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Contests & Special Programs
Support National Recycling Contest, October-April
Join one of three nationwide 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.
Let us know if you're participating and we can promote your recycling efforts.
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 wants to obtain permanent bins, then apply for a grant through one of the following grant programs.
Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District's School Recycling Container Grant
Keep America Beautiful
The Wal-Mart Foundation
RecycleBank communities
Project Learning Tree GreenWorks Grants
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'll list your class here if they pledge.
□ 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, 2012. 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
Take a digital photo of anything related to the 3 R’s: reduce, reuse and recycle. It could be a spontaneous recycling shot or a planned photo shoot. You might take a photo of a pile of home recyclables, a person swapping a toy or game with a friend, or even a cute pet recycling the daily news. 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. Six (6) megapixel picture with a resolution of 3072 x 2048 is preferred.
Each entry must include the photographer’s name, address, school, age, and the photo caption.
Entries are due by 11:59 p.m. local time on January 31, 2013. 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 flash drive to be dropped off or mailed to 3 R Contest, CCSWD, 4750 East 131 Street, Garfield Heights, OH 44105. Only entries by Cuyahoga County residents and those 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 years old, 9-11 years old, 12-14 years old and 15-18years old. 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 a 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 our website for viewing. The general public will have 14-28 day time frame to vote for their favorite via email. An annoucement will be made about the voting schedule. Voting ends on February 25, 2013 at midnight.
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 to 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.
Vote on your favorite Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Photos.
Voting closed for 2013.
2013 Winners
The Solid Waste District staff would like to congratulate the following students for winner their age group for the photo contest.
Anyone Can Recycle by Van Weinmann for Age Group 6-8
Recycling Rocks by Makenah Paige for Age Group 9-11
Spare the Earth by Nicole Fiorelli for Age Group 12-14
Their winning posters will be found in schools all over Cuyahoga County to spread the positive message to practice reduce, reuse and recycle to help our earth. Congratulations to all the winners and participants. The winners will receive their framed artwork and items to improve their photography skills. Ninety-five people voted for the entries, so thank you all for participating.
For Past 3 R's Photo Contest, click here.
Please join the third 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 end of January 2014. Goodwill will place blue bin(s) at the school the week prior for the drive to store clothing. Winner to be announced early March.
The school division leaders with the highest donation/student ratio will win an environmental variety show from the Illusion Maker (over $1,000) 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.
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.
2013 Particpants
| Saint Thomas More |
950 |
2.97
|
| Giles-Sweet |
900 |
2.4
|
| Pleasant Valley |
800 |
1.3 |
| Saint Charles Borromeo |
400 |
0.94 |
| Independence Hight |
Not reported |
|
2013 Winner
Saint Thomas More in Brooklyn was declared the 2013 winner of Project Recycle 2012. 320 students brought in 950 pounds of clothing to school for one week. That was 2.97 pounds of clothing recycled per student. St. Thomas More students will be treated to a performance of the Illusion Maker sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District.
Past Winners
2012 Incarnate Word Academy
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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 30, 2014.
While supplies last, 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
2013 - Bethany Lutheran School, Parma
2012 - Bethany Lutheran School, Parma
2011 - Pleasant Valley Elementary
2010 - Bethany Lutheran School, Parma
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 2013
This is the eleveth 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 Bethany Lutheran, 2002, 2010, 2012 past winner for being this year's Zero Waste Challenge Title Holder. The K-8 student body of 231 participated in the challenge, and they only created 6.28 pounds of trash. The is only 0.0272 pounds per students, and it is one of the lowest numbers throughout the history of the Zero Waste Challenge.
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 first 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 Monday, May 6, 2013 with winners announced and prizes awarded in late May.
David Bender, third grade, St. Bartholomew
Madison Harhay, fourth grade, St. Bartholomew
Ojas Nadkarni, sixth grade, Menlo Park Academy
Nicole Fiorelli, seventh grade, home school
Jennifer Olson, eighth grade, St. Bartholomew
Danny Roman, twelfth grade Fairview Park High School
Past Contest Winners
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Cleanup Cuyahoga **New Details**
The Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District established the cleanup Cuyahoga program to provide litter cleanup supplies for groups to use year-round. We hope these kits will encourage youth to improve their environment by helping clean up their neighborhood or school and as a result, help develop civic pride.
Any adult representative of a school or youth group that is interested in performing a service learning project that involves cleaning up areas around a school, park or other public space may request a cleanup Cuyahoga kit. The kits are designed for groups of up to 30 youth. If the clean-up will involve a large group or multiple classrooms, then additional supplies may be requested to augment the kit. Cleanup supplies include recycling bags, garbage bags, cloth gloves, car litter bags, seed packets, educational materials and promotional items.
Groups eligible include K-12 schools; clubs and after school programs; environmental clubs; university sponsored clubs; organized youth groups; youth programs of 501(c) 3s or 501(c) 6s; scout troops; and city recreation center programs.
For spring of 2013, the Solid Waste District recieved 40 trees from the National Wildlife Foundation(NWF) to supplement the litter collection kits. For interested participants, up to 10 trees will be available of four different kinds of saplings (sugar maple, buckeye, paw paw and persimmon). The litter colllection and tree planting will need to be planned for mid to late May. Simply note in writing on your litter application that you're interested in the seedlings.
The National Wildlife Foundation would like pictures of students planting, and the District's Educator may join your group to promote your efforts locally and nationally. NWF and the District encourage the educators to use this project as an opportunity to teach about wildlife. For additional activities and resources about wildlife, view their website.
Supply Request Procedure
Fill out the Cleanup Cuyahoga kit request form and return by mail to Kathleen Rocco, Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District, 4750 East 131 Street, Garfield Heights, Ohio 44105; fax 216-478-0014; or email krocco@cuyahogacounty.us. The request form will be reviewed, and Kathleen will contact you by email or phone to notify you that your request was approved and the kit is available for pick up from the District’s office. Please allow two weeks for processing from when the request was received.
Cleanup Cuyahoga kits will be distributed until the kits are exhausted in a given budget year from January to December. The Solid Waste District can loan additional supplies like large shovels, garden shovels, litter pick up tools, safety vests and additional garden gloves for large groups or for groups doing plantings. Many garden clubs, the Arbor Day Foundation and even building supply stores may offer support for planting perennials, bulbs and trees. Please make special arrangements with Kathleen for the above loaned materials.
In turn, the kit recipients will complete a Cleanup Cuyahoga report to inform the Solid Waste District of number bags of trash collected, bags of recyclables collected, and the number of participants. Also, the report should include any video or digital pictures taken at the cleanup event. The report and related media can be sent to krocco@cuyahogacounty.us within a month of the cleanup event. 
In the past, 103 schools and groups participated in the Plant Pride Not Litter program where litter supplies and plantings were given to schools during the spring or fall. They planted 647 trees, 1,840 bulbs, perennials, and seeds between 2005 and 2011.