Recycle School-Side

Here's a Great New Years Resolution--Recycle School-Side
The joint partnership between the City of Ripon, Ripon Unified School District and Bonzi Recycling is blossoming into something really special.

In the past six months, over 10,000 pounds of newspaper, cardboard, aluminum cans, glass and plastic beverage containers have been recycled through an idea that was inspired by a recycling lesson taught by Kindergarten Teacher Mrs. Holt at Weston Elementary School.

It was in February or March 2004, Kindergartener Meahgan Ferral came home and enthusiastically told her Father and School Board Member Frank Ferral about what she learned in school. It was that enthusiam that started the ball rolling in regards to community recycing for the benefit of RUSD schools. Lets review how it started and where we are today:

July 2004-the Weston Elementary Waste Reduction Awareness Project or WE WRAP was created to educate the community about recycling. The WE WRAP program lasted 6 weeks and collected over 3500 pounds of material. Redemption values for the material was donated to the school's Computer Lab project by Bonzi Recycling.

August 2004- RUSD Board President Carla Travaille, Board member Frank Ferral and Mayor Tim Hern, 40 students and parent volunteers produced a music video called "Ripon's Wrappen" to promote recycling in the schools and in the community. The video plays on the City of Ripon's cable access channel.

September 2004- School-side Recycling started at the Nestle Parking Lot on every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon (except on special event and Holiday weekends.) School-side is staffed by volunteers from each of the four elementary schools in RUSD. Redemptions are split between each school's Parent Faculty Clubs for student programs.

Currently- The City of Ripon has provided three huge recycling bins for the School-Side Recycling project at the Nestle Parking Lot. This gives the schools additional capacity to collect more recyclables for the benefit of students.

As a new year resolution, lets dedicate ourselves to recycling for the environment, the City, the Schools and the students.

Don't forget, since the next two weekends (December 25 and January 1) are Holiday weekends, there will be no School-Side Recycling. The next School-Side Recycling Saturday will be on January 8 between 8 a.m. and 12 noon. Come out and donate your newspaper, cardboard, aluminum cans, glass and plastic beverage containers. In addition, come out and say thank you to January's volunteers from Weston Elementary. For more infomation on School-Side Recycling, please call 599-0022 or 599-2151.