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For Immediate Release 
October 16, 2013

Contact:
Mark Carpenter
MarkCarpenter@isri.org

(MYSTIC, Conn. and WASHINGTON, DC) — JASON Learning and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) are inviting young filmmakers, artists and recycling advocates to do their part for an increasingly important environmental issue: how to properly recycle old cell phones.
Americans each year throw out millions of cell phones containing valuable metals and plastics that can save resources and energy when recycled, but if disposed of improperly, can release hazardous materials into the environment.

“Most people are at a loss when it comes to what to do with an old cell phone,” said Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. “Too often people throw their used cell phone in a drawer and forget about it. According to the EPA only 25 percent of household electronics available for recycling in the US are actually collected for recycling, with the rest remaining in residences or sent to landfills. This contest will educate children, and parents, about the opportunity and importance of properly recycling cell phones, thus helping to increase the volume of recycling within the US.”

To call attention to the problem, JASON and ReMA are sponsoring a national recycling awareness contest. Students in grades K–12 are invited to create an original poster or video, in the style of a public service announcement, to help educate the public on the importance of recycling old cell phones instead of throwing them away.

Students may enter the contest as individuals or pairs; only those living in the United States and currently enrolled in grades K–12 are eligible. One video and one poster will be selected as finalists from each of three grade bands: K–4, 5–8, and 9–12. Two overall grand prize winners will be selected — one from all the poster finalists and one from all the video finalists.

Entries must be submitted by January 15, 2014, and the winners will be selected by March 1, 2014. Prizes for the finalists include being featured on the JASON and ReMA websites, a year of JASON online access, an ReMA t-shirt, and for the grand prize winners, a trip for the entrant(s) and a parent or guardian to ISRI’s Annual Convention and Exposition in Las Vegas, April 6–10, 2014. For more information about the contest, how to enter and submit your work, and JASON and ReMA in general, please visit: jason.org/contests.

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Contacts:

Sea Research Foundation
Andrew Wood
860-572-5955 x517

The Dilenschneider Group
Jim Zebora/Mary Frances Duffy
212-922-0900

Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries
Mark Carpenter
202-662-8525

JASON Learning is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization managed by Sea Research Foundation, Inc., in partnership with the National Geographic Society. Named for the mythological Greek explorer, JASON is a nationally acclaimed, exploration-based program that links students — inside the classroom and out — to real science and scientists through technology intensive, inquiry-based curricular experiences. Learn more at jason.org.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI)
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) is the Voice of the Recycling Industry™. ReMA represents more than 1,700 companies in 21 chapters nationwide that process, broker and industrially consume scrap commodities, including metals, paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics and textiles. With headquarters in Washington, DC, the Institute provides safety, education, advocacy, and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycling plays in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development. For more information about ISRI, visit www.ISRI.org.