Welcome to our first Neighbor Spotlight, where we showcase neighbors taking action to make our community a better, more sustainable place.
Have you ever dropped off plastic film for recycling inside 1 Monument Drive, 400 Witherspoon, or the Jewish Center? If you have (and thank you for doing so), then you’ve benefitted from the work of two very dedicated volunteers, Sarah and Luca T! This mother and son duo has been diligently collecting the plastic films from all the bins around town and takes them to the central collection point at McCaffery’s Market for the past year.
Without them, this service wouldn’t be possible so we took a few moments to get to know them better and wanted to share what we learned.
People like Sarah and Luca make our community great. If you see them out in the community, we encourage you to say “hi” and “thanks!”
SP: Why is this volunteer work important to you?
Sarah: Our world is overrun with plastic…it’s sad to see plastic litter of any kind off highway exits, in our local parks, near ocean areas. I’m glad we can contribute to the local cause of moving plastic bags toward recycling vs a landfill.
Luca: My mom and I have helped with other environmental projects in Princeton, from tree planting and invasive species removal to stream cleanups. This seemed like another easy way to contribute.
SP: What’s your sustainability wish or hope for our community?
Sarah: I would love to see Princeton residents leave more leaves each fall. It would cut down on noise pollution and benefit the entire ecosystem.
Luca: I wish drivers would be more respectful to pedestrians and cyclists. It’s easy to get around Princeton by bike, but not very safe.
SP: Can you share a fun fact about yourselves?
Sarah and Luca: Our first time working on a recycling initiative together was in California. We hauled bags of our empty beverage containers to California Refund Value (CRV) centers to be separated by type and weighed, for cash back. Luca was only 5 at the time, but he was a lot of help!
Want to help, too?
- Become an SP volunteer
- Learn more about Extended Producer Responsibility
- Write a letter to a company you like and ask them to take responsibility for their product’s waste
