Sterling Elementary School

With the goal of reducing waste, Keep Golden Isles Beautiful’s
2025 School Recycling Challenge did just that. This fall, 9 local schools took part in the Challenge to collect
non-traditional items for recycling. By collecting items not accepted in local curbside recycling programs,
participating schools had an immediate and profound impact on reducing landfill waste. Students collected
Pens/Markers/Highlighters, 136.25 lbs; Oral Care Products, 18.25 lbs; and Cereal Bags, 7.9 lbs – all diverted
from the landfill and now to be recycled via TerraCycle.

At the recent awards ceremony held at Brunswick’s Old City Hall, while all winners received books for their
media centers, recycled bookmarks for their entire student bodies and/or a school recycle bin, in addition first
place winners received custom created “upcycled” trophies, while second and third place schools received
certificates. The Challenge was sponsored by Georgia Sea Grill. “The Challenge was a tremendous success,
and we greatly appreciate the effort of all participating schools,” said KGIB executive director Lea King-
Badyna. “The collected poundage is even more impressive when we consider the individual size and weight of
the collected materials, meaning a huge number of little items comprised the final poundage.”
Interested schools can go ahead and begin their collections for the 2026 School Recycling Challenge and can
contact Keep Golden Isles Beautiful for more information.

Top placing schools:

WRITING IMPLEMENT CATEGORY: 1st Place –St. Simons Elementary, 2 nd Place –
Sterling Elementary, 3 rd Place – College of Coastal Georgia

CEREAL BAGS CATEGORY: 1 st Satilla Marsh
Elementary, 2 nd Place – Sterling Elementary, 3 rd Place – St. Simons Elementary

ORAL CARE PRODUCTS
CATEGORY: 1 st Place – Sterling Elementary, 2 nd Place – Glyndale Elementary, 3 rd Place – Satilla Marsh
Elementary.

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS:
College of Coastal Georgia / Frederica Academy / Glyndale Elementary / Golden Isles Elementary /
Oglethorpe Pointe Elementary / Satilla Marsh Elementary / St. Francis Xavier Catholic School / St. Simons
Elementary / Sterling Elementary

Photo Caption: Representatives from the winning 2025 School Recycling Challenge schools were on hand for an awards
presentation at Old City Hall: (L-R) Heather Riviera (KGIB), Lauren Sapp (Satilla Marsh Elementary), Logan Zimmerman
(College of Coastal Georgia), Courtney Roberts (St. Simons Elementary), Cheryl Cagle (Sterling Elementary), Maurice
Figueroa (Glyndale Elementary), and Zack Gowen (Georgia Sea Grill, KGIB Board Member.