MIDLOTHIAN, Va., March 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Virginia Recycling Association (VRA) announces a special recycling workshop for K-12 schools will be held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on March 10 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. "About 200 teachers, administrators, school officials and county employees have registered to attend this free workshop to learn about how to start recycling programs in their schools," said VRA spokesperson Erica Trout. "We also have 14 companies registered who will be on hand to discuss attendee's school recycling needs."
In 2007 the VRA developed the School Recycling Initiative to study the problems schools face in terms of starting a recycling program. "We found that about twenty percent of Virginia school systems currently have a recycling program in place. There is a huge demand from students, teachers and parents to have recycling in schools, but starting a program on their own can be overwhelming. We hope to provide valuable resources and insights into recycling in Virginia schools at this first-ever workshop for school recycling," stated Trout.
In addition to four speakers who will share their school recycling success stories, the VRA will unveil their new publication, A Guide To Recycling in Virginia Schools, a manual that explains how to start a school recycling program in five basic steps. Recycling facts and tips are sprinkled throughout the guide as well as how to turn some of the steps into classroom activities that help teach students hands-on math or geography skills. "One of the class room activities is to draw a map of the school and mark where all of the recycling containers need to be placed. Another more involved project asks the students to weigh the trash from one classroom for a week to determine about how much trash the school is generating," said Trout.
The VRA will plan more workshops on school recycling in the summer of 2008. For more information about the School Recycling Initiative, contact Erica Trout at ericatrout@msn.com or 804.302.4231.
The VRA was formed in 1990 by a group of individuals who are committed to expanding state recycling opportunities. Since its inception, the VRA has become the leading resource of recycling information for our members, the general public, the Virginia General Assembly, local government, business, and industry.
Virginia Recycling Association
