Letter to the editor: residents must reduce, reuse, and recycle for a cleaner Wellesley

Editor’s note: Wellesley Middle School Social Studies students as part of a Civics Action Projects has this week taken over The Swellesley Report‘s letters-to-the-editor page. The students are well-versed in their topics, have carefully researched all angles, and are ready to present their opinions to the community. Thank you to the WMS Social Studies teachers for organizing this community-based project.

To the editor:

The value of our environment is significant, and although such a statement seems indisputable, many have yet to acknowledge such truth, especially those in Wellesley. Residents of this town do not prioritize saving our environment. However, it is much simpler than many think. There are three ways that can have such a grand impact. They are reducing, reusing, and recycling. Our goal is to raise awareness, and attempt to make Wellesley a cleaner, healthier town!

Reduce: The first of the three R’s is to reduce. Reducing the amount of waste put into the environment is extremely important. The US produces 268 million tons of waste every year. The average American tosses 4.5 pounds of trash per day. If everyone decided to just reduce the amount of waste they produce by only a small amount, that would be astronomical for the environment. However that can’t happen until everyone accepts this new idea of reducing, and starts to reduce. For some people it is hard to change their lives and habits. In Wellesley, we could set an example for the rest of the US and surrounding towns by reducing our waste amounts. Even if it is only 25%, that is better than 0%. People need to be aware that this will take time, but if we work together we can improve.

Some ways to move toward improvement are to:

  1. Pack lunch in a lunchbox not paper bag.
  2. Bring reusable bags to the grocery store.
  3. Use a reusable water bottle. (Don’t use plastic water bottles.)
  4. Consider what you buy. (If you are picking between two items, maybe pick the item with less packaging.)

Reuse: The second of the three R’s is to reuse. Reusing is a big part of helping the environment, because when you are reusing you are reducing the amount of waste you produce. If everything was reusable, there would be no waste production in the world. Right now it is not possible to have everything 100% reusable, but there is always somewhere to start. Reusing isn’t always easy so let your creativity flow and start reusing!

Some ways to reuse are to:

  1. Share toys. (When you are done with a toy give it away.)
  2. Hand down clothes. (When you outgrow your clothes give them to someone who is younger than you.)
  3. Have a garage sale.
  4. Find a new purpose for an old item.
  5.  Start composting your food.

Recycle: The third and last of the three R’s is to recycle. Recycling has lots of benefits while being so simple. Just think how easy it is to put that plastic bottle into the recycling bin that’s right next to the trash bin.

Doing this has many positive effects including, reducing landfills, reducing greenhouse gasses, saving energy and natural resources, and creating jobs. Many people have been taught about what is recyclable, but regulations have changed. Here is a list of what is recyclable: aluminum cans, newspaper, plastic milk jugs, cardboard, food boxes, mail, beverage cans, food cans, glass bottles, jars (glass & plastic), plastic bottles and caps. Not in curbside bin: plastic bags and wraps, electronics and textiles

Wellesley needs to be cleaner. In using the three ways to save the environment, our town could be more enjoyable. So, let’s reduce, reuse, and recycle. Let’s save our town! Let’s save the environment!

Owen Kilgore, Henry Aronson, and Chase Laurano
Wellesley Middle School students