By Helen Dauka
Kids in the Akron area learned the importance of recycling last month with the help of Keep Akron Beautiful (KAB).
Thirty-three schools in Akron competed in the Recycle Bowl Competition. From October 15 until November 9, KAB helped the schools, K-12, private and public, compete in the Recycle-Bowl competition. All the recycling efforts and events culminated on November 15, America Recycles Day. Students, teachers, and community members combined their recycling efforts and collected a total of 47,600 pounds of paper!
KAB has been around since 1981 developing programs to educate and improve the community in areas such as litter prevention, recycling, graffiti eradication, waste management and beautification to encourage citizens to take pride in Akron by participating in these activities. They envision a litter-free Akron, where all citizens and businesses take pride and responsibility for the cleanliness and beautification of their environment.
Wondering how can you join their beautification efforts?
Opt out of junk mail!
You can save trees and reduce the amount of junk in your mailbox by visiting https://americarecyclesday.catalogchoice.org.
You can also access the same services by downloading the free MailStop iPhone app through iTunes.
By creating a free account on this website or MailStop app, you can choose to stop receiving phonebooks and other unwanted mail.
Take the pledge online!
By completing the pledge form online, you join 7,128 others who are taking the pledge to learn what materials are collected for recycling in your community and reducing your personal waste by recycling. Pledge to increase your recycling within the next month.
Visit http://americarecyclesday.org/pledge to make the pledge today!
Take your paper to a school’s River Valley Paper bin!
The receptacles are accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Filling up the collection bins helps raises money for the school to use for clubs or team uniforms.
The schools in Akron wouldn’t be able to compete in the competition without the help of River Valley Paper Company. River Valley Paper Company works with the schools to provide the recycling receptacles during the competition. They help keep the recycling process rolling after the competition ends. To learn more about River Valley, please visit their website http://www.rivervalleypaper.com.
The 2o12 winners of the America Recycles Day celebration and Recycle-Bowl competition are:
Voris CLC– Recycled 15.05 pounds per student or 2.68 tons of paper and won a school-wide pizza party and a $250 cash prize courtesy of the River Valley Paper Company.
St. Bernard/St. Mary School– Recycled 32.2 pounds per student or 2.82 tons of paper and won a tour of the River Valley Paper Company and a $500 cash prize courtesy of the River Valley Paper Company.
North High School– Recycled 8.02 pounds per student or 3.94 tons of paper and won a tour of the River Valley Paper Company and a $500 cash prize courtesy of the River Valley Paper Company.
Mason CLC– Won the pledge card competition and turned in more than 100% of their pledge cards, pledging to recycle more! Mason will receive a $250 cash prize courtesy of Keep Akron Beautiful.
To learn more about Keep Akron Beautiful visit Keepakronbeautiful.org.
Helen Dauka studies public relations at the University of Akron. As of May 2013, she will enter the ever-turbulent waters know as being ‘postgrad.’ When Helen isn’t drowning in the sea of decisions that surround her, she enjoys consuming as much pop culture as she can fit in her brain.