For Immediate Release
June 14, 2002

Contact:
Eric Root
(207) 773-6465
Jason Wolfe
(207) 775-5115
E-mail: jason@wolfenews.com
Web Site: www.regionalwaste.org

PORTLAND, Maine - The Recycling Committee at Regional Waste Systems Inc., a non-profit municipal solid waste and recycling organization serving 27 towns in southern Maine, has awarded a $1,500 scholarship to a Yarmouth High School senior for winning an essay competition about recycling.

Recycling Committee members selected the essay submitted by 17-year-old Edward V. Bush, Jr. of Yarmouth as part of an annual competition open in the communities served by RWS to high school students who are accepted or enrolled in post-secondary institutions.

Carol Fritz, chairwoman of the Recycling Committee at RWS, awarded the scholarship to Bush during an awards ceremony at Yarmouth High School on Friday, June 7.

"An essay contest is a great way to promote recycling among our younger population by requiring them to think critically about an important issue," Fritz said. "Ed's essay really stood out in its creativity and passion about the subject matter, but we were very pleased with the quality of all of the entries."

Bush is a senior honors student active in a variety of activities both in and out of school, including dance, music, theater, debate and baseball. A member of the National Honor Society and president of the debate team, he was the first Yarmouth High student to qualify for the National Debate Tournament and also was chosen to attend Boys State and Boys Nation. Bush will attend Bates College in Lewiston this fall. The $1,500 scholarship will be used toward tuition, books or other fees.

This year, students were required to review a recycling-related copy of the comic strip "Blondie" and then: "Develop an argument or creatively express a viewpoint in which you take a position and address the cartoon's ironic commentary on the everyday waste management and recycling dilemma confronting these characters, and by implication, all of us."

High school seniors entering the competition also needed to show a history of academic excellence and community involvement. Materials were evaluated and judged by the volunteer Recycling Committee, made up of RWS board members from member communities.

The competition was open to students who are residents of any of the 27 cities and towns served by RWS. Those communities are: Baldwin, Bridgton, Cape Elizabeth, Casco, Cumberland, Falmouth, Freeport, Gorham, Gray, Harrison, Hollis, Limington, Lyman, Naples, North Yarmouth, Ogunquit, Parsonsfield, Porter, Portland, Pownal, Raymond, Scarborough, South Portland, Standish, Waterboro, Windham, and Yarmouth.

Regional Waste Systems Inc. is a non-profit solid waste management corporation that is owned and controlled by 21 cities and towns, and also has six associate member towns. RWS is also the largest municipal recycling organization in the state. Established in 1974 after Portland, South Portland, Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough decided to form a cooperative to handle their waste disposal, today RWS is governed by a 28-member board, consisting of officials appointed from member towns.

RWS accepts solid waste and recycled materials from these communities and also has a comprehensive, state-of-the-art recycling program with more than 100 recycling bins in 60 locations. For additional information on RWS, visit the RWS web site, www.regionalwaste.org.

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