St. Katharine Drexel Regional Catholic School unveils new playground made from recycled products
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
Have you ever heard of a playground made of old toothbrushes and floss containers? Probably not. But for the kids, teachers and surrounding communities of St. Katharine Drexel Regional Catholic School, it was the first thing on their minds for most of 2017. After several months of hard work and dedication, it was announced in June that the Holland-based school was the winner of the TerraCycle Recycled Playground Challenge. On Nov. 2, the newly donated playground from TerraCycle, ShopRite and Colgate was officially unveiled during a special ribbon-cutting ceremony.
As part of the Playground Challenge, which ran from March through June, the students of St. Katharine Drexel earned 91,767 “playground credits” through online voting and by recycling items like toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes and floss containers. One “credit” was earned for every .02 pounds of oral care waste sent to TerraCycle.
According to Christine Magyarits, ShopRite’s community relations director, schools from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut and Maryland entered the contest. St. Katharine was competing against hundreds vying for the playground, yet it was victorious and became the first school in the state to take home the grand prize.
“It really speaks to the community energy that must have occurred,” Magyarits said.
At a first glance, and even upon closer inspection, the playground looks like any other with a colorful slide, monkey bars and ladder. One would never guess that it’s made entirely from recycled oral care waste, or that its creation was 100 percent environmental-friendly. But that’s just the case, with the new area reflecting each partner’s commitment to protecting the environment.
When Colgate approached ShopRite with the idea for a recycled playground five years ago, Magyarits explained how the company was immediately on board.
“We practiced sustainability before it was cool,” she said.
Representing ShopRite of Warminster was store owner Joseph Cowhey, who touched on the important lesson of what can happen when people come together for a single purpose. Not only is the playground beneficial to the environment, he explained, but it will be an integral part of the school experience for generations to come.
“Giving back and recognizing people in the community is one of the greatest things,” he said.
Sharing the same sentiment was Michael Waas, TerraCycle’s global vice president of brand partnerships, who praised the students for embracing the purpose of the Playground Challenge. As a global leader in recycling “hard-to-recycle” items, TerraCycle was responsible for the execution of the playground and, thanks to its talented engineers, was able to do so flawlessly.
When the Playground Challenge began, according to Waas, many thought the slide and ladders would be made from whole toothbrushes stacked upon each other. For him, the confusion and anticipation made the project all the more exciting.
“Our team is always looking at things that normally go in the trash,” he said. “It’s helping people understand there is no such thing as trash.”
Several student representatives also had the chance to take the microphone. While some spoke about the importance of caring for the environment, others like Jacob couldn’t contain their excitement about the new space.
“I can’t wait to play on it with friends,” he said.
The kids didn’t have much longer to wait. After a blessing from Monsignor John C. Marine, principal Laura Clark and the representatives gathered to cut the ribbon, the final thing separating the kids from the ultimate play experience. Moments later, the students began to break in the new space, climbing the ladders and zooming down the slide, shouts of laughter ringing through the parking lot.
For more information on TerraCycle’s Recycled Playground Challenge, visit terracycle.com/colgateshopriteplayground2017. ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
