A Yorktown teenager has added a splash of color to the formerly dreary recycling bins at the John C. Hart Memorial Library.

Kelsie Mulgrew, 17, a 12th-grader at Lakeland High School, transformed the once-nondescript recycling bins into living works of art. The bins are designed to hold discarded library books, which are either resold or recycled to avoid ending up in the trash stream.

Colin Russell, Youth Services Librarian, recognized the importance of these recycling bins but also wanted them to be more visually appealing and initiated a project to redesign their appearance.

“Users often accidentally throw their books into these bins, so we wanted them to look as little like book bins as possible,” said Russell. “Kelsie submitted the winning sketch: a bright and sunny landscape mural that encompasses all three bins. Users and staff have expressed how much it brightens up this little corner of the property.”

Mulgrew, a dedicated library volunteer, said she responded to Russell’s call for concept sketches because she wanted to share her art and show her appreciation for the library.

“The library has been such an important part of my life throughout high school. I would come here as often as I could after school to study or do my homework. I thought it would be best to volunteer there this summer because it has such a big meaning in my life,” Mulgrew said.

Caption: Kelsie Mulgrew stands with the recycling bins she painted at the John C. Hart Memorial Library in Yorktown. Photo courtesy of the Hart Library.