Cultivating Sustainability: Student-led recycling and community partnerships help further our mission by bettering the world around us

Environmental stewardship has long been a priority at Cincinnati Country Day School, a commitment that continues to thrive through significant strides in sustainability, leadership initiatives, and partnerships with organizations like the Cincinnati Recycling and Reuse Hub, New Life Furniture Bank, Last Mile Food Rescue, and Green Tree Plastics.

A dedicated custodian of this commitment is Rick Schoeny, a long-time faculty member who has an extensive background in environmental volunteer work. Rick has made impressive contributions in his two and a half decades at Country Day in roles such as Lower School teacher, Middle School teacher, coach, club advisor, and parent. His passion for the environment and his persistent efforts to educate others on making a positive impact on the world around them have been consistent throughout his tenure.

For over 25 years, Country Day has been committed to curbside recycling. In the fall of 2019, the school expanded this initiative to further its dedication to environmental sustainability by partnering with Green Tree Plastics, a company in Evansville, Indiana that creates new products out of 100% recycled plastic caps. Rick (aka “Recycling Rick” or “Captain Trashy”) initially brought the partnership possibility to Country Day and has since led efforts for the community to collect bottle caps and other plastic lids, which are recycled directly to Green Tree Plastics in a closed-loop recycling process.

It took just over a year to collect enough plastic lids to create two eight-foot benches and in December 2020, Country Day placed its first order. These benches were the first of five that are now placed around the campus for students, families, and visitors to enjoy. “We have now collected and processed over a thousand pounds of plastic caps that otherwise would have been thrown in the garbage but now have been turned into beautiful benches,” says Rick. Additionally, last year’s fifth graders collaborated with Toyota’s North American plant center in Hebron, Kentucky, which now has two additional benches on-site that were made through this initiative.

From environmental clubs to individual student volunteers, the students are involved from beginning to end: collecting, cleaning, and sorting the caps so they can be sent to Green Tree Plastics where they are then shredded, melted, and poured into a mold.

“For me, it’s about making it an experiential and real-world experience for kids as young as fifth grade, so they recognize how their small actions can make a big difference,” says Rick, when asked about the importance of learning about recycling at an early age. “By physically being involved in the process instead of just talking about it, the students develop a better understanding of how they impact the planet and then can see the results of that impact when the benches arrive on campus.” 

Rick's expansion of Country Day's recycling program did not stop with collecting plastic bottle caps. During the 2021-22 school year, Country Day began informally collecting recyclables for the Cincinnati Recycling and Reuse Hub and by Fall 2022, the school had solidified a relationship with the Hub and began collecting even more items that cannot be recycled traditionally. Next to the Middle School pad, there are several large rolling containers for collecting bottle caps, chip and snack bags, styrofoam, corrugated cardboard, and polyethylene terephthalate (a material used for a lot of non-curbside recyclable plastics like strawberry containers). Rick refers to this arrangement as “beyond the curb” recycling, enabling students, faculty, staff, and the community to recycle items that cannot be recycled otherwise. In addition, there are traditional recycling bins and battery-collection containers placed throughout campus.

When asked what success would look like from his perspective, Rick stated that he would like to see even more student involvement in this important work. “Let’s get them outside as much as possible, enjoying and maintaining not only this beautiful campus but also the world beyond it,” he says. “By fostering a positive connection with the outdoors early in life, the students will establish a solid foundation for making environmental sustainability second nature.”