Student greets recycling mascots at Whitney Avenue Elementary in Arden Arcade. Betty Bottle and Al Luminum from the California Conservation Corps entertained Whitney Avenue Elementary students during the official launch of Read, Write, Recycle!, a recycling contest for students of San Juan and Natomas Unified School Districts. / Photo courtesy of Timothy Douglas

Dr. Richard Pan, the American Chemistry Council, Keep California Beautiful and the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps today launched Read, Write, Recycle!, a recycling contest for students of San Juan and Natomas Unified School Districts.

Six schools, two from the San Juan Unified School District and four from the Natomas Unified School District, will compete over the next five weeks to collect the most recyclable materials. One winning school in each district will receive $500 for the most recyclables collected.  A grand prize of $1,000 will be awarded to the single school in the two districts that recycles the most paper, aluminum, glass, and plastic.

“It’s no secret that schools have suffered tremendous cuts over the last few years, and we need to be creative to generate much-needed funds,” said Dr. Pan, who chairs the California State Assembly Committee on Health. “This partnership is an excellent example of working together to meet students’ needs, while still teaching valuable lessons like recycling.”

Each school will receive $150 for participating. These funds can be used for much needed school supplies.  In addition, each of the participating schools will receive several recycling bins. Teachers and students also will receive tips to help encourage recycling at school and at home.

“We are inspired by the enthusiasm these young people bring to recycling. Collecting valuable materials like plastic, paper, aluminum and glass and diverting them from the waste stream is a great way to be part of solutions that show commitment to a clean environment,” said Steve Russell, vice president of the Plastics Division at ACC. “We’re proud to be part of any program that helps create the next generation of recyclers.”

A total of 165 elementary school classes from the six schools will participate in this five-week recycling challenge. In total, more than 4,300 students will participate in the program, learning valuable lessons about recycling.

“We are delighted to work with the San Juan and Natomas school districts, Assemblymember Pan, the ACC and Keep California Beautiful to provide an opportunity to recycle in Sacramento-area schools,” said Dwight Washabaugh, executive director of the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps. “Partnerships like these help our kids value the environment and help our corps members learn valuable skills in the workplace.”

The contest wraps up in November with an acknowledgment of the winners. To learn more about Read, Write, Recycle!, please visit  www.2valuable2waste.com.

Members of Boy Scout Troop 802, including the Scouts, their leaders, e-waste committee members, and adults, participated in an e-waste drive at Country Club Plaza Shopping Center on Saturday, Feb. 18.

Early in the morning

They started setting up at 6:30 a.m. Bruce Somers, committee chair, held an orientation and safety meeting with the participants. The donators started arriving early at 7:30 a.m. and they were taken care of prior to the official starting time of 8 a.m.

In the first bin were items with screens (TVs, monitors etc) and the other bin contained other e-waste items.

The Scouts directed the incoming traffic, checking with the donors to meet state regulations, and then directing them to the unloading area. Adults unloaded the e-waste into the large bins and everyone received a ‘thank you’ as they departed. All of this took place at a comfortable pace going through the whole system.

The Scouts and adults had lunch in shifts, so the e-waste unloading could continue. A lot of hot dogs with all the trimmings, assorted fruit, lemonade and water were consumed.

The cars and pickups streamed steadily through all day until after closing at 1 p.m. Three bins were filled and moved to CEAR, who will recycle the contents. All computer hard drives will be shredded to protect any information that was still left on them.

Great results

Approximately 25,000 pounds of e-waste was recycled from this event meeting the Scouts goals of “Going Green with the Boy Scouts” and providing a much needed service to the communities we live in. With the completion of this seventh e-waste drive, the goal of 375,000 pounds total should be met in keeping that much recycled material from the landfills.

At the close of the drive and the last bin picked up, the parking lot where the drive was held left no sign of the day’s activity, in the typical Boy Scout way.

The event and others like it have generated funds to help the Troop 802 and the Pony Express District “Friends of Scouting” drive. The e-waste drives also help the local communities by keeping e-waste out of landfills.

bill@valcomnews.com

Keep old household electronics away from our roadsides, oceans and the landfills by recycling them – and you won’t even have to get out of your car.

Recycle old televisions, monitors, keyboards, cell phones and other electronic items at the free e-waste recycling day sponsored by Parkside Community Church on Sept. 3. / Photo iStockphoto

An e-waste recycling day will be held at Parkside Community Church on Saturday, Sept. 3. This event is open to all California residents and businesses, and is sponsored by CEAR, Inc. (California Electronic Asset Recovery).

Get rid of your old monitors, televisions, desktop and notebook PCs, computer components, fax machines, printers, copiers, toner cartridges, inkjet cartridges, wire, video game consoles, laptops, cameras, camcorders, internet devices, keyboards, mice, mp3 players, VCRs, DVD players, cell phones and telephone equipment, stereos, cable boxes, and small household appliances (microwaves, toasters, mixers and blenders).

For optimal security, CEAR, Inc. shreds all computer hard drives. Their secure facility is monitored 24/7 by surveillance cameras.

Please, no large household appliances (refrigerators, washers, dryers, etc.), furniture, hazardous household waste (batteries, car batteries, paint, psticides, used oil, fluorescent light bulbs, tires, etc).

This free event benefits the Parkside Families for Costa Rica and Save the Environment.

Businesses looking to contribute material to this event but that are unable to come by during the event are encouraged to contact Neuwaste Business Recycling to schedule a pickup. Mention that the donation is for the C.K. McClatchy Aquatics Program.

The e-waste drop off day will be held at the north parking lot of Parkside Community Church, located at 5700 South Land Park Drive in Sacramento, on Saturday, Sept. 3. The public is welcome and there is no charge to drop off e-waste. For more information, contact Trina Chalmers at (916) 429-1521 or email ctchalmers93@att.net. Also visit www.cearinc.com/news.

Recycle old televisions, monitors, keyboards, cell phones and other electronic items at the free e-waste recycling day sponsored by the JFK High Grad Night 2013 on March 26 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. / Photo courtesy of iStockphoto

The e-waste drop off day will be held at the John F. Kennedy High School parking lot, located at 6715 Gloria Drive in Sacramento, on March 26 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is welcome and there is no charge to drop off e-waste. For more information, contact Chris Yun, JFK parent volunteer, at JFKgradnight2013@gmail.com.

Businesses looking to contribute material to this event but that are unable to come by during the event are encouraged to contact Neuwaste Business Recycling to schedule a pickup. Mention that the donation is for the C.K. McClatchy Aquatics Program.

The e-waste drop off day will be held at the C.K. McClatchy High School parking lot, located at 3006 Freeport Boulevard in Sacramento, on Feb. 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The public is welcome and there is no charge to drop off e-waste. For more information, call (310) 734-6700 or email info@neuwaste.com. Also visit www.NeuWaste.com.