THE CYCLE

What goes around comes around

by Izzy Munn, Sylvia Sasse, Deshna Venkatachalam, Lydia Weed

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an organization that protects people and the environment from risks that come from pollution, around 75% of the American waste stream is recyclable, while only 30% of it is recycled. While there are many ways to reduce, reuse and recycle unwanted or unused materials, the American population does not normally take advantage of it. However, according to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the state’s recycling rate has increased by 2% from 2020 to 2021. Sophomore Roma Siriram discusses what the Environmental Club does to contribute to this increase.

“Every Friday, after school, we collect all of the trash bags and things that are put in the recycling bins in classrooms,” Siriram said. “We sort through and make sure there’s not trash. If there is, then we dispose of that properly, and then we give all the stuff that should be recycled to the city.”

A list of items that can be recycled can be found on IN.gov. Plastics with numbers one through seven, glass, cardboard and paper are a few of the items listed. Siriram discusses how disposing of these items makes a difference in the community.

“You can see the impact that you’re making on a city scale. Not just recycling but reusing and reducing as well,” Siriram said. “You can see that tangible goal.”

According to the EPA, the United States is “one of the largest generators of municipal solid waste per person on a daily basis,” or in shorter terms, the United States generates the largest amount of garbage and waste per person daily. Waste production is influenced by an area’s consumption, economic activity and population. Waste management, even at a small scale, impacts the environment in a positive way.

“I think more people should definitely recycle. Not just recycling but definitely reusing and reducing as well,” Siriram said. “I also think that if school’s implement a better recycling system it would develop good habits for everyone.”

Waste management can be implemented in many different ways. Many school supplies can be recycled such as paper, cardboard and pencils. With a general policy of recycling being implemented within a school district, waste can be reduced drastically. Reducing, reusing and recycling are all important factors in waste reduction and management. With waste reduction comes positive impacts on the environment. For example, according to the Environmental Defense Fund, an organization that focuses on finding solutions to environmental issues, when there are copious amounts of waste being burned, toxic chemicals such as nitrogen oxides are also being sent into the air. The reduction of waste means less production of these chemicals, thus saving energy. Other positive effects of recycling include saving money and overall helping to sustain the environment.

Similar to recycling, upcycling is another way of reusing items in order to prevent them from going to waste. Upcycling consists of transforming unwanted or useless products into new ones with artistic or environmental value.

Currently, only about 21% of Americans upcycle, and 13% remain uninterested in the cause as a whole, according to The Ocean Blue Project, a nonprofit ocean cleanup group. While 21% is a start, a large number of Americans are still allowing for reusable products to be thrown into landfills, causing an irreversible negative impact on the environment.

Senior Paige Rice is a part of the 21% of Americans who participate in upcycling. Starting her freshman year of high school, Rice began her ecological adventure of working reusable products into her artwork.

“As an artist, I use lots of frames within my work,” Rice said. “Within those frames I preserve butterflies and dried flowers, and afterwards I will sell that art or keep some for myself. Most people when they hear ‘upcycling’ they think of clothing, but there is so much more you can do than that. You just have to put your mind to it.”

While being a benefit to the environment, upcycling can also be a benefit money-wise.

“[Upcycling] is a lot cheaper than having to buy everything straight out of the store,” Rice said. “Think about getting a table from Goodwill then paying $15 worth of stain to paint it versus going to Ikea and buying a brand new $300 one. You’re getting the same thing but spending hundreds of dollars more. One takes $30 and an hour worth of work and is clearly the much cheaper option.”

Even if the act of creating or building new items isn’t for everyone, there are still other ways to help upcycle.

“It definitely is important to upcycle, reuse things and update items, but you can also recycle or use renewable products,” Rice said. “When you make purchases, you can shop smart and choose eco-friendly items. Items that come from sustainable production methods can really help our environment, and can be used for a long time.”

Like Rice, junior Mia McClellan also began her upcycling experience during her freshman year, while living through COVID-19.

“For a while, during the pandemic, obviously a lot of people were ordering things online, so I had a lot of cardboard boxes at my house,” McClellan said. “I would break apart those cardboard boxes and use them as canvases because I couldn’t afford real canvases to paint on, so I would paint on the back of the boxes in order to sell them,”

While seemingly a tough activity to pursue, upcycling doesn’t have much to it.

“The only skill you need to be an expert upcycler is creativity,” McClellan said. “You have to be able to formulate in your mind what you want to build while also having an effective strategy to make all the pieces fit together, literally and metaphorically, rather than waste them.”

Similar to upcycling, thrifting and reusing clothing is another way to improve the environment. Examining one’s clothing consumption habits is essential in reducing, reusing and recycling. Brick-and-mortar stores such as Goodwill and Plato’s Closet give people an opportunity to give their clothes a new life and save on something “new.”

Depop, ThredUp, Curtsy, Poshmark and Mercari are online platforms that have popped up over the years, expanding the resale business and creating eco-friendly e-commerce. The ThredUp website states that the global secondhand market will reach $350 billion by 2027.

On an early Saturday morning, freshmen Johnathan Moguel Vidales and Jaziel Orduna can be found at the Goodwill Outlet in Greenwood, Ind. It is filled with bins of unsorted merchandise, which is paid for by the pound. This merchandise is typically what does not make it to the actual Goodwill store, and will soon be clothes as well as some of their secondhand finds. Their account, @snail_retail, posts all apparel under $20. Depop currently has over 30 million items for sale with around 30 million users, according to their website.

Orduna has been successful so far, and plans to resell a few pairs of his shoes soon.

“There is a pair of Converse we’re going to put up, and Jordan One lows,” Orduna said. “I also put up a couple pairs of my jeans, and they sold pretty quick.”

According to Depop’s website, the most popular styles include: vintage, street wear, one-of-a-kind and Y2K. Moguel Vidales is a fan of today’s vintage trends in clothing, and speaks on his favorite item that he has thrifted.

“[My favorite item is] probably these vintage Wrangler cargos,” Moguel Vidales said. “They’re super baggy, they’re beautiful.” transported to be recycled.

According to BBC, buying a previously worn garment and wearing it for nine more months can eliminate its environmental impact once it gets discarded by 20 to 30%. Senior Madysin Perry is an employee at Goodwill, and thrifts about once every two weeks. She examines the benefits of thrifting.

“[Thrifting] is good for the earth because of how much it reduces waste, and many thrift stores like Goodwill support a good cause,” Perry said. The economical benefits of thrifting are a major plus in addition to the benefits of reusing.

“I go [to the Goodwill Outlet] once a week,” Moguel Vidales said. “I also go to Sans Souci, which is located near the school. They have cheap clothes.”

The students have collaborated to make a Depop account where they sell their old

“[My favorite items are] my lululemon items, which are very expensive new, and I’ve found some new with tag items for five dollars,” Perry said. Trying to lessen one’s environmental footprint can be achieved by reducing, reusing and recycling, but putting them into practice takes effort. Participating in a local recycling effort, upcycling and being conscious of clothing consumption all contribute to this.

“At the end of the day we’re just two boys selling our clothes,” Moguel Vidales said. “We’re making money and reducing all the clothes that are in the wastelands.” said. “When you make purchases, you can shop smart and choose eco-friendly items. Items that come from sustainable production methods can really help our environment, and can be used for a long time.”

Like Rice, junior Mia McClellan also began her upcycling experience during her freshman year, while living through Covid-19.

“For a while, during the pandemic, obviously a lot of people were ordering things online, so I had a lot of cardboard boxes at my house,” McClellan said. “I would break apart those cardboard boxes and use them as canvases because I couldn’t afford real canvases to paint on, so I would paint on the back of the boxes in order to sell them,”

While seemingly a tough activity to pursue, there isn’t as much to upcycling as most people think.

“The only skill you need to be an expert upcycler is creativity,” McClellan said. “You have to be able to formulate in your mind what you want to build while also having an effective strategy to make all the pieces fit together, literally and metaphorically, rather than waste them.”

Examining one’s clothing consumption habits are essential in reducing, reusing and recycling. Brick and mortar stores such as Goodwill and Plato’s Closet give people an opportunity to give their clothes a new life and save on something “new.” Depop, ThredUp, Curtsy, Poshmark and Mercari are online platforms that have popped up over the years, expanding the resale business and creating eco-friendly e-commerce.

On an early Saturday morning, freshman Johnathan Moguel Vidales and Jaziel Orduna can be found at the Goodwill Outlet in Greenwood, Indiana. It is filled with bins of unsorted merchandise and you pay by the pound. This merchandise is typically what does not make it to the actual Goodwill store, and will soon be transported to be recycled.

“I go once a week,” Moguel Vidales said. “I also go to Sans Souci, which is located near the school. They have cheap clothes.”

The students have collaborated to make a Depop and Instagram account where they sell some of their secondhand finds as well as their own clothes. Their account, @snail_ retail, posts all apparel under $20. Depop currently has over 30 million items for sale with around 30 million users, according to their website. Orduna plans to resell a few pairs of his own shoes.

“There is a pair of converse we’re going to put up, and Jordan One lows,” Orduna said. “I also put up a couple pairs of my jeans, and they sold pretty quick.”

According to Depop’s website, the most popular styles include vintage, streetwear, one-of-a-kind and Y2K. Moguel Vidales is a fan of today’s vintage trends in clothing. He talks about his favorite item that he has thrifted.

“[My favorite item is] probably these vintage Wrangler cargos,” Moguel Vidales said. “They’re super baggy, they’re beautiful.”

Senior Madysin Perry has worked at Goodwill since the beginning of the school year.

“[Thrifting] is good for the earth because of how much it reduces waste and many thrift stores like Goodwill support a good cause,” Perry said.