Midland resident Rita Heglin is collecting crayons that would have gone into the trash - and is recycling them instead.
Heglin recently worked as a paraprofessional at Plymouth Elementary School in Midland, where she saw some crayons, pens and pencils being thrown away. Four months ago, she found out about the Crayon Initiative in California, which recycles those items.
“I love crayons,” Heglin said. “But it just bothered me that they were just being thrown away. ... Nobody really thinks a whole lot about what happens to all these crayons, especially the ones that come from restaurants.”
According to the Crayon Initiative website, of the approximately 120,000 pounds of crayons made in the United States every day, about 45,000 to 75,000 pounds of them are thrown away every year.
The crayons are made of paraffin wax, which is not biodegradable, the website says. It takes about 100 years for the crayons to break down.
“I’m one who worries about the earth and all the stuff that we’re just dumping around,” Heglin said. “Things are just thrown out ... that can be used for extras in the classroom. And having worked with the teachers, I realized how much they spend.”
After the crayons are recycled into new ones, they are donated to children’s hospitals all around the U.S.
Heglin said some of those hospitals in Michigan are Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Hurley Children's Hospital in Flint and the Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit.
“I would love to see the children’s smiles,” Heglin said. “That would mean the most to me. My hope is just that the kids are happy.”
Heglin said she collects the crayons from schools and restaurants and brings them to the Staples store in Midland, and people there send them to California. There, the Crayon Initiative melts them down, puts them into triangular-shaped molds and makes new crayons.
Some places that donate their crayons to Heglin are Bob Evans, Logan's Roadhouse, Big Boy, Grace A. Dow Memorial Library, Plymouth Elementary School and Greater Midland Community Center.
Elise Angus, a key supervisor and a grill cook at Bob Evans, said Heglin picks up a half-full box of crayons once a week from the restaurant.
“Kids like to break them and play with them instead of coloring,” Angus said. “And that's actually quite a waste ... and a lot of money for the restaurants to keep getting crayons. I think it saves money ... in the long run for a lot of people because you’re recycling.”
Heglin also held an event on June 8 where the community donated 250 pounds of crayons.
Marcella Phillips, a mother of two, was one of those who attended the event. She said Heglin worked with her daughter at Plymouth.
Phillips also helped Heglin with managing the crayon collections at the school because she used to be a teacher herself for nine years and was happy to volunteer.
“It sounded like a great event, and especially to do alongside with my own children, just to build their awareness that not everything just vanishes when you throw it away, and the value of recycling.” Phillips said.
“I think it’s just important for them to do something that’s not just for themselves, to do something that’s bigger, something greater, and that they can take part in their community and to make a difference in some way,” she added.
Heglin said the crayon collection is a continuous thing, and people who want to help can take their crayons to Staples or contact crayonrecycle@yahoo.com.
