We Are Proud Of You, Taylor Primary!

Taylor Primary tops nation in recycling

Taylor Primary was honored yesterday for recycling more materials per student than 1500+ other schools nationally! You deserve to be honored for your efforts. Great job!

The following article was published in the Perspective yesterday:

For years, recycling has been all the rage at schools in Howard County. Tons upon tons of paper, plastic, aluminum, and other items are collected by area schoolchildren each year, and this year Taylor Primary School went above and beyond.

Unsurprisingly, it will be recognized on Feb. 13 for winning the Recycle-Bowl competition conducted by Keep America Beautiful Inc.. Taylor Primary topped a list of more than 1,500 participating schools nationally by recycling more materials per student than anyone else.

County recycling district director Mikki Jeffers, said the school just beat out a school in New Jersey for the top honor, averaging 47.319 pounds of recyclables per student during the contest’s month-long duration last fall.

“Kids at Taylor really stepped up and worked to improve our community through recycling,” said Jeffers. “All of Howard County’s schools participate in our recycling program and compete in the Recycle-Bowl, but Taylor brought a little extra to the game this year.”

Year Two for the Recycle-Bowl saw Howard County put in another extremely successful performance in the competition. This year, Taylor Primary led the field nationally, and 10 more local schools joined it by topping the state competition leaderboard. In fact 22 of the 25 top spots in Indiana went to Howard County schools this year. Last year, Eastern Elementary won the state Recycle-Bowl competition.

“Oh, it’s amazing to see what our school recycling program has developed into over the years,” said Jeffers. “The whole thing started with a single fourth grade class at Northwestern Elementary School and steadily grew from there. Just one parent who asked us to get involved, that’s all it took.

“Ultimately, every school in Howard County participates in our recycling program, and hundreds of tons of material is diverted from landfill each year as a result. We couldn’t be more proud of them all.”

Great things will happen this week as Matt McKenna, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful, visits Taylor Primary on Feb. 13, along with a representative from Nestle Waters North America — the Recycle-Bowl corporate sponsor — to make a special presentation to the school.

Recycling equipment credits and a check for $2,000 are among the awards the school will receive, and the students will get to participate in a celebratory convocation.

Even though the school recycling program is successful, Jeffers said it goes beyond the schools. It represents a large commitment from the community to be environmentally conscious.

“Growing up in the habit of recycling makes a difference,” said Jeffers. “The kids that started with our first program as fourth graders are now seniors in high school, and they’re still recycling. And they have taught their families in the process.

“We have seen an enormous increase in recycling all across the community. Our drop-off bins are used heavily, as well as our municipal and school programs.”

by P. Munsey