Recycling Association extends art contest deadline

The Recycling Association of Maricopa has extended its deadline to April 19 for its first-ever glass-recycling contest.

The contest is a way for the Recycling Association to get the word out that it recycles glass.

Environmental Concerns Organization, Inc., the mother company of RAM, is sponsoring the contest open to all ages.

“We hope that by having the contest it will encourage recycling in the community,” said Gina D’Abella, executive director of the recycling center.

D’Abellas’s organization is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays at 46250 W. McDavid Road in Maricopa. The hours will change to 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays beginning May 1.

Children will compete by grade level in the following brackets: Kindergarten through second, third through fifth, sixth through eighth and ninth through twelfth grades. Adults will compete in a separate bracket. The winner in each bracket will receive a gift card valued between $50 and $100 to a business in Pinal County. They will also receive a certificate.

An overall grand-prize winner will receive the most valuable gift card.

Here are the rules:

The artist must take a picture before they start of the materials they plan to use for their project which must contain at least 50 percent glass.

“We have got a lot of submissions that the artist didn’t take a prior picture and we had to disqualify them,” D’Abella said.

Submissions will be accepted during regular hours through April 19 at the center.

Once the artwork is turned in it becomes property of the sponsoring company and can be used in any way that company deems fit, D’Abella said. The company’s board of supervisors will judge the pieces.Winners will be announced on Earth Day, April 22.

“This is a great fun way to promote recycling in the community,” D’Abella said.

File photo