The 4-1-1 is that Project Redirectory is under way for another year in Opelika.
Opelika City Schools are participating in a Keep Opelika Beautiful initiative from Nov. 15 to Dec. 15 called Project Redirectory, in which students collect old phone books to be recycled and turned into other usable materials.
"Project Redirectory is a competition among the Opelika City Schools, grades K through 8th, to see which school can collect the most used phone books," said Tipi Miller, director of Keep Opelika Beautiful. "Adding the competition factor is what makes this initiative so successful."
She said this will be the project's sixth year.
"It is the schools' job to collect and count the phone books," Miller said. "Once the directories are submitted, the City of Opelika Solid Waste Department will transport them to a recycling facility.
"There, the phone books will be recycled into insulation material, grocery bags and other paper products, such as paper towels or more phone books."
Miller said the school that collects the most used phone books will receive a $1,000 prize.
"The second-place winner will receive $700, and the third-place winner will receive $500," Miller said. "All Opelika City Schools that participate in this project will receive $100. We encourage the schools to use the money toward promoting environmental awareness and causes."
Becky Brown, Opelika City Schools public relations coordinator, said this is healthy competition for Opelika youth.
"The benefit of this competition is that we recycle all of these old phone books as opposed to them being thrown away and ending up in a landfill," Brown said.
Brown said Project Redirectory also teaches students the importance of recycling and respecting the environment.
"The kids get really into this project," Brown said. "The competitive nature of Project Redirectory is a direct factor of its success, but behind that is the students wanting to be more conscientious about the environment."
For more information on Project Redirectory or where to drop off old phone books, contact Miller at 334-749-4970 or Brown at 334-745-9700.
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