SWAINTON –– Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) meetings generally aren’t the liveliest discussions, unless solid waste and wastewater management plans are your forte.
Compiling recycling facts into approachable lessons for students could be an even more daunting task.
However, Lyn Crumbock, assistant county recycling coordinator, opened the MUA board meeting Nov. 19 belting out her acoustic conservation anthem, “I Recycle,” one of four songs she has written for educational presentations to area schools.
“I try to make the songs catchy and simple to remember so students will leave humming,” she said.
“I recycle, yes I do, so future generations can have some resources, too,” she sang. “I don’t just throw my trash all over the land, I go seekin’ and a huntin’ for recycling cans.”
“That’s the best start to a meeting we’ve ever had,” Chairman George Betts said.
Crumbock credits County Recycling Coordinator Bridget O’Connor with organizing education materials.
“She has been the frontrunner of the education program for the past 25 years and a great mentor to me,” she said.
Crumbock tours individual classrooms and assembly halls to spread the word about recycling to county schools.
Recycling has been mandatory in New Jersey since a law was passed in 1987 and the state set a goal to recycle 50 percent of the municipal waste stream. Crumbock melodically presents these facts as she takes students through the process by which recyclables become secondary raw materials through the county Intermediate Processing Facility.
“It’s my intent to always have their attention,” she said. “That’s why I started songs.”
Crumbock’s most current song addresses landfill issues and how students can save space and land by properly disposing of electronics.
She said math and environmental sciences are incorporated into her presentations to match students’ curriculum.
Crumbock said she enjoys speaking with high school students who may be interested in working in the fields of engineering, biology and chemistry because several employees at the MUA hold degrees in those subjects.
“There are many sciences involved in handling solid waste. I encourage high school students to seek employment opportunities in these fields,” Crumbock said.
“My presentations change to fit any age range but we always have a good discussion.”
Contact Truluck at (609) 886-8600 ext. 24 or at: ltruluck @cmcherald.com.
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