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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Student-Run Community Recycling Center |
LEOLA, PA, September 10, 2009 --/WORLD-WIRE/-- At Purdy High School in Purdy, Mo., students are learning first-hand about the benefits of recycling. Members of the school's Spanish Club operate the for-profit Purdy Recycling Center to raise funds for club activities and gain points toward scholarships.
"This program provides students with a unique way to raise funds while broadening their community and environmental consciousness," says Gerry Wass, world languages instructor at Purdy High School. "They've worked hard to generate more than $6,000 through recycling efforts in just under four years." How did they get this far so fast? By working long hours (including Saturday shifts for community drop-offs), by educating their community and by striving to run an efficient business. Recycling Used Oil Filters While the Purdy Recycling Project collects a large amount of cardboard, plastic and aluminum cans, the students go deeper with their efforts. This impressive center has a Clean Burn furnace that collects used motor oil and creates free heat to warm the building during the cold winter months. "The students collect used oil filters from industrial clients like auto dealerships and auto repair garages," says Wass, who serves as coordinator of the project. "Once crushed, a 55-gallon container of used filters generates between eight and ten gallons of used motor oil --- even if they've been drained. We add this to the other used motor oils we collect from our school bus fleet and other sources. The Clean Burn furnace transforms the used motor oil into free heat for our facility." Traditionally used in locations that generate large amounts of used motor oil --- such as tractor trailer and heavy equipment facilities --- this is one of the first times a Clean Burn unit has been used in a "home grown" recycling center project. Paying It Forward To assist more school systems in developing a business model for creating a recycling center, the club has developed a step-by-step manual titled Bringing It Back Around. "We're responding to schools outside our area asking how we've created such a successful program," says Wass. "This book supplies a wide range of fascinating insider details that will help other schools to motivate students, seek out grant sources, get community members involved in the effort, and create a sustainable recycling operation that can benefit everyone." The club's 60-page book, scheduled for printing in September of 2009, focuses on positive tips and step-by-step guidance for constructing a profitable business model for a student/community recycling center. Clean Burn is an ENERGY STAR® partner. The company holds numerous industry certifications and works with the U.S. government, the Environmental Protection Agency and various associations to help coordinate the establishment of standards and regulations related to heat recovery and recycling efforts involving used motor oils. For more information on Clean Burn, visit www.cleanburn.com or call 1-800-331-0183. PHOTOGRAPHY: For images of Clean Burn products visit the MEDIA ROOM at www.cleanburn.com. Contact: Kathy Ziprik 828-890-8065 kziprik@aol.com |
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