School-Wide Recycling Programs were a Great Success

The final tally is in!  Between both MASIS in Anasco and Jorge Seda Crespo in Rincon the schools have combined to recycle 80 (95 gallon) full containers of plastic and 39.75 (95 gallon) full containers of aluminum.  Check out the winning classes below!

MASIS                                                                             Jorge Seda Crespo

Best All Around: Class #10                                             Best All Around: Class #8


Most Plastic: Class #10                                                    Most Plastic:  Class #8

Most Aluminum:  Class #9                                               Most Aluminum:   Class #8

Most Plastic Counted:  Class #10                                     Most Plastic Counted:  Class #8

Most Aluminum Counted:   Class #9                                 Most Aluminum Counted:  Class #8


If we were to assume that single-use plastics were the only material being recycled in the schools, and the fact that a single-use plastic bottle measures ~8.5", and that 350 single-use plastic bottles fill a 95 gallon container then MASIS has recycled (33 x 350 = 115,500 bottles) and JSC has recycled (47 x 350 = 16450 bottles).  When we take the amount of bottles recycled for each school and multiple it by the length of a single bottle we get the length of the "bottle-string" the school is compiling and heading on an adventure around the island!  The MASIS bottle-string = 2.49 km and the JSC bottle-string = 3.55 km.  See the progress of each bottle-string in the image below.  Click on the image for a larger view.

Detailed counts per class are seen below. 

Congratulations to the winning classes!  This is truly an amazing effort that should be replicated at other schools around the island.

Contact Wessley Merten at 787-436-8300 or wessley.merten@upr.edu for more information on helping out in this coral reef restoration and marine debris removal effort.