Make upcycled crafts, play Recycling Trivia, watch a free film, learn about Lee County Solid Waste’s recycling program, and take advantage of Refuge Nature Store specials during Global Recycling Day at J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island, Wednesday, March 18.

Molly Schweers, spokesperson for Lee County Waste Management, will kick off the day designed for educating the public about the importance of recycling in preserving natural resources. At 9:30 a.m., Schweers will talk in the “Ding” Darling Visitor & Education Center Auditorium about what you should and should not put into your recycling bins and why.

Those who attend the recycling program or Recycling Trivia, which follows at 11 a.m., will receive a 10 percent discount coupon for the Refuge Nature Store.

The 12 p.m. free film airing will feature Bag It: Is Your Life Too Plastic?. It begins its mission with the ill effects of plastic bags, then evolves into a wholesale investigation into plastic and its effect on waterways, oceans, wildlife, and our own bodies. It connects the dots between plastic and around 100,000 marine animal deaths each year, plus human disease from male infertility to diabetes.

“My awesome education team decided to celebrate the planet on this special day by highlighting the effects of plastic and other trash on our planet,” said conservation educator Sara Soderholm, who leads in organizing the event. “Molly Schweers is a great speaker who is passionate about the work the county does in turning trash into profit. You won’t want to miss her.”

Below is the full schedule for recycling awareness and free fun throughout the day:

  • 9:30-10:30 a.m. – Recycling discussion with Molly Schweers from Lee County Solid Waste Department, Visitor & Education Center Auditorium
  • 11-11:30 a.m.. – Recycling Jeopardy with prizes, Visitor & Education Center Classroom
  • 12-2:50 p.m. – Free showing of film Bag It: Is Your Life Too Plastic? Visitor & Education Center Classroom
  • 1:30-2:30 p.m. – Free make-and-take Recycled Crafts, Visitor & Education Center Classroom

 

“Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge supports the Global Recycling Day celebration at the refuge. For more information, call 239-472-1100 ext. 236 or visit dingdarlingsociety.org/articles/events.

 

ABOUT DDWS
As a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, DDWS works to support J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge’s mission of conservation, wildlife and habitat protection, research, and public education through charitable donations and Refuge Nature Shop profits.

To support DDWS and the refuge with a tax-deductible gift, visit dingdarlingsociety.org or contact Birgie Miller at 239-472-1100 ext. 4 or [email protected].