Feb. 20, 2013
Yesterday the city of Phoenix, Arizona Recycling Coalition and Keep Phoenix Beautiful recognized Magnet Traditional School as the Arizona winner of “Recycle-Bowl,” a nationwide recycling competition for elementary-, middle- and high-school students. More than 1,500 schools across the country participated in this year’s competition; with Magnet Traditional School rising to the top by recycling an impressive 35 pounds per student, which was nearly four times more than any other Arizona school. In addition, they ranked 11th among all schools nationwide.
“Phoenix is committed to making our city more sustainable,” said Mayor Greg Stanton. “Through programs like Recycle-Bowl, our youngest community members are learning about the importance of recycling and right now are serving as the building blocks to an innovative future and sustainable economy.”
A total of 4.5 million pounds of recyclables were recovered nationwide during the 2012 competition, which is the equivalent of 334 cars being removed from the road. If all students in America recycled at the same rate, approximately 2.38 million tons of material would be diverted annually from landfills. That is the weight of more than 200,000 school buses. “Recycle-Bowl provides teachers with an opportunity to integrate math, science and sustainability lessons into the classroom,” said Matt McKenna, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful.
The materials collected by students at Magnet Traditional School were sent to one of the city of Phoenix material recovery facilities, which are operated by ReCommunity, Phoenix’s contracted local recycling partner. “Recycling saves the city money because we have less material to haul to the landfill,” said Vice Mayor Bill Gates. “Not only is it the right thing to do for the environment, it’s the right thing for our ratepayers as well.”
As a statewide winner of the “Recycle-Bowl” competition, Magnet Traditional School was presented with a $1,000 check from Keep America Beautiful, the program’s administrator. Other sponsors include Nestlé Waters N.A. and ReCommunity. In addition, two other Phoenix schools ranked in the top five in Arizona – St. John Bosco Catholic School and Kenilworth Elementary.
Media Contacts:
| Barbara Frazier Stephanie Ribodal Romero |
602-534-0115 602-261-8512 |
