School Ohana, Neighbors Pitch In At Kahaluu Recycling Drive

Sixth-grader Elijah Kekaula has a playful moment amid a mountain of corrugated cardboard, which was donated to Kahaluu Elementary School’s Aloha ‘Aina recycling drive in September. Area churches, school retirees, families and farmers — they all pitched in to clean up the community and help the school. Photo from Melanie Afualo.

Recycling drives have a way of bringing folks together, and when a school does it, the lessons learned bring instant dividends.

Kahaluu Elementary School’s Aloha ‘Aina drive, sponsored by Kokua Hawaii Foundation, brought out the ohana and filled all the bins Sept. 20, reported Melanie Afualo, the school’s family resource staffer.

“Our big focus was more on teaching the kids to malama ‘aina,” she said. “Lately there has been some graffiti and illegal dumping in our area. It was great for kids to see it’s important to clean up and be proud of their community.”

Supporting the hardworking parents, teachers, students and administrators that day were five area churches, pastors and missionaries, a retired cafeteria manager, and a local farmer with a Hubtoe. Breakfast and lunch were served to volunteers; vans and trucks came non-stop to deposit their treasures, and 10 recyclers were on site to assist with collecting and sorting.

“One parent went to her job and brought two vans full of cardboard boxes that the store wasn’t going to recycle,” Afualo noted. “Others scoured the back roads and Kahaluu curbs for illegal dumping and brought items to the site!”

Another Aloha ‘Aina recycling drive is planned for 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 15 at Laie Elementary school. (See story on Page 5.)