Commending the school for its outstanding recycling and solid waste program, the New Jersey Food Council (NJFC) presented the annual Clean Communities Scholarship to Egg Harbor City Community School during the Clean Communities Awards Banquet in Atlantic City. The $1,000 scholarship is presented annually to a school that demonstrates a strong commitment to environmental stewardship.“The Egg Harbor City Community School has done an outstanding job of implementing a comprehensive recycling program over the past three years, and as a result, their program has become a national model for school solid waste initiatives,” said Linda Doherty, NJFC President and CEO. “Most importantly, the program has fostered a positive attitude and culture of recycling throughout the school community. Instilling the importance of recycling and litter prevention in these young students will have a positive impact on our environment for generations to come.”
Since 2013, the Egg Harbor City Community School has entered the Keep America Beautiful Recycle Bowl Challenge each year, winning the state championship in the first two years (2013 and 2014) and the national championship in the third year (2015).
Doherty noted that the successful recycling program involved both staff and students and was implemented in all aspects of the school environment — including classrooms, lunch rooms and school grounds. As a result of the comprehensive program, students now regularly volunteer to monitor trash in the lunch rooms, while students in the afterschool programs perform regular cleanups of the school playground. The school also joined the Teracycle program and now collects juice pouches to recycle.
New Jersey Clean Communities is a statewide, comprehensive, litter-abatement program created by the passage of the Clean Communities Act in 1986. Its mission is to reduce litter on public places, promote the volunteer cleanup of public lands and sustain a reduction in litter through education. New Jersey Clean Communities is also home to New Jersey’s Adopt-A-Beach and Adopt-A-Highway programs.
“The Food Council is a steadfast partner of the Clean Communities Program as our business association is one of the architects in establishing this anti-litter program almost 30 years ago. We believe that supporting deserving school children helps reinforce a new generation who will support clean neighborhoods and a healthier environment”, said Doherty.