Awards and Recognition

The Faces of Recycling
The Eighteenth Annual Morris County Recycling Awards Dinner
Friday, November 4, 2005
Hanover Manor, 16 Eagle Rock Avenue, East Hanover, NJ

Individuals Who Have Made A Difference Awards

• Ronald McCycle – Catherine Belotti, the Montville Township Women’s Club

• Joe to the Rescue – Joe Cuva, Madison

• Scouts’ Honor – Boonton Township Boy Scout Troop 69

• She said, "Let there be recycling!" – Andrea Bent, Suzanne Koerner, Jean Mattle and Joanne Sternberg

• "I can’t believe we’re not recycling! – Barbara Miller, Morris County Office of Temporary Assistance

• Sue. Me for Caring – Suzanne Mc Cluskey, Morris Plains

Ronald McCycle – Catherine Belotti, the Montville Township Women’s Club

A member of this club for 34 years, Catherine has been known as the "tab lady" since 2002 when she began coordinating the effort to collect aluminum can pull tabs for Ronald McDonald House (RMH). According to the brochure about RMH in Long Branch and New Brunswick, it "provides a ‘home away from home’ for the families of seriously ill children undergoing medical treatment in area hospitals." The following have contributed thousands of can tabs to the club’s program and in turn have assisted numerous families: a fire department, a beauty salon, the office where Catherine works, Catherine’s neighbors, three schools, and other club members.

Joe to the Rescue – Joe Cuva, Madison

A truck driver for much of his life, Joe Cuva has always been involved with wheels. In 1959, he began collecting cast-off bicycles, and he delivered them to needy people in New York City and Philadelphia. "I’d rather be in the position to help, rather than to receive help," says the man who estimates that he’s "rescued" about 500 bicycles. PeaceWorks of Morristown has accepted several dozen bikes from Joe and has shipped them to Nicaragua. Most recently, a crew of Sheriff’s Labor Assistance (S.L.A.P.) workers along with Bruce Hoppe and Robert Young, two Pedals for Progress volunteers, prepared bikes that were stored in Joe’s yard, to be sent by Pedals for Progress to developing countries.

Scouts’ Honor – Boonton Township Boy Scout Troop 69

"The scouts have been lifesavers," says Ron Saharyan, supervisor at the Boonton Township Recycling Center. Every other Saturday morning, in addition to unloading recyclables from residents’ vehicles, the Boy Scouts flatten all corrugated cardboard that requires such attention, and they put the recyclables into the paper containers. Another real gift at the center is the result of Ryan Matthews’ Eagle Scout project: designing and building three sets of stairs that provide easy access to roll-off containers, creating signage, and painting lines on the pavement. "It feels good to have completed this project because lots of people have benefited from the improvements," states Ryan.

She said, "Let there be recycling!" – Andrea Bent, Suzanne Koerner, Jean Mattle and Joanne Sternberg

During the summer of 1970, Chatham Township resident Genny Minton recruited several women to work on a recycling program for the Chathams. That group became known as the Chatham Environment Committee, and they bombarded residents with information about the aluminum, glass and paper drives that occurred in 1970 and 1971. "Several of us were becoming increasingly aware of environmental problems, and we focused on recycling because it was hands-on, and we knew we could encourage people to recycle in our own community," says spokeswoman Joanne Sternberg. Although numerous volunteers helped the Chatham Environment Committee, the project became too large for their small group to handle, and the Chatham Jaycees took over until both Chatham Borough and Chatham Township officials became responsible for recycling. "I’m very glad that we started it, because it gave the impetus to the municipalities to move more quickly," Joanne affirms.

"I can’t believe we’re not recycling!" – Barbara Miller, Morris County Office of Temporary Assistance

A Morris County employee for ten and a half years, Barbara Miller likes to get things done. For several years, she worked for Employment and Training Services and for the Workforce Investment Board. Currently serving as administrative analyst for the Office of Temporary Assistance (OTA), a division of the Department of Human Services, Barbara was appalled that no blue containers for recyclable paper were visible at OTA in February 2004 when she began working there. So she spoke with the powers at OTA who got the ball rolling by calling the MCMUA. Because Barbara took the bull by its horns, there’s now an active recycling program at OTA. "I believe in recycling, in taking care of the environment. I’ve always loved the outdoors," Barbara says.

Sue. Me for Caring – Suzanne Mc Cluskey, Morris Plains

Suzanne McCluskey inherited her passion for recycling from her mother, who was an active recycler in Morris Plains long before curbside recycling existed there. Thus, it was meant to be that Suzanne became liaison to the Morris Plains Recycling Committee after being appointed to the Morris Plains Council in April 2002. Since that time, she has enthusiastically worked with the Morris Plains Recycling Committee to host a 20^th anniversary celebration and to make some improvements at Reimer Recycling Center. After a resident attended a council meeting in the spring of 2003 suggesting that there be a farmers’ market in Morris Plains, Sue volunteered to investigate the possibilities. After doing so, she formed a committee and contacted vendors. The farmers’ market concept became reality in June 2003, and it has evolved into a great gathering place for Morris Plains residents and others – a place to buy locally grown produce and eggs, locally made cheese and baked goods; a place to listen to music and participate in cooking contests; a place to chat with friends and neighbors; and a place to speak to borough officials. Suzanne was also involved in the first tire amnesty collection program this fall, which Morris Plains and the MCMUA co-hosted; 334 tires were collected, thus eliminating 334 breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

"I scream for D. Madison and Heath Bar Crunch!" – Dolores Madison and Kathy Heath, Randolph

Longtime Randolph employees Dolores Madison (secretary to Carl Bressan, engineer) and Kathy Heath (secretary to Clement Ferdinando, health officer) work hand in hand to make the Randolph recycling program run smoothly. Dolores prepares the curbside recycling reports based on the amount of material collected by department of public works employees, and she pays the bills related to the township recycling program. In her spare time she’s created vests and skirts from used neckties, and wearing apparel from used plastic shopping bags (she’s modeling an elegant hand-made cape this evening). For several years, she was coordinator for the prize-winning recycling floats that appeared in Randolph Fourth of July parades. A sidekick of Dolores, Kathy Heath is the first face of recycling that new residents see, because she provides printed information and blue plastic recycling containers to them. In addition, she compiles the annual tonnage report that must be submitted to the state, and she puts the annual recycling brochure together. This year she also contacted all of the businesses in Randolph to request information about their recycling practices.

"Make the world a better place" – Morris Area Girl Scout Council

Indeed, the Morris Area Girl Scout Council has taken the following words from the Girl Scout Law to heart and has put them into action: "I will do my best to … make the world a better place." Girl Scout troops are in the process of collecting used cell phones and inkjet and laser jet cartridges that are reprogrammed or remanufactured by a company named Recycle First. The money that is collected from the sale of these items is used to send Girl Scouts to Jockey Hollow Girl Scout Camp located in Harding and Mendham townships where a major renovation program is ongoing. The state of the environment has been a high priority during the renovation process. Only 50 tires have been cut down, and those trees will be used for building log cabins elsewhere. The use of the new composting toilets at the camp will result in the discharge of significantly less "black water" than is discharged by regular toilets. "Gray water" discharged from sinks and showers will go to a holding/settling tank to be filtered, then through a drip irrigation system and into the root zone of the forest, thus protecting the groundwater at the camp. In addition, one of the buildings has been winterized so that outdoor education programs can take place throughout the year.

Shop Right, Recycle Right – Christopher Kenny, Morris County School of Technology

Once upon a time not too long ago or very far away, Christopher Kenny helped to raise civic awareness at the Morris County School of Technology by integrating recycling into the curriculum for the supermarket retail careers class. Later, he and the students in that class reinvigorated the recycling program that had lapsed at the school. At least once a week, students in this class collect recyclables from classrooms, offices and kitchens, and deliver them to Mr. Kenny’s classroom in order to sort them. Early on, Mr. Kenny contacted Denville recycling officials to ask if the school could deliver the recyclables to the Denville Recycling Center; the answer was "Yes," and every week some of the students accompany the recyclables to the center where they unload them and put them into the appropriate containers. As a result, these students are well prepared to function in the "real world" of recycling.

Taking the Lead – The Willow School, Gladstone, New Jersey

According to a press release issued on November 17, 2004, the Willow School, which had been awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification from the U.S. Building Council, is one of only 35 buildings in the United States to receive Gold Certification. The school is also the first building in the state of New Jersey to receive this designation. What a place the school is! "This is barn-based architecture; the vertical space provides a sense of connection with the outdoors. The low windows are great for all ages," explains Richard Eldridge, head of school. Mark Biedron, co-founder of the school with Gretchen Johnson Biedron, his wife, lists a few of the environmentally sound attributes of the school: stone from old barn foundations and the "big dig" in Boston; wood from pickling vats and a toothpick factory; insulation made from used cotton denim; terrazzo floors in the bathrooms made from recycled glass; rainwater to flush the toilets; lamposts that were once used on Cape Cod; cork flooring and non-toxic linoleum; solar panels on the roof. Asked why the willow tree is used for the name of the school, Richard Eldridge responds: "Gretchen Biedron selected the name for reasons that incorporated the willow’s being strong yet flexible, fast growing, enduring, and given to shading (e.g., caring and supporting) in a soft and gentle way."

Moving in the Right Direction – AAA New Jersey Automobile Club

For many years, the American Automobile Association has taught motorists to dispose properly of used motor oil, tires and batteries, as well as to maintain ignition systems to reduce vehicle emissions and save fuel. Recently, the AAA New Jersey Automobile Club went even further. During October 2004, in conjunction with National Car Care Month, the club invited the public to visit participating AAA Approved Auto Repair (AAR) shops to have their vehicles checked for mercury switches. If mercury switches were found, they were replaced by new, non-polluting ball bearing switches at no cost. The program was repeated in October 2005. Also, during Earth Week 2005, the club sponsored the Great Battery Roundup, a program through which motorists were able to dispose safely of batteries by taking them to AAA offices or AAR facilities. Otto the Auto, the talking miniature car which is owned by the N.J. Automobile Club Foundation for Safety & Education, visited Briarwood School in Florham Park to educate the students about Earth Day and the Great Battery Roundup. For every battery that was collected, AAA gave $1.00 to the New Jersey Chapter of the Nature Conservancy.

Victoria’s Victory – Victoria Forte, Denville
Improving the State of the Union – The Shoppes at Union Hill, Denville

Victoria began shopping at the Shoppes at Union Hill, located on Route 10 West, in the winter of 2004. One day when she ate at Qdoba Mexican Grill, she found no container for recyclables, so she spoke with the manager and even asked for the name of the trash hauler. She called the hauler to ask why there were no provisions for recycling. On another occasion, she went to Starbucks, found no recycling container there and spoke about it to the woman who was selling cappuccinos. "I take recycling seriously, so I decided to be a bulldog and pursue this. It seemed that I alone wasn’t getting anywhere, so I needed to bring in bigger guns. I called the EPA and some other agencies, and then eventually found the phone number for the MCMUA. I voiced my concerns to Kathleen Hourihan, and she ran with the ball. When I learned about this award, I knew that progress had been made," reports Victoria.

Victoria Forte asked questions and made phone calls. A representative for the trash hauler that serves Qdoba called Kathleen Hourihan to say that he couldn’t collect bottles and cans. Kathleen went to every store in the mall to speak with every manager. Victoria made more calls. Levin Management, North Plainfield, N.J., the management company for the mall, called Kathleen to invite her to attend a store managers’ meeting, and she accepted the invitation. A representative of Stanbery Development, the Columbus Ohio-based owner of the mall, also attended the meeting. Kathleen announced that all of the details were taken care of, and the recycling program for bottles and cans was ready to go. Bensi, Maggie Moo’s, Panera Bread, Qdoba Mexican Grill and Starbucks are now recycling their bottles and cans!

A Green Pill for Mother Nature – Pfizer Inc., Morris Plains

Involved in a $400 million, six-year renovation and building project, Pfizer Inc. is furiously recycling inside and outside the corporation’s walls. Four years ago when Neil Chuprinko, team leader for Site Services began working at Pfizer, he became aware that there were contracts with multiple waste haulers and that, as a result, confusion reigned. After doing research, the recycling improvement team of which Neil was a member, recommended that an on-site staging area for recyclables be created "outside the walls." The staging area was created, Pfizer contracted with one waste hauler only, and Tom Williamson ("I call him our Superman!" Neil exults) was hired to serve as on-site recycling coordinator. Tom drives a rear loader from building to building and from one construction site to another, conferring with the general contractors and construction officials as he collects recyclable material to transport back to the staging area. Inside the walls, the office recycling program was enhanced, too. A new recycling icon featuring a star-shaped creature standing on top of the three-chasing- arrows recycling symbol is posted in all areas where copy machines are located. The icon is printed on all recycling-related literature, and on recycling notices that are shown on plasma screens. Each employee has received a brochure explaining the recycling program with this message on the front cover: "Don’t throw away what can be used another day." Standardized recycling containers abound in the facility, and Pfizer is using paper with recycled content. All of this has been one easy green pill for Mother Nature to swallow.

At least eight models will saunter down the runway, sporting apparel and accessories that are directly related to re-use and recycling. If you’d like to order an Escama bag that is chock-a-block with aluminum can pull tabs, please call the Sacco Shoe Store on 59^th Street in Manhattan: 212-207-3151. Escama bags such as the one Michelle Burke carries are made by two women’s cooperatives in Brazil (the word "escama" is Portuguese for "fish scales"). The pièce de résistance is the ensemble called "The Star-Ledger, the Newspaper for New Jersey" modeled by Louise Abato. Once again, Leeza Tea Coco Chanel, MCMUA designer-in-residence, has created a unique outfit. "Frequent flyer" dinner guests will recall seeing "All the news that’s fit to wear," a blouse made by Leeza Tea from The New York Times that was modeled at the 2002 dinner.