wasted, as they are no longer considered recyclable.  

If students within our school are not recycling accurately then we are a part of a much larger problem. 

“I have noticed that the school needs to make improvements with recycling. It might be because some students don’t know how to properly recycle,” said administrative assistant Melanie Walsh. 

If we want to actively make a change, then there are easy solutions to fix the concerns at hand. 

“In middle and elementary school there were always signs telling us how to separate our recycling and trash,” said junior Ryan Rice, “I wish the high school had some sort of recycling guide.”

As Rice suggested, the school could hang signs above the trash and recycling bins that indicate which types of materials go in which bin. This is something many students have seen at previous schools and reminded them where to place their trash. 

There are things that students do in their everyday lives that they don’t even know are harmful to the environment. 

“Please use water bottles, but don’t misplace them and leave them in the lost and found-they just become more trash! Same thing with lunch boxes and jackets. Check the lost and found for your items. Don’t use what you don’t need, recycle what you can, and make sure you aren’t trashing items that you will replace,” said Environmental Club sponsor Michelle Glyman. 

Our school needs to do a better job, so please think before you toss everything into the trash or recycling.