Satya Hamidi, a junior at Davies High School and the Fargo Youth Initiative representative, presented a multi-phase recycling and education project intended to make recycling more accessible to students and reduce contamination. "It's to essentially expose and educate students on the importance of being environmentally aware and making it more easy for them to take actions towards creating a more sustainable future," Hamidi said.
Hamidi told the Sustainability and Resiliency Committee that a teacher survey last year reached 22 respondents and showed 45% of those teachers did not have a recycling bin in their classroom. The project aims to install visible, specialized bins in nearly every classroom, increase hallway recycling access and use weekly TV advertisements and posters to improve student knowledge of what can be recycled.
The plan is organized in four phases across the academic year. Phase 1 (early October to Thanksgiving) focuses on updated teacher and student surveys and piloting data collection in a single team center to raise response rates. Phase 2 (post-Thanksgiving to mid-January) would prepare and produce customized recycling bins, coordinate student and club participation, and establish plastic-bag drop-off sites that students can consolidate and deliver monthly to grocery stores that accept them. Phase 3 (January–February) is distribution and initial monitoring; Phase 4 and the conclusion (February–May) include evaluation with a follow-up student survey and, if feasible, a qualitative contamination rating and recycling-frequency tracking.
Hamidi said the team plans a qualitative contamination scale (1–5) to judge contents of bins, though she acknowledged the manpower required to inspect materials could be a constraint. She also noted a change in student-device policy limited the use of QR-code-based engagement, so outreach will rely on posted messages and in-school displays.
Committee members praised the effort and discussed sustainability scaling. James Hand, director of facilities, said the district would consider student involvement and that the environmental club has supported early work. "If there was a student or group of students who were interested in providing feedback... I would always be open to that," Hand said. Chair John Strand and other members suggested the idea could be presented to the school board in the future.
Hamidi told the committee she plans to analyze participation and contamination in May and hand the program to student groups such as the environmental club to continue after she graduates.