Office of Borough President James P. Molinaro
Staten Island, New York
Pratt Industries, BP Molinaro to sponsor recycling challenge
Pratt Industries, which owns and operates the recycled paper mill in Travis, announces an exciting new competition to improve recycling rates on Staten Island – as well as provide $60,000 in prize money for public parks.
The competition, which kicks off January 1st, will be between the three community board districts to see which can have the greatest percent increase in curbside paper collection over 2010’s numbers.
Pratt will award a total of $10,000 in each quarter in 2011, with a grand prize of $20,000 based on the full year’s results.
Every quarter, Pratt will donate $5000 to the community board district with the greatest increase in paper recycling rates versus the year’s prior quarter. In addition, $3000 for second and $2000 for third will be awarded to the boards that come in second and third respectively. The final prize money will be split $10,000 for first place, $6000 for second and $4000 for third.
All funds will be used for improvements to public parks on the island.
"Staten Island residents can be assured that 100% of the paper collected in the curbside recycling program gets recycled right here at the mill,” said Myles Cohen, President of Pratt’s Recycling Division. “Now with this incentive to beautify the parks, residents can contribute to both the economy and the parks by ensuring that as much paper as possible is getting recycled in their homes.”
Borough President Molinaro said, “This is a wonderful opportunity not only to improve our parks, but to get Staten Islanders working collectively toward increasing recycling in the Borough. I look forward to seeing both increased recycling and some great improvements to our already spectacular parks.”
Commissioner Doherty said, “I can appreciate both as the Commissioner of Sanitation and a life long resident of Staten Island this latest effort on the part of Pratt Industries’ to help boost resident participation in the paper portion of the City’s Recycling Program. Working together as a community the residents of Staten Island’s three community boards can through this competition make NYC a greener city by recycling more paper and make their own neighborhood parks greener through the same effort. As an added bonus, the additional paper recycled will stay in the Staten Island economy by providing Pratt with more raw materials to produce more liner board and corrugated boxes.”
Borough Parks Commissioner Adena Long said, "SI Parks is proud to be a partner in this recycling contest, where everyone is a winner!"
Prize money will only be awarded if paper generation increases each quarter. If there is no increase in any given quarter, the $10,000 will be added to the following quarter’s prize pool.
Pratt will track the numbers and progress reports will be posted on the Staten Island Borough President’s website (www.statenislandusa.com).
Each year, the Pratt mill recycles 400,000 tons of waste paper. Thirty thousand tons of that comes from curbside collection on the island.
Pratt is America’s 6th largest paper and packaging company with 3500 “green-collar” workers in more than 20 states.
January 1, 2011