SHAWNEE, Kan. -- The Shawnee Mission School District is changing the way it is recycling.
Now, schools will no longer accept recycling from parents or the community because they say it’s too expensive.
“We value recycling in so many ways and appreciate the community’s past support,” said Joan Leavens, sustainability and community engagement coordinator for the Shawnee Mission School District.
In the past, schools within the district used to receive a rebate for recycling, sometimes up to $1,000for all of the cardboard and plastic containers dropped off.
Two years ago, that rebate program stopped for Shawnee Mission as well as other area-schools. Instead, the Shawnee Mission School District received free recycling pick-ups.
Now, however, the district will have to pay to recycle.
It’s one reason why next week, schools will receive new bins with locks to discourage public use.
According to Leavens, the district’s contract for recycling allows one recycling bin per week per school. If anything more is recycled, the school district is charged extra, which ultimately would come out of the district’s general funds.
Other school districts in the metro have closed their recycling bins to the public too. Kansas City, Kansas, Independence and Lee’s Summit schools no longer allow the public to recycle.
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