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For Immediate Release: October 2, 2006
Contact: Glenna Brown
Recycling Education Coordinator
Phone: (972) 769-4228
glennab@plano.gov
Mendenhall Elementary Students Recycle Bottles for Jackets
Keeping kids warm is certainly a great reason to recycle, and Mendenhall Elementary School in Plano embraced this idea in a big way. Mendenhall collected more than 3,000 pounds of #1 PET plastic bottles this spring to receive recognition from Keep America Beautiful as one of the top 50 collecting schools in the nation. Mendenhall will receive a $1,000 grant in the form of a gift card from Sam’s Club, one of the sponsors of the “Return the Warmth” contest, and several fleece jackets for children who need a warm winter coat.
“The #1 PET plastic, primarily water and soda bottles, collected during the contest will become fleece jackets through the recycling process,” explained Glenna Brown, City of Plano Recycling Education Coordinator. “Aquafina, another sponsor of the program, and Sam’s Club will provide thousands of fleece jackets to the top winning schools. Those jackets will ‘Return the Warmth’ to deserving children long after the contest has ended.”
Molly Pond, third grade teacher, and Ms. Brown organized the recycling drive and placed special collection bins throughout the school to encourage the students to collect the bottles for several weeks. In additional to bringing their water bottles and soda bottles to school every day for recycling, several groups of kids organized weekend collections and also brought in those bottles. The students collected the bags filled with bottles daily throughout the school and set them out for Allied Waste to take to their recycling facility. “Student, faculty and parent involvement ensure the success of this project,” acknowledged Ms. Brown.
Mendenhall principal Karen Noble noted, “This contest was fun for the kids. They really got excited about it and will be thrilled to learn they have been so successful. This is a win-win for our school not only because we won, but also because we are encouraging good recycling habits at school and at home.”
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