Hubbard Builds Greener Future with Student Recycling Effort
ip Staff Report
“This is about more than recycling—it’s about helping students see that their everyday choices matter.”
John Smiley, Hubbard Middle School Principal
Tyler, TX – Hubbard Middle School is making sustainability part of everyday learning with the launch of a campuswide recycling initiative designed to reduce waste, build student leadership, and encourage responsible habits both in and out of the classroom.
The program, which began in fall 2025, was sparked by Principal John Smiley’s previous experience with a similar effort at Rice Elementary School. After hearing from former students who noticed the absence of a recycling program at Hubbard, Smiley partnered with the campus PTA to bring the idea to life.
“This was something I inherited at Rice Elementary,” Smiley said. “When I came to Hubbard, some of my former students mentioned that we didn’t have it here. That really stuck with me.”
With strong support from the Hubbard community, the initiative quickly took shape. Community members sponsored classroom recycling bins, helping equip 55 classrooms along with common areas across campus, including the library, staff lounge, and conference spaces.
The program focuses on collecting recyclable materials such as paper, cardboard, aluminum, tin, and plastics labeled #1 and #2. Recycling is built into daily routines, with students taking an active role in ensuring materials are properly sorted and collected.
Each classroom is equipped with a small recycling container, which students help empty into larger bins located throughout campus hallways. From there, Hubbard’s functional life skills students play a key role by transporting the materials to the curb each week for pickup through the City of Tyler’s recycling program.
“This is about more than recycling—it’s about helping students see that their everyday choices matter,” Smiley said. “If they can carry that mindset beyond our campus, then we’re making a lasting impact.”
Beyond reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills, the initiative is designed to give students a sense of responsibility and ownership. By participating in the process, students are encouraged to think more intentionally about their choices and their impact on the environment.
For more information, contact Jennifer Hines at Jennifer.Hines@TylerISD.org.
Courtesy photos Tyler Independent School District
