GLASGOW — Several southcentral communities are going green by launching recycling programs.

The effort reduces the amount of solid waste going to landfills, which can be a cost-saving measure for many cities, counties and even schools.

Tompkinsville Elementary launched a recycling program about four weeks ago. It is expected to save the Monroe County School money on its solid waste disposal. It will also serve as a learning experience for TES students.

The school recently received a $4,000 grant through Eastern Kentucky Pride Inc., an initiative that began in 1997 by U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers and serves 38 counties in southern and eastern Kentucky. The grant money will be used toward the purchase of items for the school’s outdoor classroom and to fund the startup of a PRIDE Club.

One of the club’s recent activities was a persuasive essay contest. Members were invited to write essays to the Tompkinsville City Commission regarding recycling. The winner of the contest was fourth-grader Mariah Cleary, who read her winning essay to commissioners at their Dec. 17 meeting.

“The city is pleased to have the opportunity to work with the TES Pride Club and all the schools in the county to educate them on the importance of recycling,” said commissioner Richard Jackson.

Cleary was one of four students who entered the contest.

“All four of them were good, but hers was exceptional,” said Hammer. “It was just very well written. She explained the club very well. She told what the PRIDE stood for — the Personal Responsibility in a Desireable Environment. She also told things she had learned.”

The one thing Hammer wants her students to take from the recycling project, she said, “is that they can make a difference.”

TES joins four other Monroe County schools in launching recycling programs, which coincides with the start of the citywide recycling program.

The city and the school system have an agreement that the city will provide the schools with small recycling containers for each classroom and each office in all five schools in exchange for the school system’s recycleable materials. The schools also get to visit the city’s recycling center as part of an educational opportunity, Jackson said in an earlier story.

Glasgow, Barren, Caverna and Metcalfe County schools also have recycling programs.

Glasgow Middle School began its recycling program nine years ago as part of a service learning project that required the students to identify a need in their community.

“We looked into recycling as a service need,” said Leslie Brauer, a GMS teacher.

Brauer’s students read books and listened to tapes regarding recycling and then they visited the Glasgow Regional Landfill and spoke to members of the Glasgow City Council.

“We figured we could recycle and that would be our part to help the community and change the world,” she said.

The students collect recycleable items once a week and sort them.

“We do white paper, colored paper, newspaper, magazines, cardboard, clear pastic bottles and aluminum cans,” Brauer said. “In our first year we figured we saved eight trees so we went out to Mammoth Cave and looked at the trees.”

The field trip to Mammoth Cave National Park enabled the students to get an idea of how much recycling it took to save the trees.

“They were so proud of themselves,” she said. “We try to do stuff like that every year to get them to visualize what they are doing.”

The school also received a service learning grant through the local community education program to fund the purchase of recycling bins for each classroom, which the school now has.

The students also reuse materials by taking paper that has not been used on both sides to the school’s computer labs for use as scratch paper, she said.

“It’s been a win-win situation,” Brauer said. “It’s good for everybody.”