Little Neck School Wins Citywide Award For Recycling

LITTLE NECK, QUEENS -- A Little Neck elementary school's recycling program proved too good to toss from this year's list of citywide school awarded for their environmental efforts.

The North Hills School (P.S. 221), located at 5740 Marathon Parkway, took home the elementary division citywide award for GrowNYC Recycling Champions Program's Super Recyclers Contest, the New York City Department of Sanitation announced Friday. The honor, which recognizes public schools with outstanding recycling programs, is one of five Zero Waste Schools Awards the DSNY presents each year.

“Students are the future of our city and they have some of the most creative recycling and sustainability ideas," said DSNY Commissioner Kathryn Garcia. "We are proud recognize their creativity, enthusiasm and commitment to reaching our city’s zero waste goals.”

P.S. 221 was among 18 citywide schools to win this year's citywide awards in elementary, middle and high school categories. The Queens school won this year's Super Recyclers Contest alongside the Edna Cohen School (P.S. 90) in Coney Island, Brooklyn.

Other award categories include: The DSNY's Commissioner Cup, which recognizes outstanding sustainability projects; Material For The Arts Reuse Challenge, which recognizes creative ways to reduce waste; Citizen’s Committee for NYC’s Team Up to Clean Up, which recognizes the best clean up and beautification projects; and the Zero Waste Schools Challenge, which awards the first 100 zero waste school.

Each school that receives a citywide award takes home a $1,000 prize, according to the DSNY. Runners-up get a $500 compensation. All will be honored at an awards ceremony in Project Farmhouse in the East Village on June 20 at 5 p.m.

The annual Zero Waste School Awards are part of a DSNY initiative with the NYC Department of Education that encourages students to find new, creative ways to recycle and reduce waste.

“I’m proud of the work our students are doing to make our City more sustainable, and I congratulate these 18 schools on their innovative and now award-winning projects,” said Chancellor Richard A. Carranza.

These Queens schools were runners' up in this year's Zero Waste Schools Awards :

• Irwin Altman Middle School 172, Super Recyclers Contest, middle school division
• P.S. 32 State Street School, Team Up To Clean Up, elementary division
• Maspeth High School, Team Up To Clean Up, high school division
• Maspeth High School, Reuse Challenge, high school division
• P.S. 120 Queens, Reuse Challenge, elementary division
• J.H.S. 217 Robert A. Van Wyck, Reuse Challenge, middle school division

Click here for a full list of this year's winners and runners-up.

Lead photo via Google Maps