With his peers on board, Tadeo and the student council implemented a new initiative in the school’s the cafeteria to reduce waste—a comprehensive recycling and composting program.
“Recycling was a no brainer – anything paper, plastic in the recycling bin,” Tadeo says. In their research, they realized waste reduction was a more complicated process.
With help from Aptakisic Junior High School’s existing waste reduction program and Mindful Ways—an organization that supports individuals, families and communities to build mindful and ecological practices—Tadeo and the student council learned to sort the cafeteria trash into five categories: recyclables, compost, foods, liquids and landfill.
To spread awareness of the importance of their initiative among students, Tadeo and the council made posters and created videos on the five categories of waste. During cafeteria periods, they continue to help students sort trash into the proper waste bins.
Tadeo, a true believer that small actions can amount to big change, is optimistic that his work at school and at home will grow. “We are all doing our best, even me,” he says. “All that hard work and dedication will pay off. It doesn’t matter how slow or fast we work up to that—we have to keep working hard.”