Virginia Rewards Recyclers
Seven Virginians have won prizes made from recycled materials in the America Recycles 2004 contest sponsored by the Virginia Recycling Association.
The top prize, a $500 gift certificate for a piece of outdoor furniture made from recycled plastic milk jugs, will go to Courtney Egan, a middle school student in Henrico. Courtney’s pledge to recycle more and to buy more recycled materials shows her commitment to conserving our environment.
Other prizes included a messenger bag made from recycled tires, a fleece jacket made from recycled soda bottles, and suncatchers made from recycled glass.
“Glass, tires, milk jugs… our goal is to show consumers that their trash can be recycled into new and incredible things,” says Kelley Hope, president of the statewide organization that sponsored the campaign. America Recycles 2004 is a national effort to encourage recycling, particularly the purchase of things made from materials collected in recycling programs. This was the eighth year of the campaign.
Douglas D’Urso of Richmond won the tire bag and fleece jacket. Winners of the suncatchers include Michael Boyd of Poquoson, Courtney Johnson of Richmond, Merle Herndon of Lynchburg, Jackie Seyfried of Amelia, and Sierra Locklear of Providence Forge.
Sixteen hundred people across the state participated in the campaign. Roanoke residents held a giant indoor yard sale to promote reuse and to educate the community about recycling.
Richmond-area families made recycled paper at the Children’s Museum. Employees at Crown Cork and Seal in Winchester collected more than 1,000 pounds of aluminum cans in a recycling drive. Revenue from the cans (about $460) will be donated to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
In Luray, recyclers partnered with skate boarders to work towards building a community skate park for area youth.
The Virginia Recycling Association was formed in 1990 by a group of individuals committed to expanding state recycling opportunities. Since its inception, the VRA has become a leading resource of recycling information for its members, the general public, the Virginia General Assembly, local government, business, and industry.
The VRA is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit and strives to educate and promote effective recycling and waste reduction methods.
