CANASTOTA — The Madison County Department of Solid Waste will celebrate its 30th year of recycling in 2020.
To kick-off the celebration, the department is inviting students in grades K-12 to participate in a ‘Rethink Waste Challenge.’ Students are asked to submit one of two projects: a video related to rethinking waste at home/school or a piece of artwork using mostly recyclable items.
“We hope this competition encourages students to learn about their local recycling program in a fun and creative outlet,” said Madison County Recycling Coordinator Kristin Welch. “It will be exciting to see how students interpret our program information and use it to make a video or sculpture.”
Class presentations, facility tours and online resources are available to help students learn more about the recycling program in Madison County. The competition is open to all K-12 students in Madison County. Students can enter as an individual or as part of a group/class, but only one entry per student is allowed.
Projects will be placed into one of three categories based on the student’s grade level: Grade K-4, Grade 5-8 and Grade 9-12.
The Department of Solid Waste will accept submissions through Friday, April 3 at 5 p.m. The winner will be announced through social media on Wednesday, April 22, which also marks the 50th year of Earth Day. All artwork and video submissions will be on display at the 30 Years of Recycling Celebration on Saturday, May 30.
During the May 30 event, winners will be recognized for their projects and awarded a prize. To see the competition rules, along with information on how to enter, go to www.madisoncountyrecycles.ny.gov/rethinkwastechallenge.
Any questions can be directed to Welch at 315-366-3089 or [email protected].
The New York State Solid Waste Management Act of 1988 required municipalities to adopt local laws for separating recyclables from trash by 1992. In a progressive effort to institute recycling before then, Madison County began their mandatory recycling program in 1990, allowing residents to recycle newspaper, cardboard, glass, metal and plastic containers.
Since then, the program has expanded to include several other materials and has diverted over 4,000 tons of material per year from going into the landfill.
For general recycling information and events, go to www.MadisonCountyRecycles.ny.gov or follow their Facebook page at Madison County Solid Waste & Recycling.
