ISRI announces Youth Recycling Awareness Award winners

The Washington-based Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) has announced the winners of the global 2021 Youth Recycling Awareness Awards. The program is designed to better educate youth on the value of recycling. 

According to a press release from ISRI, fifth-grader Irene Park, from Fairburn Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles, is the 2021 poster winner. Sophomores Nadia Islam, Ada Johnsen-DeWeese and Rosemarie Alubankudi from Life Sciences Secondary School in New York City are the 2021 video grand prize winners.

“Engaging our youth in understanding the significant role of recycling in our environment, economy, communities and beyond is of utmost importance,” says ISRI President Robin Wiener. “The annual Youth Recycling Awareness contest does just that: by challenging students to demonstrate their understanding of not just recycling, but its relevancy to our everyday lives. Each year I am impressed by the level of knowledge and creativity of entries from students of every age. Our future is undoubtedly bright in the hands of Irene, Nadia, Ada, Rosemarie and their peers. ISRI congratulates them on a job well done.”

The theme of this year’s contest was “Recycling is Essential to My Community.” The association says the contest received 99 entries from across the globe. The winners were recognized April 29 as part of the ISRI2021 Convention and Exposition, which took place online April 20-22 and April 27-29.

For the award, students were tasked with creating a public service announcement in the form of a video or poster that explains to other members in their community or neighborhood why recycling is essential, why they should care and how they can help. 

Irene’s poster, titled “Zero Waste, Better Place," demonstrates how more classroom recyclables can be processed properly, ensuring the valuable commodities do not end up in landfills.

Photo courtesy ISRI

The winning video, titled "Recycling is Essential to My Community," demonstrates the impact recycling has on local communities from the perspective of a cardboard box that was mistakenly placed in the trash. The video goes on to explain the importance of proper education so that communities recognize valuable recyclables.

Judges evaluated each entry on the interpretation and clarity of the theme to the viewer, persuasiveness, originality, quality and impression of the entry.

"The ISRI contest winners serve as inspirational STEM leaders for JASON Learning and for students across the country,” says Eleanor Smalley, president and CEO of JASON Learning. “They created innovative, well-designed work that perfectly exemplified the contest's mission: why recycling is essential to our community. The Green Team Video Crew, from New York City, captured our imaginations as they showed why recycling is essential. Irene Park, from Los Angeles, demonstrated why zero waste makes a better place in her poster. JASON is extremely excited and proud to see these young women interested in exploring STEM and recycling."