Project puts reusable metal cups in hands of all OCHS students to educate about waste
OCEAN CITY — Living at the Jersey shore has impressed a heavy lesson about the environment upon Ocean City High School senior Joseph Heng.
“My passion for environmental sustainability is kind of rooted in the environment that surrounds me,” he said in late March.
Heng has taken his passion and turned it into action locally, including an initiative aimed at decreasing the number of disposable cups.
“It was growing up along the Jersey shore for most of my life and seeing the piles of trash accumulating, not just throughout the summer but lasting throughout the whole year,” he said. “Whether it was walking out my door, walking to the bus stop, seeing the trash that’s along the sidewalk, along the roads, most of it was single-use cups and straws.”
After taking part in beach and street cleanups, picking up trash, he had an epiphany: “maybe it was a good idea to hit the problem at the source.”
He and his adviser at OCHS, Catherine Georges, raised $11,000 to provide every student at the high school with a reusable cup made in Australia that contains 75 percent recycled steel. The cups, powder-coated red and engraved with the OCHS logo, were distributed for free to all the students in February.
The idea is to discourage single-use items that end up in landfills or littering the landscape, and to encourage students to think about sustainability. He found an additional incentive for that.
Heng was able to enlist the support of the local coffee houses to provide discounts, from 50 cents to 25 percent, to the students who use the recycled cups. Those businesses include the Dead End Bakehouse, Barefoot Market, Positively Fourth Street Cafe, Holiday Coffee, Ocean City Coffee Company in Ocean City, and Bay Buzz in Ventnor and Margate. He noted Wawa already has a program that offers a discount to anyone bringing in a reusable cup.
To make it even more personal, pun intended, the business We Make It Personal at 852 Asbury Ave. offers free laser engraving on the cups to include the student’s name and graduation year.
“Joseph has a drive that is rare amongst teenagers today and I was honored to work with him to create a legacy in Ocean City High School that promotes school pride, environmental sustainability, reduction in microplastic consumption and connections between local coffee shops and our students,” Georges said. She is a biology teacher and adviser to the National Honor Society at OCHS. “Joseph’s energy is contagious and an inspiration for others looking to make a difference in their part of the world.”
She said the distribution of the cups this winter was the culmination of a “two-year passion project.” Georges and Heng met at a meeting of the Ocean City Environmental Commission in October 2024 and have been working closely together since. Heng is a student representative to the commission.
“Joseph is not simply looking to add to his impressive resume. He genuinely cares about environmental health and has the commitment and tenacity to see a huge project through,” Georges said. “Together we met with local businesses, had virtual meetings with cup manufacturers in Brooklyn and Australia, solicited funding and presented our plan to the Board of Education and others.”
Raising the $11,000 for the initial distribution in the Ocean City Reusable Cup Program took time. “Getting the budget was definitely the hardest part,” Heng said.
As Georges said, the duo attended Board of Education meetings and went to other community meetings, seeking donations and grants. He won a $1,000 national service grant from the National Association for Secondary School Principals, a program that is open to all schools across the country that have National Honor Societies. They also did a donation program akin to GoFundMe.
Heng said the program will continue with each new freshman class entering OCHS.
“This year was the hardest because it cost $11,000 for the 1,200 cups, but they were for every student in the high school. Next year we’re only going to need 200 to 250 cups for the incoming freshmen. It will keep on happening every year, so it’s going to be kind of like a welcome gift to the freshmen.”
Busy young man
with other plans
Heng, who plans to study electrical and computer engineering at Yale University, also initiated a district-wide composting program and said he just got the approval from Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian on a “beach toy return program” to cut down on plastic waste on beaches.
The toy return will place three recycled wooden crates at different beach locations in Ocean City.
“When a vacationing family comes here for a couple of days, they have to buy all these boogie boards and plastic toys,” Heng explained. “When they leave, they can drop off their used toys in these crates for the next vacationers who are coming in to use.”
He said they haven’t chosen the beaches yet and if the program is successful, they may expand to more beaches the following year.
In addition, with his interest in STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — Heng has started an Ocean City chamber of STEMENJ — STEM Enrichment of New Jersey. Mainland Regional High School has a chapter, as do Egg Harbor Township, Brigantine and Nutley.
The mission among the student-led chapters is “inspiring tomorrow’s innovators,” Heng said, going out into the communities to provide all young students with the opportunity to get exposure to STEM. The chapter offers lessons and activities.
“My goal is not only to continue providing reusable cups to incoming freshmen, but also to spread awareness about how student-led sustainability programs can make a real impact in our community,” Heng said.
– STORY and PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
