School kids join drive to recycle.

Gustavo Zayes, 11, is on a quest for trash, and he's proud of it. When he sees discarded soda or beer cans, whether on the sidewalk or in a trash can, he picks them up and takes them to school.

"I used to squash them," the Auburndale Elementary School fifth-grader said.

"Usually you don't bring cans that are old and dirty to school."

Auburndale, in Miami, is one of 53 elementary schools around Dade County competing for a share of $10,000 in prize money in the McAliley-Ruvin Environmental Awards, sponsored by the Arise Foundation and its founder, Dade environmentalist Edmund Benson.

Students have until April 6 to bring in aluminum cans or white paper to recycle. Top schools in each of the six regions will win $1,000. The top class in the county will win a day trip to Walt Disney World.

"We didn't think there would be this much response," said Gus Loret-de-Mola, the public school system's science supervisor. "We may end up getting all the schools doing it as a way of earning money for the schools."

Schools also get to keep the money they raise while participating. Winners are determined by weight of materials brought in. Cans are worth 34 cents a pound, which is about 26 cans.

Depending on the quality, white paper can bring in $50 to $200 a ton.

To Javier Garcia, 10, the reasons to recycle couldn't be more clear: "I would like Miami to look nicer, instead of a lot of papers and trash thrown around," Javier said. "I would also like to win the trip to Disney World."

Javier is one of Auburndale's 20 recycling monitors, who wear white tags that read "Recycle."

The monitors arrive at the school, 3255 SW Sixth St., a half-hour early, at 8 a.m., and go from classroom to classroom to collect bags of cans and paper. The bags are taller than some of the students who carry them.

Classrooms receive a ticket after each pickup to track their contributions.

Monica Caicedo, 11, a fifth-grader, goes to grocery stores to ask for cans. Reynaldo Finales, 10, also a fifth-grader, said he's lucky because his father works at a market.

"I want to get the kids aware that they're destroying their own resources. Every time they throw away a paper bag, they're wasting trees," said Benson, who asked Montenay Power Corp. for the $10,000 contribution for the contest. Montenay runs the resource recovery incinerator in West Dade.

"I went to them and told them we'd like to put them out of business," Benson said.

Benson named the contest for Dade County Commissioner Harvey Ruvin and School Board member Janet McAliley because of their concern for the environment, he said.

Auburndale fourth-grader William Avila, 9, said his family has already gotten the message on preserving resources.

"My sister's a little napkin-waster," he said about his sister Jessica, 6. He said she always threw paper napkins around her room while she played with her Barbie dolls. Until two weeks ago, that is.

"My mom got that kind you can't break, the cloth ones, and we use those," said William, who lives in Miami.

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