Each year, the Schuyler Recycling Center hosts a town clean up day. Volunteers gather at the Recycling Center to receive trash bags and a cleaning location. Volunteers are sent out all around town to collect as much trash as possible. This helps rid the environment of harmful materials such as plastics. This year’s clean up took place on March 29th. Schuyler has organized this clean up day for the last fifteen to twenty years. It was first organized by a woman named Joan Mejstrik, who works in the Schuyler City Office. 

School clubs and organizations also participated in the clean up, such as the Dance team and National Honors Society. NHS is headed by Blanca Alarcon, a Spanish instructor at the high school. “Due to Covid, we were not allowed to do community service,” Mrs. Alarcon stated, “this opportunity came up and I wanted the NHS to participate.” 

“I believe it is all our responsibility to help our community in any way that we can.  It starts with volunteering, and that helps to build community relationships,” Rich Brabec, the President of the Schuyler Community School Board, explained. Mr. Brabec participated in the clean up by preparing food for the volunteers. Cargill Meat Solutions partnered with the recycling center and donated beef burgers. They also provided prizes such as gardening tools in a drawing for all the volunteers. The clean up day disposed of a large amount of trash in anticipation of the coming summer months.