Ruth's Reusable Resource Center Named 'Recycler of the Year' by Regional Waste Systems

PORTLAND, Maine - The Recycling Committee of Regional Waste Systems has named Ruth Libby of Ruth's Reusable Resource Center its "Recycler of the Year" for providing local schools with usable, surplus items donated by industry.

Recycling Committee Chair Susan McGinty presented the award to owners Ruth and Tom Libby at the recent RWS annual meeting. Each year, the volunteer committee honors an individual, group or corporation that has increased or improved recycling in southern Maine. Hannaford Bros. Co. received the award last year.

This year, the Recycling Committee was most impressed by the success Ruth's Reusable Resource Center is having providing schools all over southern Maine with items and materials that otherwise might have ended up in the trash. Visit www.ruths.org for more information.

"Ruth's Reusable Resource Center truly is one of the most innovative organizations around when it comes to finding a way to reuse surplus supplies and materials, which is recycling in its purest form," said McGinty, a Cumberland resident. "Their efforts are truly astounding. Ruth's deserves our recognition."

Located in the Bessey School in Scarborough, Ruth's Reusable Resource Center is a non-profit resource center for schools throughout the region. In existence for more than nine years, Ruth Libby said the mission is simple: "To ensure that students and classrooms in Maine have the basic tools for learning by transferring the community's surplus supplies and merchandise into the hands of teachers and school children."

Each year, Ruth's receives more than 12 truckloads of material, books, office supplies, computers and equipment, paper, school desks, rulers, textbooks and other items. The items are stocked, displayed and stored at Bessey School. Teachers from all over the region come to the center to take donations for their classrooms. Non-profit agencies and even towns benefit from surplus office supplies as well. In addition, as a result of a grant received from Cole Haan in 2002, Ruth's provides an environmentally responsible way to dispose of computer equipment.

Participating schools pay $1 per student per year and non-profits pay $350 annually, which generates barely enough revenue for Ruth's to cover expenses. Currently, individuals cannot obtrain surplus materials but they do have access to the computer recycling service. For more info on that service, contact computers@ruths.org.

The "Recycler of the Year" award is part of an annual recognition program initiated by RWS to promote and encourage recycling in the region. RWS also has a recycling mascot called "Reggie" who is available for public and school events, and a recycling display for towns to use at fairs, events and in town offices.

Regional Waste Systems 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 also is 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.

Communities served by RWS 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.

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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Susan McGinty (left), of Cumberland, an RWS Board member who chairs the Recycling Committee, presents the 2003 Recycler of the Year award to Ruth and Tom Libby, owners of Ruth's Reusable Resource Center in Scarborough, a non-profit organization that provides unwanted materials and supplies to schools all over southern Maine.