FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Nancy Rolli, Information and Education, DNREC

Thursday, October 12, 2000

302-739-4506

Newark, DE -- Matt DeLacy, first place winner of the Buy Recycled Essay Contest, was recognized this week at the Buy Recycled 2000 Conference held this week in Newark

Representing Secretary Nicholas A. DiPasquale and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Nancy Rolli, Education Coordinator for the Office of the Secretary, presented Matt with his award.

A student at Gunning Bedford Middle School in Delaware City, Matt was selected for his thoughts on how his school can recycle and use products made from recycled items. Currently an eighth grade student, Matt submitted the essay last year when he was in seventh grade.

The Buy Recycled Essay contest was sponsored by the Delaware Economic Development Office-Green Industries Program in partnership with the State Materials Recycling Team. Middle school students participated in this contest with essays on why it is important to use products made from recycled materials.

Matt wants to encourage other students to realize the usefulness of recycling. He advocates recycling to save many of the Earth's natural resources so they can be used for a longer period of time. Matt researched and compared the process of manufacturing a wooden picnic table and the process of manufacturing a table made with plastic "lumber." He found them to be very similar. He concluded that the best solution is to use "lumber" made from recycled plastics for durability, ease of maintenance and its ability to be recycled again.

As first place winner, representing 25 other members in his class, Matt has requested that a recycled picnic bench be presented to Gunning Bedford Middle School. On behalf of the Delaware Economic Development Department and Progressive Products, Inc., the school will receive a durable lifetime picnic table for use by its students.

In presenting the award, Rolli suggested that maybe Matt's grandchildren will be able to locate the brass plaque on the table someday and know that Matt and others long ago made a commitment to recycle.