Winners of DSNY’s 2018 Zero Waste Schools Awards Announced

Winners of DSNY’s 2018 Zero Waste Schools Awards Announced

Awards Will Presented to City Schools for Successful Environmentally-Focused Projects

Eighteen schools from across the five boroughs are winners of this year’s Zero Waste Schools Awards, the Department of Sanitation announced today. Recipients of the awards, which recognize public schools that have created outstanding programs in recycling, sustainability, gardening or cleanup, will receive up to $1,000 in cash prizes for their schools and will be honored by Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia during an awards ceremony on June 20th at 5pm at the Project Farmhouse, 76 East 13th Street, Manhattan.

This year’s winning programs range from fashion-centric “upcycling” of fabrics to installing a vermincompost system in the classroom.

“Young people and public schools are two of our best partners in creating a sustainable New York,” said Commissioner Kathryn Garcia. “Students are the future of our city and they have some of the most creative recycling and sustainability ideas. We are proud recognize their creativity, enthusiasm and commitment to reaching our city’s zero waste goals.”

In partnership with the Department of Education, DSNY has created the NYC School Guide to Zero Waste that help teachers and students set up recycling areas, collect recyclables and coordinate with their peers on environmental projects. The annual Zero Waste Schools Awards encourage public school students to create new, innovative ways to recycle, reduce waste, and promote sustainability in their schools.

“I’m proud of the work our students are doing to make our City more sustainable, and I congratulate these 18 schools on their innovative and now award-winning projects,” said Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. “These hands-on, real-life learning opportunities are improving our communities and we’re grateful to DSNY for their partnership in reducing waste and promoting sustainability across all NYC public schools.”

The competition includes five categories: The DSNY Commissioner’s Cup, which recognizes outstanding sustainability efforts; GrowNYC Recycling Champions Program’s Super Recyclers, which honors model school recycling programs; Materials For the Arts (MFTA) Reuse Challenge, which recognizes innovative waste reduction practices; Zero Waste Schools Challenge, which awards participation for the first 100 Zero Waste Schools; and Citizen’s Committee for NYC’s (CCNYC) Team Up to Clean Up, which recognizes the best clean up and beautification projects.

In each of the Zero Waste Schools contests, schools competed within their elementary, intermediate, or high school grade divisions for citywide honors by conceiving and completing hands-on applied learning projects. Citywide winners are awarded $1,000 and runners-up garner $500.

One of this year’s Reuse Challenge winners was the High School of Fashion Industries in Chelsea, where students participated in an upcycle denim fashion shows, created garments out of non-textile reused materials, and enrolled in the refashionNYC program. At PS 90 in Coney Island, winners of the Super Recyclers Award, children trained other students and a neighboring school in proper recycling, set up a classroom vermincompost system, and coordinated a sustainability expo at their school during Earth Day.

In addition to the Zero Waste School Awards, DSNY also launched the Green Team Mini Grant program with the Citizens Committee for New York City that provide to $500 to school green teams to support projects on sustainability, recycling, gardening and other eco-friendly initiatives.

For more information on the Zero Waste Schools program and the Green Team Mini Grant program, visit www.nyc.gov/zerowasteschools. The complete list of the 2018 Zero Waste Schools Awards winners can be seen here: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/zws/contest/contestWinner.shtml

About the New York City Department of Sanitation

The Department of Sanitation (DSNY) keeps New York City healthy, safe and clean by collecting, recycling and disposing of waste, cleaning streets and vacant lots, and clearing snow and ice. The Department operates 59 district garages and manages a fleet of more than 2,000 rear-loading collection trucks, 450 mechanical brooms and 689 salt/sand spreaders. The Department clears litter, snow and ice from approximately 6,500 miles of City streets and removes debris from vacant lots as well as abandoned vehicles from City streets.

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