Students urge Albemarle schools to overhaul recycling and composting; petition brings hundreds of signatures

Students and community members urged the Albemarle County Public Schools board to adopt a consistent, divisionwide approach to recycling and composting, saying current systems are inconsistent, understaffed and place unfair burdens on student volunteers.

Reed Kroak, speaking as a student representative of the Green Teen Alliance, summarized a petition presented to the clerk that he said carried 292 signatures from students, staff, parents and community organizations. The petition recommended six specific changes, including a paper-and-metal-only recycling stream, clear classroom recycling bins, food composting during lunch periods, bathroom paper-towel composting, stronger education for students and staff about contamination, and a gradual transition of daily operations from students to fairly compensated staff.

Students from multiple high schools described repeatedly cleaning contamination from recycling bins and suggested that inconsistent systems across schools make the problem worse. Emily Burton, a Community Lab student, asked the board to add the petition to the June 11 meeting agenda for discussion.

Board members thanked students for their advocacy and said staff will review the petition; no formal action was taken at the meeting. Students emphasized that system-wide consistency and compensated staffing — rather than relying on unpaid student labor — are central to any lasting improvement.