GCA, Eucon schools bag recycling contest awards

At 10, fifth grader Antonette Labansa knows that some wastes could be reused to help maintain Saipan’s environment.

Labansa, a student at the Grace Christian Academy of Saipan, said she has learned “to recycle things that are useful,” after the school bagged first place in the government-initiated recycling contest participated in by public and private schools in the Commonwealth.

Some 235 students of the GCA collected a total of 18,040 lbs of recyclable fiber and aluminum, for a winning ratio of 76.77 lbs of recyclable materials per student, to bag the $550 first prize for the elementary school category.

GCA also received an additional $172 for the 860 lbs of aluminum cans it delivered to the Lower Base Refuse Transfer Station’s recycling facility, which pays 20 cents for every pound of aluminum disposed of.

For the secondary school category, Eucon International School bagged the first place, with some 25 students collecting some 3,580 lbs of fiber and aluminum. Eucon bagged the $550 grand prize plus additional cash for turning over 111 lbs of aluminum cans.

“Not all things can be used just once but twice or more,” said 14-year-old Cheng Rong Shen, a 7th grader at Eucon.

The awarding of prizes for the recycling contest coincided with the Nov. 15 national celebration of America Recycles Day 2004, which encourages Americans nationwide to recycle and buy recycled products.

It turned out, however, that only six of 28 elementary schools actively participated in the contest. Only three of 17 secondary schools collected recyclable materials.

Participating elementary schools included GCA, Tanapag Elementary School, NMC Lab School, San Francisco de Borja, Gregorio T. Camacho and Kagman elementary schools; the secondary schools included Eucon, San Francisco de Borja, and Cha-Cha Ocean View Jr. High.

“We’re slowly but surely disseminating information about the importance of recycling,” said Enrique Dela Cruz, Solid Waste Management’s waste diversion coordinator.

“It’s to educate children about recycling. Recycling conserves our natural resources and protects the environment. It extends the lifespan of the landfill,” Dela Cruz said.

Dozens of students, lawmakers and government officials led by acting Gov. Diego T. Benavente and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Pacific office manager, John McCarroll, gathered at the Lower Base facility yesterday morning for the awarding ceremony as part of the public awareness campaign on recycling.

McCarroll lauded the CNMI government—particularly Benavente, the CNMI’s Solid Waste Task Force chair, and Solid Waste Management manager Steve Hiney—saying that the Commonwealth now serves as a model for recycling and solid waste management among Pacific islands.

Hiney said recycling significantly reduces the amount of waste that goes to the Marpi landfill. He said about 30 percent of the average 160 tons of wastes on Saipan are being recycled.