Kyrene schools are among the benefactors of a $200,000 “green” classroom being developed by United Fibers, which specializes in municipal recycling and manufacturing.
The company unveiled its new recycling education center in conjunction with the celebration of America Recycles Day.
The classroom is designed to help students in the Chandler and Kyrene school districts, along with many others, to better understand what happens once the blue recycling bins are picked up outside their homes.
“We want to help create a better understanding, especially with our children, about recycling, how it works and why it is so critically important,’’ said United Fibers Partner Mike Kean.
“We don’t just work in this community. We are part of this community. That’s why we are so excited to open this education center.”
Located about 30 feet above the ground, the education center offers a birds-eye view of the many conveyor belts, employees, sorting machines and huge piles of recycling materials below.
Kean said the center will stimulate visual and interactive learning as students observe the process below while watching a 15-minute educational video.
But the center also will inspire, Kean said, with a graphic wrap that turns the large room into a wooded forest with bamboo flooring under the students’ feet.
Insulation used in the room comes from recycled materials recovered from surrounding communities in Arizona. Even the inside construction tells a story of rebirth – the benches were made from tornado-damaged trees lost earlier this year in Tuscaloosa,Ala.
“Chandler residents can read the newspaper on a Monday and within days it can be recycled here and turned into sustainable insulation for someone’s home,” Kean said.
“This facility’s closed-loop recycling is a great and unique story that more people need to hear. We believe this education center will assist in expanding this message.”
Information: www.unitedfibers.com
