(WHAS11) - The average American creates about 30 pounds of garbage every week, with most of it ending up in landfills.
In New Albany a group of elementary school students are trying to save the planet, starting in the lunch room.
In October 2009, Grant Line Elementary School in New Albany started a test recycling program.
The school wanted to keep it simple and that meant behind the scenes; only with the lunch room staff and no kids.
In the first month they kept 1,400 pounds of recyclables out of the landfills. Now they're pushing 2,000 pounds per month.
The goal at Grant Line Elementary is to teach the kids they don't have to throw everything away.
“Trying to teach the kids what they touch on a daily basis can be recycled and not just thrown away and can be made into a new resource,” says Brent Batliner, Vice President of QRS Recycling.
Since the cafeteria started recycling they have gone from six dumpsters a week down to two, which is helping the school save money, but more importantly saving the environment one lunch tray at a time.
This program has become so successful they hope to start it other schools in the New Albany Floyd County school system.
