Leiaiel Gadia

S.T.A.R.T Recycling club is a closely knit group of, as of right now, seven members, under the guidance of Mr. Scott. They meet every Thursday afternoon in E283, to clear as many recycling bins throughout the whole school, going from classroom to classroom to manually empty bins, sorting through various bottles and misplaced trash. Fourteen pairs of hands, against hundreds of bins, containing thousands of bottles and a variety of litter. Despite the countless bottles, these dedicated members still do the work, every week, regardless of if they’re guidance teacher is there or not, regardless of how many members show up, because a few done is better than none. 

Prior to the 2020 COVID outbreak, S.T.A.R.T averaged 50 members weekly, some even volunteered to help after school. Whether it be out of boredom, curiosity, passion for helping the environment, or just plain fun, it was a team effort nonetheless. According to Mr. Scott this was, “The peak of [the] recycling club”. Since then, the number of members has decreased, from an average of 50 to just seven in the span of four years. Maybe it’s the fear of illness, or just getting your hands dirty, that turn people away from the idea of joining a club like this. A club that requires you to be hands on, to participate in helping our school community. Recycling is something that goes on day to day. The amount of bottles I see thrown, the amount of cans I see people drink from is huge. It's a constant in life, no matter where you are. So why is there such a shortage of volunteers? If everyone drinks from bottles and cans, why do so many refuse to help or even consider joining S.T.A.R.T? 

“I will say this, nobody ever said I can't wait to put my hands in a recycling bin, but they all did it because we’re all supposed to be doing this together” Mr. Scott said. Recycling in itself is a community effort that requires other people. 

“I started recycling to spend time with friends and my older sister. I stayed and showed up every Thursday because I enjoyed helping in any way I could.” Eliaiel Gadia said. The club owns a strong sense of connection and a bond they all share after spending years together, week after week, laughing and smiling at their findings. Older members stayed throughout their senior year, leaving with their heads held high, knowing they played an integral part in our community. 

Many of the students in recycling such as Sage Kos, the honorary president, spoke about how difficult it is to get through all the bins without help. It also took a lot of time getting used to being alone as Mr. Scott was used to pairing people up to work on the bins as it was less work for one person. Recycling takes a lot of man power despite how simple the premise of throwing bottles in a bag or a rolling bin. Bottles stack in weight, meaning you could have a flimsy bag one second and then something equivalent to two backpacks the next. 

After this year, S.T.A.R.T will have to start anew after losing its veteran members and teacher. After this year, Mr. Scott will be retiring. There are further questions as to why no one is willing to help. Perhaps it’s  this sense of being ‘above trash’ to help. As many have instilled in our brains that taking care of trash is a “lesser job”, this could repel members from joining due to this preconceived notion. Or, there could be pressure from peers looking down upon them for not joining a more ‘clean’ club such as robotics or ARC Tutoring. Perhaps students are more interested in helping Niskayuna in other ways, such as joining Key club. Yet, Recycling club is the only people next to janitors helping the high school clean up after themselves. The only chance students have to showcase their care for the workers after classes. 

The decline of recycling club members is a growing problem. 1200+ student’s waste should not be taken care of by just seven kids. Even just one extra pair of hands can make a huge difference.

Recycling Club Members