Credit Emily Hemphill, Beatrice Daily Sun
Lewiston school has raised over $850 for green projects by collecting cartridges for recycling or refilling.
Beatrice Daily Sun reported on the achievement of a school in Lewiston, Nebraska, USA, where students have helped to raise $850 (€661) since 2009 through collecting 919 used ink cartridges and sending them off to California-based firm Empties4Cash for recycling or refilling.
The money raised through the scheme has been used for various projects related to Earth Day and Arbor Day, with librarian Debbie Goossen explaining: “One year we purchased trees […] one year each family got a (reusable) grocery bag. Two years we purchased reusable water bottles so they don’t buy plastic bottles.” She added that another project saw each elementary school receive a peace lily after the school had “done some research on providing oxygen in the classroom”.
The scheme is managed by the school’s High Ability Learners (HAL) group, with fifth and sixth graders in the group in charge of sorting out the cartridges and deciding what the money should be spent on. Goossen explained that this enables them to “focus on problem solving and use different skill sets to make the projects happen”, noting that “they figure out what is the best way. They can use their math to see if we have enough money to buy something”.
This year, the school has so far collected 66 cartridges, raising a total of $40 (€31), with “different types and brands of cartridges […] worth different amounts of money, ranging from 10 cents to $4 (€0.08 to €3)”. The cartridges are dropped off at the school, and a prize is given to each student who donates a cartridge.