Deep Creek Middle School Collects 150 lbs. of Aluminum Cans, Earns School Money for Environmental Programming

Deep Creek Middle School receives its first check as part of aluminum can recycling project

(FEBRUARY 23, 2010--Eleuthera, Bahamas)  Deep Creek Middle School (DCMS) received its first check as part of the Cans for Kids project, an organization which raises money for Bahamian schools and children’s programs through aluminum can recycling.  Family Islands set up depots to collect cans from schools and the community, then bag them to send to Nassau.  In Nassau, the cans are crushed, rebagged and sent to the US for recycling.  The goal of the program is to foster the idea of recycling in Bahamian youth so that the practice becomes habitual and can take root in The Bahamas. 

From October through December of 2009, DCMS and The Island School collected more than 150 lbs. of aluminum cans.  On February 17th Sam Kenworthy, waste management coordinator at Cape Eleuthera Institute, presented the $45 check to Hershal Knowles, president of the DCMS Eco Club and Dr. Joanna Paul, Principal of DCMS.  Hershal and the Eco Club have been working to educate their fellow students and neighbors of the importance or recycling.  The can collecting project is part of DCMS’s larger effort to become the first green flag eco-certified school in the Caribbean through Foundation for Environmental Education.


Important facts about recycling aluminum cans:

    * Every minute of every day 113,204 cans are recycled
    * Making new aluminum cans from used cans costs 95% less energy than creating a new can from virgin material. 20 recycled cans can be made with the energy required to make one can from virgin material
    * Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to burn one 100 watt bulb for nearly four hours
    * It take between 200 and 500 years for an aluminum can to decompose


"Aluminum cans are the easiest waste stream to recycle,” said Kenworthy.  “Although Eleuthera has no existing recycling infrastructure, Cans for Kids has made getting rid of our cans extremely easy; anyone can get involved. Being responsible for one's waste is a lesson that is not only important for young people to learn, but society as a whole. By establishing a simple, foolproof method to responsibly get rid of cans, we help ourselves, the environment, and raise money for local schools at the same time."


To get involved, contact Cans for Kids at 242-394-8517 or call DCMS at 242-334-8414.

By Melissa Buck

About Deep Creek Middle School

Deep Creek Middle School is an independent school for 7-9th graders in Eleuthera that follows the Bahamian Ministry of Education curriculum and provides a nurturing community that engages students with opportunities to learn in and out of the classroom. This promotes academic growth and responsible citizenship to prepare students to be the future leaders of The Bahamas.  Applications for grades 7-9 for the 2010-2011 school year are now available. Visitors are welcome at any time. Deep Creek Middle School works collaboratively with The Island School and Cape Eleuthera Institute.