Project tackles pollution

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A local scout will be collecting plastic foam items this weekend at Hayes High School as part of her Eagle Scout project to help keep the material out of landfills.

Rowan Hering, a Life Scout and junior at Hayes High School, will be running a collection drive for plastic foam or expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam items Saturday, March 5, in the Hayes student parking lot from 10 a.m. to noon. Hering said the collection is her Eagle Scout project, which she has been working on since last July.

“In the summer I was cleaning out my basement and found a lot of Styrofoam down there that we’d collected over the years,” Hering said. “We didn’t want to throw it away because it goes into a landfill and pollutes the earth. So I decided to start this project for my Eagle Scout. What I’ve done is tried to educate the public on problems that Styrofoam has on our environment and tell them that there’s a way we can recycle it.”

Hering said she’ll be running the collection drive and will take the collected materials down to a recycling center in Hilliard. The City of Delaware Public Works Department does not currently recycle Styrofoam or EPS, she added.

“Hopefully, once the Public Works Department sees the demand, they’ll start recycling it as well,” Hering said. “I hope a lot of people come. I’ve reached out to as many groups as possible. I hope there’s a big turnout. What else are people going to do with their Styrofoam except throw it away. The more people that show up, the bigger the impact I know I’ve had.”

Hering said she’s very motivated to do the project because she’s currently studying environmental science and is concerned about pollution.

“I’ve learned how amazing Earth is and how humans are turning it into a waste bin,” Hering said. “Even if it’s like a small impact, I’m hoping to make a difference in people’s minds about being more thoughtful about where their pollution goes. I want to keep the earth pretty.”

Hering said she’s been in Troop 7318 for three years, and if she earns the rank of Eagle Scout, she’ll be the first girl in her troop to achieve that title.

“(That possibility) makes me really excited,” Hering said. “I could be an example for future girls’ Eagle projects. I hope to show them they can do these big things that make an impact on their community.”

More information about Hering’s project can be found at https://sites.google.com/view/eps-collection-drive/home.

Hering takes a photo with plastic foam she plans to take to a recycling center after a collection drive this weekend.
https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2022/03/web1_Hering-1-1.jpgHering takes a photo with plastic foam she plans to take to a recycling center after a collection drive this weekend. Courtesy photo

Life Scout and Hayes High School junior Rowan Hering stands next to research she has done on EPS and its impact on the environment.
https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2022/03/web1_Hering-2-1.jpgLife Scout and Hayes High School junior Rowan Hering stands next to research she has done on EPS and its impact on the environment. Courtesy photo

By Glenn Battishill

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Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903 or on Twitter @BattishillDG.

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