Letter to the Editor: Schools do well in teaching the basics of recycling, you can be a part of it

Editor:

As the recycling educator for Recycle Montana, I have spent the past five months speaking with students all across the state. During that time I’ve had the pleasure of reaching more than 1,500 students through 35 presentations at 14 schools.

I’d like to thank the students, teachers and administrators in Billings, Laurel, Lockwood, Columbus, Missoula, Deer Lodge, Helena, Kalispell, Ronan and Pablo for inviting Recycle Montana to help reduce waste in their schools and making these events successful.

I’d also like to thank the Montana Department of Environmental Quality for their support and a successful partnership with the Montana SMART Schools Challenge. We hope to see even more schools registered for the challenge next year. We are very excited to spend next week speaking with students in Big Fork, Columbia Falls and Whitefish.

Presentations for schools in any area can still be scheduled for the remaining weeks of the academic year — interested schools should contact me at 406-461-9106 or [email protected]

This summer we will continue to travel, targeting festivals and similar events to assist with the development of long-term recycling programs. We are also gearing up to produce a statewide recycling guide for communities across the state. You can be a part of this project by contacting Recycle Montana with information about materials collected for recycling in your town. We would like to put your town on the map — literally — at RecycleMontana.org.

By working together we will reach our goal of making recycling accessible and easy for all Montanans.

Rob Pudner

Recycling Educator

Recycle Montana