Keep America Beautiful Crowns 2016 Recycle-Bowl Champion

STAMFORD, Conn., March 23, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bon Air Elementary School of Kokomo, Indiana, was crowned today as the national champion of Keep America Beautiful's Recycle-Bowl, the national recycling competition for elementary-, middle- and high-school students, teachers and school communities.

Competing against nearly 1,300 schools spanning 47 states and the District of Columbia, Bon Air Elementary students recycled 48.7 pounds of materials per student and teacher during the competition. The kindergarten through fifth grade school is being awarded a recycled content plastic park bench, courtesy of Trex, and $1,000 worth of recycling bins from Busch Systems. The Recycle-Bowl competition took place over four weeks in the fall, culminating on America Recycles Day on Nov. 15, 2016.

"We are so proud of Bon Air Elementary for exemplifying the mission of Recycle-Bowl," said Brenda Pulley, senior vice president/recycling, Keep America Beautiful. "It's encouraging to see students of all age groups and from all parts of the country get so excited about recycling both at school and at home. Congratulations to Bon Air Elementary and all of our Recycle-Bowl statewide winners."

More than 700,000 students and teachers participated in Recycle-Bowl, striving to recycle as much as possible. Recyclables recovered during the 2016 competition totaled 2.2 million pounds, which prevented the release of 3,150 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E). This reduction in greenhouse gases is equivalent to the annual emissions from 655 passenger cars.

"Kokomo School Corporation officials from the Bon Air Technology Academies are delighted to be selected for awards at both the state and national levels in the Keep America Beautiful recycling competition," said Lyndsi Smith, assistant principal, Technology Academy at Bon Air Elementary. "Bon Air schools and our community are committed to help protect our environment and participating in the Keep America Beautiful program is another way our students, staff, and families can make a difference. Thank you, Keep America Beautiful, for allowing the Bon Air schools community to help the world!"

Other 2016 national category winners are:

• Community Division: Keres Children's Learning Center (KCLC), Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico
• District Division: New Haven Unified School District, Union City, CA
• Waste Reduction: George W. Whitlow Elementary School, Cumming, Georgia
• Food Scrap Collection: Pahoa High and Intermediate, Pahoa, Hawaii
• Most Improved: The Children's School, Rock Hill, South Carolina

The Children's School will receive $1,500 worth of recycling bins from Busch Systems for demonstrating the most improvement in its recycling per capita rate from 2015 to 2016. The George W. Whitlow Elementary School, which won the Waste Reduction category for being the school that creates the least waste (recycling and trash) per person, will receive $500 worth of recycling bins from Busch Systems.

The list of the 2016 Recycle-Bowl division and statewide winners are on the Recycle-Bowl website, as well as descriptions of the national competition categories. All national and state Recycle-Bowl winners received a recycled-content plaque recognizing their achievements.

About Keep America Beautiful
At Keep America Beautiful, we want to ensure that beauty is our lasting signature. A leading national nonprofit, Keep America Beautiful inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. We envision a country in which every community is a clean, green, and beautiful place to live. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful provides the expertise, programs and resources to help people End Littering, Improve Recycling, and Beautify America's Communities. The organization is driven by the work and passion of more than 620 community-based Keep America Beautiful affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the support of corporate partners, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. To donate or take action, visit kab.org. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, like us on Facebook, or view us on YouTube.

CONTACTS
Emily White / Larry Kaufman
Tel: 203.659.3004/203.659.3014
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SOURCE Keep America Beautiful