Staff Writer

Troy Elementary School students exercised their creativity while learning about the importance of recycling their trash this week.

Students in each class made REBA (Recycling by Americans) mannequins using materials taken in by the city of Troy’s Recycling Program.

The project was held in recognition of America Recycles Day, which was Nov. 15, said Tamsin Ettefagh of K&W Plastics.

All classes at TES competed Monday to construct the best REBA, and contest winners were named. James Gordon Flowers representing city of Troy and Ettefagh served as contest judges.

Second place was awarded to the fifth grade class of Marianne Gilbert and Lynn Wise, who made a lion; first place was awarded to the third grade class of Dawn Moseley, who made a tribal warrior; and third place was awarded to the first grade class of Barbara Flowers, who made a worm.

These winning classes received cash prizes to use as they wanted. First place won $300, second place won $200 and third place won third place.

Besides individual classes being awarded, TES was recently named as having one of the top 10 school recycling programs in the state. It is the only school in Alabama to have been named to the list twice, in 1995 and 1999.

Several area businesses, including Superior Moulding, Sanders Lead, Beeline Stores, Ingram’s Curb Market, Mount Scrap Montgomery, Jerry Spurlock, chapman Oil Company and Johnny Kreis State Farm, donated the cash awards.

"This helps the children learn what they can recycle and how important it is to the environment," Ettefagh said.

The judges evaluated each classes’ REBA and commented on which materials were correctly used and explained why others were not recyclable. For example, the Troy Recycling Program accepts paper board boxes, such as cereal boxes, but cannot accept paper board covered in wax.

Bill Rice Sr., director of the city’s recycling program, was also on hand to see the students’ REBAs.

He said the program was designed to teach children what can be recycled through allowing them to make the REBAs. The students were restricted only by their own imaginations.

"Now these students can serve as recycling ambassadors and sell our blue bag program to their parents," Rice said. "You can see their new-found enthusiasm about recycling."