G-MU recycles three-quarter ton of plastic, wins contest

The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y.
·2 min read

May 10—Gilbertsville-Mount Upton Central School swept the Otsego County Film Plastic Recycling Challenge, with a combined total of 1,517 pounds of film plastic recycled, according to a media release from the Otsego County Conservation Association. The elementary school at G-MU collected 959 pounds, while the middle/high school gathered 558 pounds.

The challenge is an annual event co-sponsored by OCCA and the Otsego County Solid Waste Department. During the challenge, which runs between November and April, schools work to collect as much film plastic from their communities as they can. The plastic is collected, weighed, and then dropped off for recycling. Contest winners are selected based on the per capita weight of plastic collected at their school.

"Gilbertsville-Mount Upton elementary and middle/high schools not only collected the most plastic by per capita weight, they also collected the most plastic by absolute weight," said Shane Digan, recycling coordinator for the Otsego County Solid Waste Department. "We are incredibly proud of all the schools that participated in this year's challenge. In total, Morris, Richfield Springs, Worcester, and Gilbertsville-Mount Upton collected over 3,000 pounds of plastic film. Without these students and schools, all of that material would end up in a landfill."

Ashley Hughes, G-MU's art teacher, coordinates the challenge in the school. "Our students are really enthusiastic about this every year, so much so that they've inspired outstanding community involvement too. I think that one of the most important lessons from this contest is that with everyone doing what they can — even if that means only contributing one plastic bag towards the collective effort, it really adds up and truly makes a difference," she said in the release.

In the elementary school division, G-MU (959 pounds, 4.8/student) edged out Richfield Springs, which collected 840 pounds (3.7 pounds/student). At the secondary level, GMU's 558 pounds (3.5 pounds/student) beat out Morris, which collected 339 pounds (2.3 pounds/student). The six participating schools collected a combined 3,085 pounds.

"When you consider that an average grocery bag weighs a fraction of a pound, the sheer numbers of individual items collected is staggering," said Jeff O'Handley, OCCA's program director. "These are items that very typically end up in the landfill. Recycling them saves money, energy and natural resources."

Participating schools received a container for collecting the plastic, along with flyers and posters that show what can be collected. How each school chooses to run their collection is up to them, though they must weigh the plastic and submit their collection information to the Solid Waste Department.