New Brunswick public schools to make their beverage options environmentally friendly
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Brunswick public schools to reduce plastic waste by eliminating single-use plastic drink bottles
Contact: Kaliyah McKnight, 609-613-3330DATELINE, Jul. 5, 2021 —Today, The New Brunswick Board of Education determined that they should no longer allow single use plastic drink bottles to be sold in their schools. Instead of traditional plastic bottles for water and juices, the schools will now offer reusable aluminum bottles of water and aluminum cans for juice. The change will be implemented at the start of the new school year, September. They came to this decision because parents, students, and faculty members were all expressing their growing concerns over climate change. The environmentally friendly packaged drinks will be sold in vending machines and a la carte but will not affect after school fundraisers.
A particular group of students who are in the high school student government feel that this change will only benefit the school and the students. A tenth grade representative, Erin Hernandez says that, “this change will allow us as students to be conscious consumers”. Climate change is a big concern among her peers and Hernandez feels that switching to eco-friendly packaging will ease their concerns. She also notes that, “aluminum can be infinitely recycled and turned in [at recycling centers] for money, which brings the school another source of income”.
The school board wants to assuage concerns about the eco-friendly switch. The Head of the New Brunswick Board of Education, William James, clarified that students are not banned from having single use plastic bottles on school grounds. James also wants people to know that while the aluminum bottles will mean increased prices, that are to be determined, they are also reusable so students can refill these bottles at the water fountains found throughout the school premises. “If properly taken care of, any student could reuse one aluminum bottle for months”. He also pointed to several scientific journals that concluded there were health risks from drinking from aluminum bottles or cans. These same scientific journals also found that reusing plastic bottles can be harmful to consumers.
The school board chose aluminum bottles over paper cartons because cartons are less reusable and can be hard to recycle. Considering students were going to be expected to pay more for their drinks it seemed more appropriate to the board if they could at least reuse the bottles. The recyclability of paper cartons entirely depends on whether or not they have a plastic lining in them. Considering these facts, the board concluded aluminum vessels were more appropriate in making a statement about climate change.
The school district switching to eco-friendly packaging is a decision that they foresee will only be beneficial to all involved. The eco-friendly packaging will not impact any after school sales that take place but these practices will be encouraged nonetheless.
New Brunswick Board of Education
The New Brunswick Board of Education is committed to ensuring that students have equitable access to achieving academic excellence and can excel as citizens. For more information please go to www.nbboe.org.