INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 13, 2012 - With nearly ten tons of old phone books collected, Greenbriar Elementary School outdistanced eleven other area schools to take first place in the fourth annual AT&T Project ReDirectory phone book recycling school challenge.
Greenbriar collected 9.92 tons of directories, and finishing a close second was Sunnyside Elementary with 7.06 tons. CHOICE Academy came in third place collecting 3.35 tons. Greenbriar won the top cash prize of $650 and a Radio Disney assembly, Sunnyside won $300, CHOICE Academy won $200, and the other nine participating schools won $100 each.
“This is a tremendous program, and one of which we can all be proud,” said Angela Mansfield, Indianapolis city-county councilor. “Improving the environment in Indianapolis and the surrounding areas is not just the responsibility of some, but everyone. It’s exciting to see these young people take this so seriously and get excited about recycling. On behalf of the entire council I want to say thank you and congratulations for a job well done.”
A total of nearly 57 tons of old phone books was collected this year by the schools, Marsh Supermarket locations, and Republic Services locations. Republic Services donated the recycling containers and services and contributed $250 toward the prize for the first place winner.
The complete results from this year’s challenge are:
School 2011 Weights (in tons) Prizes
Greenbriar Elementary School 9.92 $650 (Plus Radio Disney assembly)
Sunnyside Elementary 7.06 $300
CHOICE Academy 3.51 $200
Bunker Hill Elementary 3.35 $100
Herron High School 3.33 $100
Northview Middle School 3.17 $100
Abraham Lincoln Elementary 3.07 $100
Irvington Community School 2.84 $100
Southport High School 2.4 $100
Jonathan Jennings Elementary 2.16 $100
SENSE Charter School 1.86 $100
John Strange Elementary 1.29 $100
The top three schools will be recognized at the Feb. 13 Indianapolis City-County Council meeting when Councilwoman Angela Mansfield reads a resolution honoring the students, and on Feb. 16 during a Radio Disney assembly at Greenbriar Elementary School. The council meeting on Feb. 13 begins at 7 p.m., and the assembly on Feb. 16 begins at 12:15 p.m.
The Indiana Recycling Coalition coordinated this year’s phone book recycling program with assistance from Marsh Supermarkets, Republic Waste Services & Recycling of Indiana and AT&T.
“This is a fabulous program that brings everyone in the community together for such a great cause,” said Carey Hamilton, executive director, Indiana Recycling Coalition. “I want to congratulate Greenbriar Elementary, and I want to thank all the schools and everyone in the area who worked so hard to collect these old phone books so they can be properly recycled into useful products while making Indianapolis a better place for us all to enjoy.”
YP Real Yellow Pages directories are made from lumber production by-products such as sawdust and wood chips, and recycled paper waste. Residents and businesses can call AT&T Project ReDirectory at 1-800-953-4400 for information about recycling outdated phone books in this community.
