Great Lake Bulletin Summer 1997

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Benzie Student
Recycling Program
Begins in Fall

Inspired By Successful "Trash toCash" Project in Manistee
IMAGE imgs/GLBsu9733.gif

* * *
"It's something we do for ourselves, our town, and the
environment. We're not here to just mess things up.
It gives me a rush of energy to want to do more."
* * *

~ Amanda Spoor, Brethren High School

A worker for Manistee County's "Trash to Cash" program sorts cardboard into a compactor at the Lakeshore Enterprises Recycling Center in Manistee. In the first two years students have earned about $60,000 for youth activities.

Two years after a student-managed recycling program opened in Manistee County, business and civic leaders in Benzie County are taking steps to launch a similar program called Benzie Recyclers.
The project was initiated by Ingemar Johansson, the director of Lakeshore Enterprises, a unit of the Manistee-Benzie Community Mental Health Board. The goal of the program is to train students to operate and manage paper and cardboard collection centers at four sites throughout the county. Judging from the success of the Manistee program, said Mr. Johansson, the benefits to Benzie County are likely to be substantial:
•Thousands of tons of Benzie County's paper that now are landfilled will be purchased and turned into cardboard at the Tenneco Packaging plant in Manistee.
•Benzie student organizations stand to gain tens of thousands of dollars annually for youth activities.
•Lakeshore Enterprises workers with disabilities will be employed to process the paper at a Manistee transfer plant.
The Benzie County Commission endorsed the project last March. A 19-member board was formed that includes county planning director, and representatives of Mallison Excavating, Benzie Central Schools, Frankfort High School, the Michigan Land Use Institute, and the Frankfort and Benzie Chambers of Commerce.
Once operating, Benzie Recyclers is sure to teach the same lesson about ways to link environmental and economic goals that the Manistee students have so strongly and effectively embraced. The Manistee "Trash to Cash" program, which has earned state and national student service awards, is considered one of the most innovative and effective community paper recycling programs in the state.
"It's something we do for ourselves, our town, and the environment," said Amanda Spoor,a 17-year-old Brethren High School senior, and chair of the 15-member board that oversees the $130,000 a year program. "We're not here to just mess things up. It gives me a rush of energy to want to do more."

Manistee's project--a collaboration among industry, educators, students, and local government--is serving an exceptional number of socially useful ends. In the two years that it has operated, nearly 2,400 tons of paper worth well over $200,000 have been collected. About $60,000 of the total revenue was returned for youth activities in Brethren, Bear Lake, Onekama, and the public and Catholic high schools in Manistee.
"The most encouraging thing is that the kids are really involved in making it work. It couldn't be done without them," said Dan Welburn, a retired educator from Onekama who serves on the project board. "They are right there. Their mothers and fathers are there. They see how this partnership works."

The stirring success of Manistee's recycling program is in large part the result of a convergence of fortunate events: a worthwhile rationale, an eager labor force, a steady supply of recyclable trash, and a dependable market. Benzie County is ready to take advantage of the same opportunities.
Organizers in Benzie County are pleased at how quickly the crucial final step, a reliable transportation system, has been assembled. Jim Gillison of Mallison Excavating loaned Benzie Recyclers the money to purchase four collection and transportation trailers. And Graceland Fruit Co-op, Smeltzer Orchard Co., and Gillison's Variety Fabrication have volunteered to pick up and haul the waste paper to Manistee.
"I think we have a really strong project in Benzie County that the students are going to love," said Mr. Johansson, "and that will make a real difference in the community."G

For more information, contact: Ingemar Johansson, Lakeshore Enterprises, P.O. Box 238, Benzonia, MI 49616; Tel. 616-882-9601.



Benzie Student Recycling Program Begins in Fall Inspired By Successful "Trash toCash" Project in Manistee
	* * * "It's something we do for ourselves, our town, and the environment. We're not here to just mess things up. It gives me a rush of energy to want to do more." * * * ~ Amanda Spoor, Brethren High School
		A worker for Manistee County's "Trash to Cash" program sorts cardboard into a compactor at the Lakeshore Enterprises Recycling Center in Manistee. In the first two years students have earned about $60,000 for youth activities.
	Two years after a student-managed recycling program opened in Manistee County, business and civic leaders in Benzie County are taking steps to launch a similar program called Benzie Recyclers. The project was initiated by Ingemar Johansson, the director of Lakeshore Enterprises, a unit of the Manistee-Benzie Community Mental Health Board. The goal of the program is to train students to operate and manage paper and cardboard collection centers at four sites throughout the county. Judging from the success of the Manistee program, said Mr. Johansson, the benefits to Benzie County are likely to be substantial: •Thousands of tons of Benzie County's paper that now are landfilled will be purchased and turned into cardboard at the Tenneco Packaging plant in Manistee. •Benzie student organizations stand to gain tens of thousands of dollars annually for youth activities. •Lakeshore Enterprises workers with disabilities will be employed to process the paper at a Manistee transfer plant. The Benzie County Commission endorsed the project last March. A 19-member board was formed that includes county planning director, and representatives of Mallison Excavating, Benzie Central Schools, Frankfort High School, the Michigan Land Use Institute, and the Frankfort and Benzie Chambers of Commerce. Once operating, Benzie Recyclers is sure to teach the same lesson about ways to link environmental and economic goals that the Manistee students have so strongly and effectively embraced. The Manistee "Trash to Cash" program, which has earned state and national student service awards, is considered one of the most innovative and effective community paper recycling programs in the state. "It's something we do for ourselves, our town, and the environment," said Amanda Spoor,a 17-year-old Brethren High School senior, and chair of the 15-member board that oversees the $130,000 a year program. "We're not here to just mess things up. It gives me a rush of energy to want to do more." Manistee's project--a collaboration among industry, educators, students, and local government--is serving an exceptional number of socially useful ends. In the two years that it has operated, nearly 2,400 tons of paper worth well over $200,000 have been collected. About $60,000 of the total revenue was returned for youth activities in Brethren, Bear Lake, Onekama, and the public and Catholic high schools in Manistee. "The most encouraging thing is that the kids are really involved in making it work. It couldn't be done without them," said Dan Welburn, a retired educator from Onekama who serves on the project board. "They are right there. Their mothers and fathers are there. They see how this partnership works." The stirring success of Manistee's recycling program is in large part the result of a convergence of fortunate events: a worthwhile rationale, an eager labor force, a steady supply of recyclable trash, and a dependable market. Benzie County is ready to take advantage of the same opportunities. Organizers in Benzie County are pleased at how quickly the crucial final step, a reliable transportation system, has been assembled. Jim Gillison of Mallison Excavating loaned Benzie Recyclers the money to purchase four collection and transportation trailers. And Graceland Fruit Co-op, Smeltzer Orchard Co., and Gillison's Variety Fabrication have volunteered to pick up and haul the waste paper to Manistee. "I think we have a really strong project in Benzie County that the students are going to love," said Mr. Johansson, "and that will make a real difference in the community."G For more information, contact: Ingemar Johansson, Lakeshore Enterprises, P.O. Box 238, Benzonia, MI 49616; Tel. 616-882-9601.