Congratulations to our Recyclin’ Raiders and the entire GMU Community for earning another title in the Otsego County Conservation Association’s Plastic Film Recycling Challenge!
Our Middle/High School students turned in 490.1 pounds of plastic film to earn first prize in their six-school division – an ice-cream social from Stewart’s Shops. This year marked the third straight regional championship for our MS/HS and fourth since 2019.
GMU’s Elementary School students more than doubled that weight – with 1,174.1 pounds of plastic film – but took third out of seven in their division. Congratulations to ES winner Unatego (2,823) and runner-up Richfield Springs Elementary (1,479.6). Our ES students placed second last year and won titles in 2022, 2020 and 2019 (no contest in 2021 because of COVID).
Second- and 10th-graders at GMU won their respective in-school competitions.
In all, our Recyclin’ Raiders combined for 1,664.2 pounds of recyclable plastic film to help OCCA set a Challenge record of 6,898.7 pounds overall. Special thanks to Ashley Hughes, Eric Voorhees and volunteers who collected and dropped off plastic film for proper recycling throughout the contest, which ran from November 2023 to April 2024.
“We are extremely proud of the schools, administration and students for being so ambitious in the recycling world,” said Kyle King, Waste Management and Recycling Coordinator for Otsego County Planning & Solid Waste. “I look forward to working closely with the local schools again this coming school year as we host the 2024-2025 challenge.”
The OCCA competition challenges Otsego County schools to collect plastic film that can only be recycled through take-back programs offered by New York state grocery stores and retailers.
You can help us win another crown this school year by collecting plastic film at home right now! Eligible plastic-film items include bread bags, bubble wrap, case overwrap, cereal bags, dry cleaning bags, grocery bags, ice bags, newspaper sleeves, plastic casings/shrink wraps, produce bags, salt bags, wood pellet bags, and Ziploc/other re-closeable bags.
Posted 8/8/2024