Local Soccer Teams Recycle More Than 3,000 Pounds of Materials During Competition

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 400 players spanning four clubs and 21 teams across Southern California collected and recycled 3156.91 pounds of items, including 1695.11 pounds of plastics, during "Recycle.Goal." The 7-week regional contest encouraged young athletes to recycle and learn about the value of recycling by rewarding them for their efforts. The winning team, the Alliance FC under-10 girls, will receive tickets to an upcoming LA Galaxy event. Sports Authority, LA Galaxy, Keep California Beautiful(SM) (KCB) and American Chemistry Council™ (ACC) teamed up to launch "Recycle.Goal." in September citing a need for all Californians to work together to increase recycling and reduce litter.

Program supporters had high hopes for the competition, and the results of the pilot program did not disappoint.

"We work with young people all the time, and I'm always impressed by their commitment and dedication to making our world and our state a better and cleaner place," said Christine Flowers, Executive Director of Keep California Beautiful. "They understand recycling and the role it plays in protecting our environment. We can all learn a lesson from these athletes."

"Plastics are a valuable resource, and ACC is pleased to see these kids collect hundreds of pounds of readily recyclable plastics and reduce litter by getting these plastics into the recycling stream," said Steve Russell, Vice President, plastics, American Chemistry Council. "These players should be proud of their efforts. Because of them, the plastics they recycled will go on to have second and third lives as useful new products, which helps conserve resources and support green businesses and green jobs."

"We are very pleased with the amazing response from all these young aspiring soccer players to the challenge of increasing recycling and reducing litter in our community by participating in the Recycle. Goal. competition," LA Galaxy Senior Director of Ticket Sales Tim Martin said." As an organization, we are dedicated to giving back to the community in which we live and work, and supporting this program is just one of the many ways in which we strive to give back."

"Any competition or activity that benefits the environment and involves young athletes is a winner with us," said Katie Feingold, Community Marketing Manager of Sports Authority. "The competition is a great success and we hope to continue being a part of this in the future. These athletes deserve our commitment for what they've achieved."

In fact, the competition is such a success that it has inspired Diamond Bar Soccer League to conduct recycling programs on its own to raise money and clean up their cities.

"This program is a real eye opener," said Antonio Gamboa, President of the Diamond Bar Soccer League. "Once we started collecting plastics, bottles and cans, we caught recycling fever, so we decided to start recycling other things. Recently, we started a league-wide printer cartridge recycling program. And soon we will start recycling electronic waste."

As part of "Recycle.Goal.," soccer teams comprised of players ages 10-13 competed to collect the most recyclable material by weight.  Each participating team that collected the minimum amount of recyclables earned a gift card to the Sports Authority for the team's use, and the top two teams won tickets to a future Los Angeles Galaxy game.  

Participants included teams from the Alliance Futbol Club (San Bernardino), Canyon PSA (Anaheim), Diamond Bar Soccer League and Imperial Valley SA (El Centro).

The program, which ended Oct. 31, is part of the Plastics. Too Valuable to Waste. Recycle.(SM) campaign, a successful public-private partnership effort involving ACC, KCB, California Department of Parks and Recreation and many others. Through their efforts, more than 700 seasonal and permanent recycling bins have been placed at more than 30 locations in the San Diego, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Francisco and Santa Cruz areas. For more information, visit the Web site at www.2valuable2waste.com.

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The American Chemistry Council (ACC) represents the leading companies engaged in the business of chemistry. ACC members apply the science of chemistry to make innovative products and services that make people's lives better, healthier and safer. ACC is committed to improved environmental, health and safety performance through Responsible Care®, common sense advocacy designed to address major public policy issues, and health and environmental research and product testing. The business of chemistry is a $674 billion enterprise and a key element of the nation's economy. It is one of the nation's largest exporters, accounting for ten cents out of every dollar in U.S. exports. Chemistry companies are among the largest investors in research and development. Safety and security have always been primary concerns of ACC members, and they have intensified their efforts, working closely with government agencies to improve security and to defend against any threat to the nation's critical infrastructure.

SOURCE American Chemistry Council