Teresa Heckenlively, Economic Development Director for the Quad-Lakes Waste Management District J, visited Clinton Christian Academy on Wednesday, Feb. 28 to present an assembly to students in grades 3-12 about recycling. Missouri averages 11,000 tons of trash a day. Households average 5 and 1/2 lbs of trash daily. Landfills are filling up. Ms. Heckenlively went through a trash bag that she brought to show us and went through the bag item by item to determine if its contents were recyclable. Things like milk cartons, plastic cups, soda cans, boxes, paper rolls, old eggs and carrots, glass and even magazines can be recycled. Sadly, 80% of recyclable items get contaminated before they can be recycled. By the end of Ms. Heckenlively’s demonstration, the 5 1/2 pounds of trash she began with, was decreased to only 14 ounces with everything recyclable removed from the bag! Ms. Heckenlively also talked about the natural resources that were used to make products for humans, emphasizing that recycling is important in order to preserve the wonderful world that God created for us to enjoy! One must never forget that we have been charged with a great responsibility in caring for God’s creation. The assembly concluded with a brief video demonstrating how aluminum cans (recyclable products) are produced beginning with mining bauxite from the earth until the finished product! This video was a great example of how recycling can help preserve our natural resources!
Special thanks to Quad-Lakes Waste Management Office for their support of CCA. This assembly was part of the two grants CCA recently received to replace the pea gravel on our playground with pour-in-place surfacing (made from recycled tires). One grant in the amount of $38,035 was awarded by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. DNR provides a range of services to help Missouri citizens, communities and businesses protect and improve the air, land and water resources that we all share. The department also provides opportunities to learn more about Missouri’s natural and cultural history at our state parks and historic sites. Another grant in the amount of $25,000 was awarded by Quad-Lakes Waste Management District J office. Both grant projects were completed by Taylormade Company in December 2023. Approximately two-thirds of the CCA playground now has the pour-in-place surfacing. CCA plans to continue pursuing grant opportunities in the future until the total area of the playground has the pour-in-place surfacing, which will provide a safer and cleaner playground for our students!
