The Smallest Idea, can Make the Biggest Difference | Teen Ink

The Smallest Idea, can Make the Biggest Difference

January 2, 2010
By Weasels101 SILVER, Walnut, California
Weasels101 SILVER, Walnut, California
5 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.&rdquo;- Maria Robinson<br /> &quot;I have not failed. I&#039;ve just found 10,000 ways that won&#039;t work.&quot;- Thomas Edison


Recently in December, I informed a teacher at my Middle School of this idea that is cost effective and also saves the environment.
The idea was to recycle our school’s cardboard lunch trays by placing them on a recycling table after depositing the trash into nearby garbage cans.

The concept was to simply set up a collection point in the form of a school table in the most populated places of the lunch areas and surrounded them with trashcans for easier accessibility.
The table is surrounded by trash cans to deposit the food. The paper lunch trays piled on the tables.
At the end of the day, we were able to save around 640 lunch trays, the equivalent of filling four large garbage cans.
There are 180 school days in the school’s year of which around seven don’t offer a lunch period. If a school implemented this simple idea on the first day, this practice could save around over 110,720 recyclable trays each school year. If the six million students in California in its 9,900 schools used this practice it could save over 6,336,000 lunch trays per day or around 1,096,128,000 per year.



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This article has 63 comments.


on Apr. 19 2010 at 1:23 am
Weasels101 SILVER, Walnut, California
5 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.&rdquo;- Maria Robinson<br /> &quot;I have not failed. I&#039;ve just found 10,000 ways that won&#039;t work.&quot;- Thomas Edison

Thankyou chuehh. I am very grateful for your comment.

chueh said...
on Apr. 15 2010 at 6:56 pm

Hi alicia

I realy like your idea from school,s lunch trays recycling


on Apr. 13 2010 at 12:23 am
Weasels101 SILVER, Walnut, California
5 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.&rdquo;- Maria Robinson<br /> &quot;I have not failed. I&#039;ve just found 10,000 ways that won&#039;t work.&quot;- Thomas Edison

Thank you! =)

on Apr. 12 2010 at 4:38 pm
HeatherBee BRONZE, I Live In, Texas
1 article 0 photos 1979 comments

Favorite Quote:
Go on and try to tear me down. I will be rising from the ground, like a skyscraper<br /> <br /> Love is louder than the pressure to be perfect

thats nice, that u started that idea:) goood job!!!

on Apr. 10 2010 at 3:56 pm
Weasels101 SILVER, Walnut, California
5 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.&rdquo;- Maria Robinson<br /> &quot;I have not failed. I&#039;ve just found 10,000 ways that won&#039;t work.&quot;- Thomas Edison

Thanks!! =)

Maggie said...
on Apr. 9 2010 at 1:09 am
Alicia, this is really a good idea and a good article. Thank you for sharing your idea. Go!!

on Apr. 5 2010 at 2:56 am
Weasels101 SILVER, Walnut, California
5 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.&rdquo;- Maria Robinson<br /> &quot;I have not failed. I&#039;ve just found 10,000 ways that won&#039;t work.&quot;- Thomas Edison

thankyou chehlan... This project, although small, has made a very big difference 2 my school, and hopefully, will inspire others 2 make a greater impact to the world we live in. ^.^

on Apr. 5 2010 at 2:53 am
Weasels101 SILVER, Walnut, California
5 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.&rdquo;- Maria Robinson<br /> &quot;I have not failed. I&#039;ve just found 10,000 ways that won&#039;t work.&quot;- Thomas Edison

thanks netnaz!!

on Apr. 5 2010 at 2:52 am
Weasels101 SILVER, Walnut, California
5 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.&rdquo;- Maria Robinson<br /> &quot;I have not failed. I&#039;ve just found 10,000 ways that won&#039;t work.&quot;- Thomas Edison

thanks hannah <3 for the possitive incouragement! ^.^

on Apr. 5 2010 at 2:51 am
Weasels101 SILVER, Walnut, California
5 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.&rdquo;- Maria Robinson<br /> &quot;I have not failed. I&#039;ve just found 10,000 ways that won&#039;t work.&quot;- Thomas Edison

:) thanks!! I was surprised when the numbers came out 2.

chuehlan said...
on Apr. 4 2010 at 12:19 am

It is a good thing to help Earth

go to green,I like it.


netnaz said...
on Apr. 4 2010 at 12:02 am

I like this article. This is such a good idea. Recycling lunch trays is a part of giving back to the community by being eco-friendly. Everyone should take part in recycling. Nice topic.

Nenette


netnaz said...
on Apr. 4 2010 at 12:01 am

I like this article. This is such a good idea. Recycling lunch trays is a part of giving back to the community by being eco-friendly. Everyone should take part in recycling. Nice topic.

Nenette


hannah <3 said...
on Apr. 3 2010 at 11:01 pm
great article!!!!!!!!!!! it was so great!!

BoredToDeath said...
on Apr. 3 2010 at 10:23 pm
woah.. that is alot of box thingys great work

on Apr. 3 2010 at 2:54 am
Weasels101 SILVER, Walnut, California
5 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.&rdquo;- Maria Robinson<br /> &quot;I have not failed. I&#039;ve just found 10,000 ways that won&#039;t work.&quot;- Thomas Edison

thanks Mariah!! XD

on Apr. 3 2010 at 2:53 am
Weasels101 SILVER, Walnut, California
5 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.&rdquo;- Maria Robinson<br /> &quot;I have not failed. I&#039;ve just found 10,000 ways that won&#039;t work.&quot;- Thomas Edison

you're welcome!! :)

*Mariah* said...
on Apr. 2 2010 at 10:34 pm
Hi great article!!! Your mom works with my mom so thats how I saw your article!! That was a great idea, keep up the good work!!!

Shirowid said...
on Mar. 29 2010 at 4:21 pm

Great article and wonderful idea. Keep it up.

Also, thanks Alicia for your valuable comment for my article' Gifted kids can change the world.


on Mar. 2 2010 at 12:44 am
Weasels101 SILVER, Walnut, California
5 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.&rdquo;- Maria Robinson<br /> &quot;I have not failed. I&#039;ve just found 10,000 ways that won&#039;t work.&quot;- Thomas Edison

Well, I am changing my user name back to smiley169391 again because on my poems, I saw a few comments with the same username as I, so I thought I should switch. But apparently, it was just my mom. She forgot to sign out of my user before she posted a comment. :p