Classroom-Based Recycling Program First of its Kind

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Schools nationwide can save glue bottles, glue sticks and ultimately the planet one orange cap at a time. Elmer's(R) Products, Inc., an industry leader in adhesives, arts and crafts, office and educational products, announced today the launch of a school-based glue bottle and glue stick recycling program.

"More than 40 million students use Elmer's glue and glue sticks annually," said Terri Brown, Elmer's marketing services and communications manager. "By recycling Elmer's, the #1 brand of school glue, teachers and students can take pride in improving their communities. To provide teachers with all the tools to execute recycling, we have developed a classroom program with online support to keep students engaged and excited about the recycling project."

The Elmer's Glue Crew Recycling Program combines Elmer's expertise in education and creativity with its commitment to sustainable practices. Throughout the school year, participating classrooms collect empty glue bottles and glue sticks to be recycled. To reduce the environmental impact, teachers and students are encouraged to creatively use empty boxes in the classroom as collection boxes. Once a box is full, teachers simply seal it, label it as instructed, take it to the nearest Wal-Mart(R) store and drop it off to the store greeter between Earth Day, April 22, 2008, through the end of the school year.

Teachers can visit the Elmer's Glue Crew Recycling Program Web site, http://www.elmersgluecrew.com/ to join or learn more about the program- teachers are eligible to participate at no cost. Participating teachers can use the site to find additional resources and instructional materials to help implement the program and reinforce the importance of being environmentally conscious in their classrooms. Teachers can download classroom projects that promote education and creativity and support efforts that reduce, reuse and recycle. Teachers are also encouraged to refer a colleague and submit lesson plans, projects or anything else that shows a classroom commitment to recycling for a chance to win prizes.

"Because our products have been in classrooms for more than 60 years, it's our duty to make sure that teachers and students have the best place to create, build and learn," said Brown. "With this program teachers can take advantage of our tools to make their students lifelong recyclers. Our program makes recycling incredibly easy for teachers."

A survey commissioned for the Elmer's teacher's club found that most classrooms were recycling newspaper and aluminum. Of the teachers surveyed,97 percent wanted to recycle glue bottles and glue sticks. Furthermore, teachers said they were using 40 to 60 glue bottles per year in their classroom.

"In my classroom we're creating projects that use glue on a daily basis and consequently create a lot of waste," said Ricki Rosen, art teacher at Pickerington Elementary in Pickerington, Ohio. "We're excited to have the resources to recycle our excess materials and incorporate recycling into our projects."

To join the Elmer's Glue Crew Recycling Program or learn more about the program visit http://www.elmersgluecrew.com/.