New Castle, DE – New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer today announced the winners of this year’s Great Schools Clean Streams environmental education campaign, which last month enlisted area residents to raise awareness of the environmental harm from pouring kitchen grease and oils down the drain and into the County’s wastewater treatment system.
“The results are in, and 11,124 people signed the pledge to keep New Castle County’s environment clean in 2021,” County Executive Meyer said. “Remember if you have any grease to toss, follow the example of St. Peter, Linden Hill, and Olive B. Loss, and we will have great schools and clean streams for all of the county’s residents.”
Residents participated in the Great Schools Clean Streams campaign by signing an online pledge at greatschoolscleanstreams.org to properly dispose of used cooking grease and throw it in the trash. Each participant assigned their pledge to the public, charter, or private school of their choice in New Castle County and the schools that collected the most pledges won cash awards they can use to purchase classroom materials and to support school projects. Nine schools from three categories - schools with 299 or less students, 300-599 students, and 600 or more students – won cash awards and all schools with 50 or more pledges were entered into a wild card drawing for one of ten $250 awards.
The 2021 Great Schools Clean Streams campaign was part of New Castle County’s commemoration of Earth Month, which included collaborations with local non-profits to offer opportunities for residents to get outdoors and enjoy the beauty of nature while contributing to bettering the environment.
2021 Great Schools Clean Streams Winners
Schools 600+ students
● First Place ($1,250 award): Linden Hill Elementary School - 443 pledges
● Second Place ($750 award): Odyssey Charter School - 417 pledges
● Third Place ($500 award): MOT Charter School - 372 pledges
Schools 200-599 students
● First Place ($1,250 award): Olive B. Loss Elementary School - 755 pledges
● Second Place ($750 award): First State Montessori Academy - 595 pledges
● Third Place ($500 award): Christ The Teacher Catholic School - 503 pledges
Schools with fewer than 200 students
● 1st Place ($1,250 award): St. Peter The Apostle Catholic School - 282 pledges
● 2nd Place ($750 award): Saint Edmond's Academy - 186 pledges
● 3rd Place ($500 award): Pilot School - 135 pledges
10 Schools with 50+ pledges chosen at random for $250 Wild Card Prize
● Albert Einstein Academy
● St. Elizabeth School
● William F. Cooke Elementary School
● Smyrna Christian School
● Louis L. Redding Middle School
● William Penn High School
● Brick Mill Elementary
● Alexis I. duPont Middle School
● West Park Place Elementary School
● Mount Pleasant Elementary School
New Castle County operates Delaware's largest wastewater treatment system with more than 1,800 miles of sanitary sewer lines that serve 122,000 customers and handles 50 million gallons of flow each day. Cooking grease and oils that are poured down the drain attach to the walls of sewer pipes and are a leading cause of sewer blockages, backups and spills which harm the environment and create significant cleanup costs.
New Castle County has reduced the number of backups and overflows by 40% over the past two years through regular monitoring and cleaning and through public outreach like the Great School, Clean Streams campaign.
New Castle County wastewater treatment system quick facts:
● 50+ Million Gallons of Wastewater Daily
● 1,800 Miles of Sanitary Sewer lines
● 45,000 Manholes
● 172 Pumping Stations
● 500+ miles of sewer line cleaned annually
● 3 Wastewater Treatment Plants
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