LOWELL — Fourth graders from Abraham Lincoln Elementary School learned that making change in the world can be simple as they participated in hands-on lessons about how to reduce waste this week.
The lesson is part of a larger City effort to reduce waste, increase recycling, and save taxpayers money while helping to protect the environment.
Representatives of Beverly-based Change is Simple, a nationally-recognized non-profit organization dedicated to instilling social and environmental responsibility through hands-on education, visited the Lincoln School on Monday morning thanks to a grant provided by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
Instructors provided hands-on lessons in how to reduce waste as part of a pilot program that could eventually expand into other schools.
Students took part in relay races as they learned to separate waste into recyclables, compost, textiles, trash, and items that can be reduced or reused. By the end of an hour’s worth of relay races, students were placing practically no items in the trash bin.
“There are simple changes we can make to cut down on the amount of waste and trash that we create,” Change is Simple Co-Founder Patrick Belmonte told students. “We can all work together to reduce the amount of trash we create and to protect our environment.”
The City of Lowell spent about $9.4 million on Solid Waste and Recycling in Fiscal Year 2025, as the City produced about 25,000 tons of trash and about 6,000 tons of recycling. Reducing those figures is a priority for City Manager Thomas A. Golden, Jr., and Solid Waste & Recycling Coordinator Chris Sullivan.
“The key is to teach the kids so they bring the lesson home and teach their parents and family members to do the right thing,” Sullivan said. “The goal is not only to save the planet, but to save taxpayers some money.”
“We know that there are over 65 languages spoken in the homes of our school aged children and while this event was presented in English, these children can then take this message home where they can communicate the message in their household language,” said Department of Public Works Commissioner Paul St. Cyr. “This will hopefully carry through to those in the home and help us improve our solid waste and recycling compliance.”
The City has already made significant progress in saving taxpayer dollars on Solid Waste and Recycling costs by reducing the amount of inappropriate materials that end up in City trash.
The City’s solid waste and recycling are subject to an annual audit that determines the percentage of inappropriate materials that end up in the trash, and the City faces contractual financial penalties when that percentage is over 10 percent. As recently as 2022, Lowell was over 25%. In Fiscal Year 2025, that figure was reduced to 10.6%, saving City taxpayers about $200,000 compared to 2022.
The successful efforts to reduce the City’s contamination percentage are led by Chris Sullivan, Recycling Enforcement Coordinator Gregory DeRosa, and the city’s contractor Waste Management. DeRosa patrols the City and monitors contamination in bins, while Waste Management drivers work in partnership with the City to reject pickup of bins with obvious contamination.
“It benefits everyone in Lowell if we can reduce our production of solid waste and increase our recycling and reuse,” said City Manager Thomas A. Golden, Jr. “We are hoping that educating our youth will help us bridge the gap between generations and make this a whole community effort.”
The City is also working to help residents increase recycling and reduce waste by offering an easy-to-use online resource called the Recyclopedia, which assists with properly sorting waste and avoiding placing items in the trash unnecessarily. To use this resource, click here and navigate to the Recylopedia tab.
Discover more from John Guilfoil Public Relations
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.