It’s time for Good Neighbors to Geaux Green! Fifth-grade students at participating West Monroe elementary schools and sixth-grade students at participating Monroe elementary schools are competing in the Blake Wheelis/Peggy Sullivan Good Neighbors Geaux Green Recycling Contest, and the entire community is invited to help them win!
The contest is designed to teach an important lesson: Don’t litter—and take the next step by recycling! Students are collecting #1 plastic drinking bottles and turning something that could become litter into something that can be recycled.
All #1 plastic drinking bottles are accepted. Bottles should be empty, clean, and dry. Please do not smash the bottles. Leave them intact so they can be collected and measured properly.
And students don’t have to do it alone!
Everyone can help a local school win! Businesses, parents, grandparents, neighbors, churches, families, and friends can collect #1 plastic drinking bottles and bring them to one of the participating schools. Bottles must be delivered to the schools by Thursday, October 22, at 3 p.m., so they can be counted and gathered for delivery.
The participating schools are competing for some great prizes, including:
- 🍕 Johnny’s Pizza House class party
- 🏀 Jump party from Bagby Rental
- 🍦 Ice cream party from the Monroe Chamber and West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber
- 🍪 Delta Biscuit prize
- 🎁 Gift cards from Blake Wheelis State Farm and Peggy Sullivan State Farm
The winners will be announced Saturday, October 24, at the Ouachita Green Fall Family Fun Fest at the West Monroe Sports & Events Center.
The contest is about much more than winning prizes. It allows students to learn that keeping our community clean starts with not littering and continues with making responsible choices about the waste we create. By collecting and recycling plastic bottles, students are seeing firsthand how small actions can make a big difference.
“The real winners are our entire community,” said Sheila Kay Downhour, Director of Ouachita Green. “When students learn not to litter, when families and businesses get involved, and when more plastic bottles are recycled instead of becoming litter or going into the landfill, everyone benefits. We want our students to know that they have the power to make their community better—and that their entire community is cheering them on.”