Mohawk Fifth Grader Makes Time to Recycle

Philosophers say time is relative. Ten-year-old Alison Loepp says it’s recyclable.

A fifth-grade student at Macomb Township’s , Loepp was recently named a winner in Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Anthony Marrocco’s “Imagine the Possibilities” contest for Macomb County fourth- and fifth-grade students.

Per the guidelines of the contest, students were asked to make something new out of items that would otherwise end up in landfills. Loepp chose to build a clock.

“We had a bag of old CDs on the counter and an old clock downstairs,” Loepp said. “I thought (a clock) would be easy to make and I could use it at home or in school.”

With a little help from her step-dad, Loepp repaired the broken clock mechanism and pieced her project together using the back of an old CD as the clock’s face and a piece of Styrofoam for the base.

In helping her daughter pursue this project, Loepp’s mother said she gained a fair bit of knowledge about recycling, too.  

“The contest gave you a list of all the non-recyclable materials you could use,” said Renee Miller. “I didn’t know that Styrofoam couldn’t be recycled. I didn’t even know the caps from the water bottles aren’t supposed to go in the recycle bin. It’s definitely changed the way we do things at home. We are more aware now.”

Loepp’s enthusiasm over the project saw this awareness spill over into her classroom as well.

“Alison is a very creative student,” said Sara Gieleghem, her teacher at Mohawk. “I was very proud of her initiative in this contest. She went home after the school presentation and put her mind to work. She was an inspiration to me and her fellow classmates to participate in this contest and recognize the importance of being able to recycle.”

While the contest may be over, Loepp said she is still recycling at school and at home, and is encouraging others to do their part.

“At school, if I have pieces of scrap paper from other crafts, I put them in the recycling bin. (At home), if I find a bottle or can around, I’ll put it in the recycling bin. If you get active, you can do more.”

A competitive dancer and aspiring writer, Loepp doesn’t always have time to spare, but now knows how to make time to save the planet.

“Recycling helps save our planet, it makes it healthy. It’s important to recycle so we have clean air. Everyone can do it.”