The document discusses reducing plastic bottle waste at a middle school. It notes that the school uses around 300 plastic bottles per week from vending machines and the cafeteria. Most bottles end up in the trash rather than being recycled. The document proposes that the school implement a bottle boycott by providing each student with a reusable water bottle and adding water filling stations around the school as an alternative to disposable plastic bottles. This would help make the school more sustainable and reduce plastic waste.

1. PET Bottles at the Middle School
Annie Blasberg

2. What is our school
doing?

3. We must REDUCE our bottle waste!
• After sending out a survey and
asking Alesandra some questions, I
have concluded that in one week
our school uses around 300 plastic
bottles from the vending machine
and cafeteria!
• Because kids at this age are lazy,
they put their bottles in which ever
bin is closet. So, some make it to
the recycling while most end up in
the trash.

4. Should I Recycle?
Recycling is a good first step. But, where do these bottles go?
The video, the Story About Stuff, says that a large amounts of
recycled bottles (from the US) are sent to developing countries.
So not only does making the bottle produce a lot of energy,
recycling the bottle does too. However many of these bottles
never actually get recycled, the bottle gets sent off where it will
just sit for years and years and years! Although the
recycling system in Switzerland may not work this way, the
process of just making the bottle uses a lot more resources
than it’s worth. The best solution is to just not buy bottled
drinks.

5. The Story Of
Stuff
Water Bottles

6. The amount of bottles we are using is not sustainable…
…In order to make our school
more sustainable, we must
begin to… REUSE
First, our school should go on a Bottle Boycott and stop
bringing bottled or buying bottled drinks at school.
I propose that each student be given a canteen or
water bottle at the beginning of each year. The price of these
bottles could be added on to the yearly tuition. Just like each
student’s agenda, their water bottle would be something
required to bring to school and have in class.
Scattered around the school would be filling stations;
these could simply be water fountains. Water fountains would
allow forgetful students to hydrate and ones with their water
bottles to fill them from a clean source. For students who want a
flavored drink, Alessandra could sell drink powders. Drink
powders can come in little packets and all one has to do is dump
the powder in a bottle of water and shake it up. I think this a
very tenable alternative.
If ZIS agrees to the bottle boycott we would join the 18
colleges in the USA who have already implemented similar plans.
By doing this our school would set an example for other
communities and help globalize the Bottle Boycott.