Schools receive recycling funding
Local school districts recieve $1,000 Sams Club gift cards
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
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ST. CLAIRSVILLE Representatives of each school district in Belmont County, along with the School of Hope, received $1,000 Sam's Club gift cards Tuesday from the Jefferson-Belmont Regional Solid Waste Authority.
The donation to the local school districts was made possible by a reward provided by Keep America Beautiful to the local solid waste authority and the local schools for their excellent work in last year's Return the Warmth #1 PET Bottle Contest.
Students in area schools joined others throughout the country by participating in the 2008 school-based plastic bottle recycling project, in which #1 PET bottles were collected. The bottles were removed from the waste cycle, were recycled and used to make fleece jackets for children in need across the country, hence the name of the program - Return the Warmth.
Students in Jefferson and Belmont counties obviously took the recycling project seriously, as many of their schools were recognized for having the top volume of collections in the country.
"We had 26 of our schools in our two counties participate in this program," said Patrick Lanaghan, executive director of the Jefferson-Belmont Regional Solid Waste Authority. "Fifteen of those local schools finished in the top 50 nationally."
Each of those 15 top local schools received a $1,000 Sam's Club gift card from Keep America Beautiful, and the solid waste authority also received an additional 15 gift cards. Lanaghan said the number of school districts in the two-county area, including the School of Hope and the School of Bright Promise, was a perfect match with the total number of gift cards received, so the authority decided to give a reward to all of the local school districts.
"It worked out perfectly, and we just wanted to say thanks," he said, noting that the money can be used for anything each school sees fit to purchase, with "no strings attached.
"Going green is kind of the 'in' thing right now, and we thank the schools for helping to teach kids to go green. The schools worked hard on this contact, and we wanted to reward them for their efforts. We appreciate the time and effort these schools take to make recycling a success."
With students taking the initiative to recycle, it helps promote family recycling at home, Lanaghan said.
The Jefferson-Belmont Regional Solid Waste Authority also helps coordinate a paper recycling program in the area schools, receiving $3 per ton of paper recycled. Last year, the solid waste authority returned more than $100,000 to the local schools, Lanaghan said.
"We're here to help," he said, inviting schools to seek assistance with developing their recycling and litter prevention programs.
For questions about recycling issues, contact Keep Belmont County Beautiful at (740) 296-5376.
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