IN THE CLASSROOM: Lessons at sanitation yard

Dozens of El Morro and Top of the World students got trashy Tuesday at Waste Management’s Irvine Transfer Station, where they spent part of Earth Day learning about recycling.

Dressed in hard hats and oversized neon yellow vests, the kids watched recycling trucks deposit their goods in a cavernous, arena-style space, then took turns clambering into a parked truck to honk its very loud horn.

“What better way to celebrate Earth Day than hanging out in our own trash and debris?” asked parent Robin Rounaghi, who jointly coordinated the event with parents Wendy Campbell and Brendy Michael.

The tour and teaching session was led by Michelle Clark, who has been the community relations manager at Waste Management of Orange County since 1999.

She has earned a reputation for flair and excellence from the thousands of kids and parents she’s taught over the years.

One part Niecy Nash and one part Mary Poppins, Clark wore football-style eye black (only it was green), and even sported a space-style helmet made of plastic yogurt cups during the “Green Boot Camp.”

The period around Earth Day is an especially popular time to tour the Waste Management plant, Clark said; she has seen as many as three tours per day in recent weeks.

She also has a local connection to Laguna, as she serves as the Vice President of the local Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and chairs its Environmental Committee.

She spent Wednesday working with school officials on ways to improve recycling programs at the schools, including creating a food waste donation program and adding battery, cellphone and ink jet cartridge drop-off stations to the campus.

“Do not throw cellphones away,” Clark cautioned; they, along with other forms of universal waste like paint and computer monitors, have been banned from landfills.

Residents can schedule pickup for these items twice a year, or drop them off at many county locations.

At the Earth Day session, kids wore everything from ladybug rain boots to sandals, as they tromped around the facility.

Each brought in a sample item to have Clark tell them whether they were recyclable.

Parents were even more eager to learn than the kids; they learned that it’s OK to throw peanut butter jars into the recycle bin even if food residue is still inside, and that the caps of empty water bottles don’t need to be removed before recycling them.

“The most important thing you can recycle is plastic,” Clark told them. “It stays in a landfill for 700 years.”

Any container numbered 1 through 7 is now recyclable, she said, and many other plastic items, like fast-food toys, can be thrown straight into the bin.

Glass, however, can last up to a million years before biodegrading.

If a Styrofoam product can be torn without being ripped to tiny shreds, it’s safe to recycle, Clark said; paper, likewise, can be recycled if it’s able to be torn.

“The only paper that can’t be recycled is greasy paper,” Clark said, including pizza boxes that have been soaked through with oil.

“We are definitely going to need bigger recycle bins,” Michael quipped.

“Laguna Beach residents are doing an excellent job with recycling,” Clark told them. “The coastal communities are far better than most people.”

Due to their proximity to the coast, cities like San Francisco and Santa Monica have banned single-use plastic grocery bags; Clark expects Laguna to follow suit in the near future.

CANDICE BAKER can be reached at (949) 494-5480 or at candice.baker@latimes.com.