Schools urged to take up ‘Cans for Cash’ challenge
Contact: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Lexington is competing in the 2008 U.S. Mayors’ National City Recycling Challenge, also known as the Cans for Cash contest, and Fayette County Public Schools are encouraged to pitch in.
The contest, which runs through October, challenges cities to collect and recycle aluminum beverage cans. Lexington’s theme is “Yes We Can!”
The schools that collect and recycle the highest number of cans per student in their school’s size category will be rewarded. Baker Iron and Metal, Gordon Scrap and Iron, the Southeast Center for Aluminum Technology, and Wise Recycling have donated $9,000 in cash prizes.
Last year, 21 public and private schools participated in the contest and collected more than 123,000 cans. Altogether, more than 10 million cans (321,000 pounds) were collected communitywide in Fayette County during the 2007 contest.
Recycling conserves natural resources and energy. For example, recycling 40 cans saves the energy equivalent of one gallon of gasoline; that means the energy saved by recycling 10 million cans is equivalent to 250,000 gallons of gasoline.
The Cans for Cash effort is coordinated by The Bluegrass Partnership for a Green Community, which was founded by the Urban County Government, Fayette County Public Schools and the University of Kentucky, with help from Bluegrass PRIDE and other community partners.
For more information about the contest, call Tom Webb at (859) 425-2808.