Cutline: Seniors Zack Moon and Ashley Kates work on their math posters on discounts and markups. Photo by Reid Bartkus '19

With an effort to rid the earth of deadly pollution, world-famous art supplies company, Crayola, has started a new project that will recycle old markers from schools and turn them into fuel for cars.

Recently, the Crayola company has launched a new initiative to combat plastic waste and pollution. Their program is called “ColorCycle.” ColorCycle aims to recycle many brands of markers and convert them into new plastic products and even synthetic fuel. However, the question is: Will the project work? And how could it affect the environment in the long run?

With ColorCycle by Crayola, a step into the future can finally be taken. The purpose of Crayola’s ColorCycle is to engage and educate students and teachers. This gets students interested in recycling and eager to accomplish it in a fun way. There are three easy steps to it: collect and count, pack and print, and ship and smile.

In many schools throughout the U.S. there are collection stations where all the old markers are tossed and then counted. When all the markers are accounted for they are put into a cardboard box and shipped to Crayola. They are then picked up and shipped off putting a smile on your face for helping save the planet. Throughout the school year, students and teachers use an exceedingly great number of markers, and they simply get thrown out into landfills.

Sharon Karasick, a teacher marine biology teacher at Riverview, agreed that plastics in landfills are a major concern.

“The plastic doesn’t biodegrade. When we put plastic in the landfill, we are basically putting something there that will be there for generations to come and will need to be cleaned up in another way,” she said.

She said that plastics have a lasting effect on the earth. When people throw out plastic, it stays there for hundreds of years and it doesn’t biodegrade. Instead of throwing the plastic from markers into landfills and dumps, the world could recycle them, thereby producing less trash that harms the environment.

Sources:

https://recyclenation.com/2018/07/recycling-with-crayola-colorcycle/

https://www.romper.com/p/crayolas-colorcycle-program-is-eco-friendly-way-to-toss-your-old-markers-9960535

http://www.crayola.com/colorcycle/frequently-asked-questions.aspx