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Madison County Schools, both private and parochial, have a variety of collection programs and competitions from which they can choose. No school is the same, and each participates based on its resources, needs, and interests of students and staff. In order to participate in the programs and competitions below, your school must be enrolled in the Green Schools Program.
Contact your school's Green School Coordinator or Lisa Rogers at lrrogers@madisoncountyil.gov with any questions.
Lion's Club Keys, Eye Glasses, Tab Tops & String Lights Collections
Keys: The Lions Club of Illinois accepts any type of keys to be recycled. The money raised is used in Illinois to pay for partially-sighted children to undergo special low-vision examinations with glasses, monoculars, stand magnifiers and other equipment being provided absolutely free. Schools with keys that are ready for donation may indicate the need for a pick-up by contacting Guideon Richeson at guideon.richeson923@gmail.com or via phone (314)681-2770
Used eyeglasses are collected by local chapters of the Lions Club and used to help those in Central & South America, Mexico, Haiti, the Philippines & Africa improve their lives with better vision. Schools with eyeglasses that are ready for donation may indicate the need for a pick-up by contacting Guideon Richeson at guideon.richeson923@gmail.com or via phone (314)681-2770.
Tab tops: Tabs from the top of aluminum drink cans are recycled to raise funds to provide for visually impaired and hearing impaired members of our local communities. Glasses, hearing aids, white cane training and guide dog training are among some of the costs covered by the Lions Club through recycling efforts.Schools may arrange for pick-up by contacting Guideon Richeson at guideon.richeson923@gmail.com or via phone (314)681-2770.
String Lights - Lights are collected by the Lions Club and stripped down. The Metal wire and plastic are then recycled. Income gained through this event is donated to ER Abroad, a non-profit organization providing access to nutritional supplements, medications, and medical care for the poor and underserved populations in Latin America. Schools may arrange for pick-up by contacting Guideon Richeson at guideon.richeson923@gmail.com or via phone (314)681-2770.
Plastic Bottle Caps Collection
Madison County Green Schools has partnered with Leaps of Love for a plastic bottle cap recycling campaign. Caps collected by students and staff will be recycled to raise money for the Leaps of Love programs, which support families affected by childhood cancer.
Schools may contact Leaps of Love directly for pick-up of these items at the following:
www.leapsoflove.org
traci@leapsoflove.org
(618)410-7212
Plastic Bread Tag Collection
These bread tags are made from #6 polystyrene and are melted down and recycled into products such as drinking cups, egg cartons, coffee pods, tape dispensers, and sporks. Collection containers will be provided to school coordinators with promotional materials to distribute throughout the school. By utilizing this collection program, students have the opportunity to take small steps for big change.
In this county-wide collection program, students and staff will collect plastic bread tags to be recycled by Danielle Cares for Chairs, a non-profit started by a 17-year-old in Indiana that collects large amounts of plastic bread tags, recycles them directly through a plastic recycler, and uses the profits to purchase mobility products for individuals.
Contact Lisa Rogers for collection information:
lrrogers@madisoncountyil.gov
(618)296-4606
Green Schools Contests
America Recycles Day Poster Contest
The Madison County Green Schools Program invites students in grades K-12 within Madison County schools to illustrate their talent in this county-wide poster contest. America Recycles Day (November 15th) is a nationally-recognized event that promotes national awareness of recycling in the United States. We encourage students to participate in this contest and help Madison County residents think about their actions and how they impact the environment.
All entries must be received no later than 4:30 pm, October 20th, 2023.
Contest Entry Form & Instructions Here
THEME: Creative Innovation - Students should present an original or alternative idea involving recycling. This can be a solution to an existing problem or a brand new idea to increase recycling or make it more accessible. Think outside the [recycling] box.
Pumpkin Purge Contest
The Madison County Green Schools Program is encouraging Green School students grades K-12 to compost their pumpkins during the month of November! There are 3 locations that are happy to compost pumpkins:
Boonies Farm, Worden Illinois
Heritage Farm, Godfrey, Illinois
Willoughby Heritage Farms, Collinsville, Illinois
Students may also compost in a location of their choosing. To enter, simply snap a photo of the student delivering their pumpkin to the compost pile. Email the photo to the Madison County Green Schools Coordinator, Lisa Rogers at lrrogers@madisoncountyil.gov prior to November 30, 2023. Five entries will be drawn and will receive a $25 Visa gift card.
Rain Barrel Contest
This county-wide contest challenges all Green Schools students to create their own design for a rain barrel. The design should illustrate the benefits of capturing or reusing rainwater such as erosion control, improved water quality, reduced flooding, etc.
There are four grade categories: K-2nd, 3rd-5th, 6th-8th, and 9th-12th. The winner in each category will receive a rain barrel for their school and a $25 Visa gift card. The entry form for this contest can be found here.
Sneaker Collection Contest
The Madison County Green Schools Program is partnering with The Lions Club to sponsor a Sneaker Drive. The sneakers help to deliver much-needed shoes to impoverished countries. Each Green School is to collect sneakers (no other type of shoes are accepted) and tie them together. A school staff member needs to keep count and submit the number of shoes and the number of students in their school to the Madison County Green Schools Coordinator on or before January 26, 2024. The school with the most significant number of shoes per student will win an ice cream party sponsored by The Lions Club and Madison County Green Schools.
Submit to:
Lisa Rogers
lrrogers@madisoncountyil.gov
Upcycling Innovation Contest
The Madison County Green Schools Program invites students in grades K-12 within Madison County schools to participate in the Upcycling Innovation Challenge. Upcycling is the act of creating a product from waste or unwanted items or adapting an existing product in a creative way to add value. When items are upcycled, they reduce waste from going to the landfill and improve the efficiency of our resources.
All entries and entry forms must be received no later than 4:00 pm, February 23, 2024. Entry forms are submitted online via the link on the entry form.
Click HERE to view the pdf entry form.
Madison County Building and Zoning Department sponsors this bookmark design contest. All design submissions should illustrate various ways to improve air quality in the St. Louis region such as: carpooling, walking, bicycling, riding transit, using solar and wind energy, etc. Four grade categories for the contest; K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.
Entries should be postmarked by March 15th, 2024. Guidelines and Entry Form
The first-place bookmark designs from each category are printed with the winner’s name and school and made available to the winning student’s school library. In addition, each winner receives a certificate, Kindle Paperwhite tablet, and $25 Visa Gift Card. The second and third-place winners in each category receive a $25 Visa Gift Card.
International Composting Awareness Week is May 1st-7th this year and we are celebrating with this annual contest open to all Madison County students in grades K-12th. Participating students must be enrolled at a 2023-24 Madison County Green School. Students should design a poster or video (based on their grade level) that showcases the benefits of composting. Winning students will receive a Dual Chamber Composting Tumbler and a $25 Visa Gift Card.
See the full contest overview and rules HERE. The deadline for submissions will be April 1st, 2024.
Please view the Composting 101 flyer for tips and tricks on how to create and maintain a compost pile. You can also visit epa.gov/recycle/composting-home for more composting information.
To participate in this program, simply collect stretchy plastics including those shown below. Weigh all & submit the weight on your end-of-year survey in April. Please contact Lisa - lrrogers@madisoncountyil.gov
End-of-Year Survey
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