Shoot that paper in the right bin!

RECYCLEHOOPS

Recycling needs to be FUN! Get some GAME!

AP Environmental Science students decided inject fun into putting paper in the paper/cardboard bin. Using skills learned in the Green Engineering Academy regarding functional scale, students designed and built miniature basketball hoops that hover over the RIGHT place for waste paper. The goal is to induce students to put waste paper in the paper recycling bin, instead of putting in the trash can.

Reducing waste is our overarching goal. Using less paper is our first step. But if paper becomes waste, it should head off for recycling, instead of heading to the landfill. Waste analysis at LHS shows that too much paper is still being placed in trash cans instead of where it belongs, in the recycle bins.

RECYCLHOOPS offers students some fun, while putting waste paper in the correct bin. We hope this results in less materials going into the landfill, and results in more paper being recycled.

The first try, using a full-sized basketball standard, quickly turned sour, as everyone wanted to dunk and hang on the rim. Images of the hoop, backboard, and structure possibly crashing down on students ended that effort. Scaling down to a size that would be acceptable in a classroom setting, without causing a riot, was imperative.

The points scheme on the backboard explains: 1 point at the free throw line ( a taped mark on the floor) 2 points a bit further out, and 3 points for a shot beyond the arc. Initial results with the prototype have been good, with some teacher monitoring. Three more hoops are in development.