CHESAPEAKE — Students at Chesapeake Elementary have been working hard to spread the message of the value of recycling.

Nannette Walsh, a kindergarten teacher at the school, said she has been teaching her students to recycle since the beginning of the school year.

“The first couple of days, I taught them what goes into recycling,” she said. “And I taught them what happens to things if you don’t recycle, and told them about landfills. And I showed them things that are made from recycling.”

Walsh, who is known throughout the school for touting recycling, said she made sure there were recycling boxes in every classroom and would send her students around to collect the saved items, which she would then drive to the recycling center.

She said she’s been recycling for years at her home, and brought the message into the school.

“I think it’s awesome,” she said. “That’s why we push it. If we’re going to teach about recycling, then we should do it.”

She said students have been recycling items at school, such as paper, cardboard and plastic water bottles from the cafeteria, and are also bringing in items from home.

“I’ve had students tell me that they’ve started it at home,” she said. “I’m reaching out to parents and homes.”

Her efforts got a boost recently, with help from the Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management District, who recently provided the school with containers for each classroom, as well a large, dumpster-sized container for the school grounds.

“It helps the students to be aware when they see the containers,” Stephanie Helms, the district’s education specialist, said. “It makes things uniform.”

Items collected by the students will be taken to the recycling center by Rumpke Waste and Recycling.