Improving the

Recycling System
at Middletown
High School
Madison E. Olaynack
Middletown High School
Can you properly
recycle?
TRASH RECYCLABLES
Thesis Statement

The final destination of plastic in the environment

depends exclusively on whether it is littered,
thrown away, or recycled.
Learning Stretch
● What I Learned
○ Communication Skills
○ Time Management
○ Trial and Error
 Applied
Learning Me educating a student and answering their
questions.

Standard A1b -Improving

a System
 Destination of Littered Plastic
● The ocean
○ Microplastics found in hygiene products are littered through drains (Plastic
Microbeads).

● Our food
○ Plastics and microplastics in the ocean are found in the sea creatures, and
other meat humans consume (JustScience)(Gallo).
● Rivers
○ Polluted waterways are the main water source for millions of people (Tarahita).
Gallo, Frederic, et al. “Marine Litter Plastics and Microplastics and Their Toxic Chemicals Components: the Need for Urgent Preventive Measures.” Environmental Sciences Europe, Springer
Berlin Heidelberg, 18 Apr. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5918521/.
Justscience. “WHAT IS PHOTODEGRADATION?” JustScience, 26 July 2017, www.justscience.in/articles/what-is-photodegradation/2017/07/26.
“Plastic Microbeads: They're Bad. But Together We Can Stop Them.” The Story of Stuff Project, https://storyofstuff.org/plastic-microbeads-ban-the-bead/
Tarahita, Dikanaya, and Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat. “Indonesia's Citarum: The World's Most Polluted River.” The Diplomat, The Diplomat, 28 Apr. 2018,
thediplomat.com/2018/04/indonesias-citarum-the-worlds-most-polluted-river/.
 Destination of Thrown Away Plastic
● Landfills
○ Plastic sitting in landfills can take hundreds of years to breakdown
(Bhatti)(Rochman).

● Incineration
○ Burning plastic prevents it from wasting at landfills, but it’s very hazardous
(GreenTumble) .

● The ocean
○ Mishandeling of plastic through waste management can end up in the ocean
(Le Guern).

Bhatti, Jawad A. CURRENT STATE AND POTENTIAL FOR INCREASING PLASTICS www.seas.columbia.edu/earth/wtert/sofos/bhatti_thesis.pdf.
Le Guern, Claire. “When The Mermaids Cry: The Great Plastic Tide.” Plastic Pollution, http://plastic-pollution.org/
Rochman, Chelsea M., et al. “Ingested Plastic Transfers Hazardous Chemicals to Fish and Induces Hepatic Stress.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 21 Nov. 2013,
www.nature.com/articles/srep03263.
“Waste Incineration: Advantages & Disadvantages.” Greentumble, 2 Aug. 2018,https://greentumble.com/waste-incineration-advantages-and-disadvantages/
 Destination of Recycled Plastic
● Recycled Energy
○ New, innovative ways have been created to turn plastic into energy (Saifi) (Cho).
● Reusable Materials
○ Plastic can be reused to create many everyday items (Saifi) (Recycled Polyester).
● Landfills
○ Not all plastic that is put in recycle bins is actually recycled (Albeck-ripka).
Albeck-ripka, Livia. “Your Recycling Gets Recycled, Right? Maybe, or Maybe Not.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 May
2018,www.nytimes.com/2018/05/29/climate/recycling-landfills-plastic-papers.html.environment.
Cho, Renee. “What Happens to All That Plastic?” State of the Planet, 18 June 2018, blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2012/01/31/what-happens-to-all-that-plastic/.
“Recycled Polyester.” History of Patagonia - A Company Created by Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia Action Works, https://www.patagonia.com/recycled-polyester.html
Saifi, Zeena. “Miranda Wang Wants to Close the Loop on Plastic Recycling.” CNN, Cable News Network, 9 Mar.
2018,www.cnn.com/2018/03/09/world/miranda-wang-tomorrows-hero/index.html.
Application of
Research
● My research on
different types of
plastic and disposal of
plastic helped me
better understand
what’s recyclable.

My recycling display
 1. Creating, printing & hanging my 2. Made the educational poster board 3. Educate the MHS community
drawing during all three lunches

My recycling display hung up in a classroom.

Me working on my poster board

My table set up during lunch.

Some MHS students showing of their Greenlove

My display hung in a classroom above a recycling bin stickers after visiting my table.
and trash can. The poster for my presentation
Photos of My Project

Information on the Greenlove foundation, Greenlove stickers and my display.

My poster above a recycling bin in a classroom at MHS.

Photos of My Project

A student during my information session

Me having a conversation with students during

my presentation during lunch.
My display during the drawing process
 Conclusion

For my presentation during lunch, I gave out

the GreenLove sticker and lollipops.
 Thank You!

The Greenlove Foundation

The Town of Middletown
Mr. Taylor
Ms. Hines
& Judges!
 FAQ’s
● Why can’t shredded paper be recycled?
● How can I make a change/ help our environment?
● Are there two different recycling bins?
○ What's the difference between the green and blue bins?
● Can I recycle my water bottle if it has a little water left in it?
● Why is the plastic straw movement so huge?