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Contests & Special Programs
Support National Recycling Contest, October-April
Join one of three nationwide recycling contests and/or one statewide recycling contests for schools and earn a chance for prize money and bragging rights. Due dates to sign up vary, but all deadlines are in the fall. Let's increase recycling rates and help Northeast Ohio Schools lead the State of Ohio and the nation in recycling.
The Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District will help by educating your school and the school community about recycling. Any Cuyahoga County school that enters any contest below will be loaned recycling bins for the collection of materials and compete for local prizes. Check on
page for longer explanation of each contest or for complete details, go to their websites.
State
Ohio School Recycling Challenge
This competition is for all Ohio K-12 schools to promote recycling to their students, staff, and communities, and it is hosted by the Association of Ohio Recyclers and their sponsors.
National
Recycle-Bowl Competition
Recycle-Bowl Competition is promoted by Keep American Beautiful (KAB). It is a free, friendly competition and benchmarking tool for K-12 school recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities.
Dream Machine Recycle Rally™
The Recycle Rally™ is an exciting program that aims to raise awareness of the importance of recycling. The goal of the program and for schools is to capture beverage containers (plastic bottles and aluminum cans) that would not otherwise be recycled.
Great American Can Roundup School Challenge
"Al the Can" extends an invitation to your school to earn money, recycle and party.
Grants for Recycling Bins
If the school want to obtain permanent bins, then apply for a grant through one of the following grant programs.
Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District's School Recycling Mini-Grant
Keep America Beautiful
The Wal-Mart Foundation
RecycleBank communities
Project Learning Tree GreenWorks Grants
District Provides
- A reasonable number of recycling bins to help the school collect recyclables in the school and during school events. Recycling bins may consist of temporary boxes, wire system or 20 gallon plastic containers. Please contact Kathleen to work out what would be best for your school at 216-443-3731.
- Educational programs for the school and the school community. See classroom presentations or request a program to be designed and delievered.
- Assistance with promoting recycling during the time leading up to and during the contest.
Local Prizes
Solid Waste District is soliciticing prizes for schools for contest participants. Tell the education specialist that you're entering one of the contests and share your results and your school will be entered in a raffle for recycle bins or other prizes.
Similar Past Contests
"We've Got Plans For Your Cans" Past Participants
Cans collected from Thoreau Park Elementary, the 2009 We Got Plans for Your Cans! Grand Prize Winner
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Recycling Pledge
Hey, teachers. We have a challenge for your school! Our goal is that 1,000 Cuyahoga County students will sign this America Recycles pledge. Copy the form and print it. Conserve paper by having each student sign one form. Or, send them to the kids page to fill out the recycling pledge for online. No paperwaste necessary.
We have 62 students for 2011. Thanks to the students from Ms. Dumot's classes at Pleasant Valley Elementary, Parma.
□ I pledge to find out what materials I can and cannot recycle in my community.
□ I pledge to lead by example in my neighborhood by recycling.
□ I pledge to recycle batteries, cell phones, and other electronic waste.
□ I pledge to bring my own bag to the grocery, video, and clothes store. I will ask my teacher to contact Kathleen Rocco at the District to sign us up for the “Pass on the Plastic Bag” program, allowing us to design our own and promote the use of reusable shopping bags.
□ I pledge to tell five friends that recycling is the easiest thing they can do to slow global warming.
Please include school's name, address, city, state, zip, school phone, teacher contact, and grade.
Mail entry form to: Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District, 4750 East 131 Street, Garfield Heights, OH 44105.
We must receive your entry form by November 9, 2011. Each student will be entered in a drawing to win a recycled soda pop bottle T-shirt. Prizes should be recieved on or before November 15th, America Recycles Day.
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3 R's Photo Contest
(replacing Earth Day Poster Contest)
We’re kicking off a new contest to replace our Earth Day Poster Contest called 3 R's Photo Contest. Instead of crayons, markers and colored pencils, grab a digital camera or cell phone camera and snap a shot of anything related to the 3 R’s: reduce, reuse and recycle.
You might take a photo of a pile of recyclables, a person swapping a toy or game with a friend, or even a pet doing some recycling. Add a clever caption that will encourage others to reduce, reuse or recycle.
Entries
Digital photos must be three (3) megapixels or larger. Entries require high/print quality images – 2048 x 1536 resolution with a minimum 4" x 6" print. (6) megapixel picture with a resolution 3072 x 2048 is preferred.
Each entry must include the photographer’s name, address, age, and the photo caption.
Entries are due by 11:59 p.m. local time on January 31, 2012. Entries can be emailed to krocco@cuyahogacounty.us (to confirm receipt of your entry and attachment, send a second email or call 216-443-3731). Classes can send entries on CDs or may drop off or mail entries to 3 R Contest, CCSWD, 4750 East 131 Street, Garfield Heights, OH 44105. Only entries by Cuyahoga County residents attending school in Cuyahoga County will be judged and eligible for prizes.
Eligibility
This contest is open to all students ages 6-18 and will be judged in four categories by age: 6-8, 9-11, 12-14 and 15-18. Pictures can be taken anywhere—inside, outside, at home, or at school. You can take action shots or stage your photo. If there are any people in the photo, please ask for their permission.
Photos that have been digitally altered, or “photoshopped,” beyond dust removal, cropping, or natural adjustments to color and contrast, etc. can be disqualified. Also, photos with inappropriate content determined by reviewer will be disqualified. The original camera made file maybe requested.
Judging and Prizes
Photographers will be entered into age categories. Entries in the age categories will be reviewed and at least 10 entries per category will be posted on a flickr page for viewing and voting by general public for 14-28 days. Photos will be loaded to http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuyahogacountysolidwaste/ and an annoucement will be made about the start of voting.
Prizes will include a poster of winning entries and other earth day or recycling themed items. All participants will receive a certificate thanking them for entering. Take a shot for a chance at a cool recycling prize.
Your entry to the contest constitutes your agreement to allow your photographs or artwork with your name and city of residence to be published when judged by the public and then the selected award winners published on Solid Waste District’s website and other educational and promotional materials for encourage recycling, but not limited to, Web sites, emails, newsletters, posters, and all other electronic or print media. Entrants retain ownership and all other rights to future use of their photographs.
Click here to view the 2011 Earth Day Poster contest winners. We're looking forward to the digital pictures.
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Please join the first year for the Cuyahoga County Project Recycle Clothing Collection Program! The purpose of the program is to educate your students on the importance of reusing and recycling, while supporting Goodwill’s mission of improving the quality of life and employment opportunities for people.
Students bring in bags of gently used clothing to their school during their designated donation drive week between January 30 to February 24, 2012. Goodwill will place blue bin(s) at the school the week prior to the drive to store clothing. Winner to be announced by the end of February.
The school division leaders with the highest donation/student ratio will win an environmental variety show from the Illusion Maker (over $525) provided by Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District.
To sign up contact, Evette Moton at emoton@goodwill-cleveland.org or faxing the information to her at 216-431-4504 by January 21, 2012.
Here is what we need to get your school registered:
• School Name
• Address
• Number of Students
• Contact Person/Phone Number/E-mail Address
• # of Blue Bins Requested (2 max)
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Evette directly at 1-800-942-3577 ext. 3860 or by e-mail at emoton@goodwill-cleveland.org.
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A “Zero Waste” School contender will attempt to make the least amount of waste during lunch on their challenge day. This a great project for a student council, environmental club or PTA to organize and monitor. The winning school will become the “Zero Waste” title holder for the year and is awarded recycled milk jug bench. The challenge is held on one day chosen by the school on or before April 27, 2012.
All schools participating will receive up to 20 “Zero Waste” lunch boxes to be distributed to organizers or students who set a good example. Schedule the Education Specialist to visit during lunch to hand out small prizes for any student with a waste free lunch.
Students are demonstrating what can be packed to make a zero waste lunch.
Zero Waste Challenger Title Holders
- 2011 - Pleasant Valley Elementary
- 2010 - Bethany Lutheran School, Cleveland
- 2009 - Incarnate Word Academy, Parma
- 2008 - Birchwood School, Cleveland
- 2007 - Birchwood School, Cleveland
- 2006 - Birchwood School, Cleveland
- 2005 - Scranton Elementary, Cleveland
- 2003 - Saint Richards, North Olmsted
- 2002 - Bethany Lutheran School, Cleveland
Zero Waste Challenge Results for 2011
Three schools equaling 1,204 students competed this year in the lunch waste reduction activity. I applaud all of the schools, since it takes volunteers who promote and monitor the contest, parents who pack lunches and students who eat all the food served to them. This is the ninth year of the “Zero Waste” Challenge. The challenge’s winner is the school that achieved the lowest percentage of waste generated at lunch.
Congratulations to a past challenger, Pleasant Valley Elementary in Parma for becoming the 2011 “Zero Waste” Challenge title holder. 563 first to sixth grade students only made 14.5 pounds of trash for the day at lunch. This attempt was under the direction of Jeannette Dumont, fifth grade science teacher at the school. She contributed their success to three things:
| Schools
|
Pounds |
Students |
Pounds Per Student
|
Pleasant Valley Elementary
|
14.5 pounds
|
563 |
0.26 |
| Hathaway Brown
|
10.81 pounds
|
147 |
0.74
|
Gurney Elementary
|
39.72 pounds
|
494 |
0.80 |
| Independence Intermediate
|
No Report
|
|
|
The custodial staff like picking up lighter trash bins, and they usually share with me that lunch time trash seems to decrease in volume by half on the challenge day. This year two schools weighed their trash before educating the student about packing a zero waste lunch. Birch Elementary decreased their lunch time trash by about 40% and Normandy Elementary decreased their lunch time trash by 60%. It does add up. If one school eliminated 60 pounds of trash per day, they would prevent 11,100 pounds of trash from being landfilled throughout the school year.
The ultimate goal is zero waste, and hopefully all the participating students and their parents will continue to plan and pack waste free lunches.
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Discover the poet in your students with poetry written about trees. The contest is for Cuyahoga County kindergarten to twelfth grade students. The tree poem must be written on single side of letter-sized paper. Drawings are allowed. On back of entry, student's name, address, school and grade is required. Each grade level winner will be awarded tree related prizes. All participates will receive a certification of participation. Entries due by May 6, 2012 with winners announced and prizes awarded in late May.
2011 Contest Winners
Past Contest Winners
Thank you to schools and groups that have participated with this past program.
- In 2005, 87 Oak, Wild Black Cherry and Seviceberry seedlings were planted by 11 schools.
- In 2006, 128 Northern pecan, Sugar maple and White flowering dogwood seedlings were planted by 16 schools.
- In 2007, 160 Black Walnut, Red Mulberry and American Witch hazel seedlings along with over 800 summer blooming bulbs of Gladiolus, Oxalis, Lilies and Anemones were planted by 21 schools and community groups.
- In 2008, 151 Catalpa, Yellow Birch and American Elderberry seedling were planted along with perennial plants and seeds. 13 schools participated in the program with 942 students picking up litter and planting.
- In 2009, 130 Red oak, Black Gum and American Cranberry Viburnum seedlings were planted with over 700 spring bulbs by 672 students from ten schools.
- In 2010, 127 American Mountain Ash, Black Oak and Sycamore seedlings were planted with over 600 spring bulbs by 635 students from 19 schools. In Fall of 2010, spring bulbs were planted along with a litter pick up at ten schools.
- In 2011, 280 bulbs were planted by three schools: Warrensville Heights High School, Hathaway Brown, and Pleasant Valley Elementary.
