Out with the old and in with the new!  This was the battle cry of 22 schools in the Greater Cincinnati area that participated in a telephone directory recycling competition.  The challenge was made to the schools by Cincinnati Bell, the Cincinnati Reds, and Rumpke Recycling.   

At the beginning of the school year, students were asked to collect outdated telephone directories and place them in special recycling containers, provided by Rumpke, at their schools. This was timely because Cincinnati Bell distributed new directories in September.

Competition was fierce to be one of the top three recyclers.  This would entitle the winning schools to cash prizes, a visit to the school by the Reds mascots, tickets to the Hall of Fame, and recognition at an on- field ceremony before the Reds vs. Brewers game.

Excitement was in the air at Great American Ball Park on September 26 when representatives from the top three schools filed onto the field to learn which place they had won.  Hinsdale Elementary School (Edgewood, Ky.) captured first place and $1,000 followed by Roger Bacon High School (Cincinnati, Ohio) in second place winning $500 and Covedale School (Cincinnati, Ohio) in third place earning a prize of $250.

The winning schools collected the following amounts:

• First Place: Hinsdale Elementary School  6,364 pounds
• Second Place: Roger Bacon High School  6,279 pounds
• Third Place: Covedale School  5,957 pounds

The total collected by all of the schools was 43,000 pounds! Congratulations to all of the schools for their outstanding efforts to kick off the school year in a green way.

About the author: Anne Gray is the education specialist for Rumpke.