Local Schools Participate in Nationwide School Recycling Contest

/
RecycleBowl_new-logo.png

Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization, has announced the winners of “Recycle-Bowl”, the first comprehensive nationwide recycling competition for elementary-, middle- and high-school students.  65 schools in Georgia participated at the state level recycling as much as possible during the weeks of October 15 to November 15, 2013.   At the state level, two local schools placed in the Top 5 in Georgia taking second, and third place.

Public and private schools in Whitfield County currently participate in Target Recycling at School, a free recycling collection service offered by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority.  With the assistance of the DWSWA’s recycling center, 36 local schools were registered for the 3rd annual nationwide competition.  Each school received a kit to help promote recycling in their school with posters and educational activities. 

At the end of the competition period the weights of the recyclables collected at each school were reported to Recycle-Bowl staff.  The national winner was Foothill Elementary School in Pittsburg, California.  A full list of statewide winners can be found at www.Recycle-Bowl.org.  Below are the top five schools in the state of Georgia for Recycle-Bowl 2013:

Georgia’s Top 5 Recycle-Bowl Competitors:

1. Cass Middle School, Cartersville, GA

2. New Hope Middle School, Dalton, GA

3. Pleasant Grove Elementary, Dalton, GA

4. Robert Shaw Traditional Theme School, Scottdate, GA

5. Brighten Academy, Douglasville, GA

The total amount of school only recyclables recovered nationwide during the 2013 competition added up to 6.4 million pounds, which in turn prevented the release of nearly 8,913 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCE). In real-world terms, this reduction in greenhouse gases is equivalent to the annual emissions from 473 passenger cars.

 “Inspiring young people to recycle at school reinforces the importance of recycling everywhere, whether at home or on the go,” said Jennifer Jehn, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “We are also pleased that so many schools use the competition to improve existing recycling programs or develop new ones that didn’t exist prior to their participation.”