PANAMA CITY — The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has received some creative entries for the recycling selfie contest.
Andrea Shoda, 8, of Satellite Beach, photographed herself with a dollhouse made entirely of recycled materials, most of which were recovered during a beach cleanup: doll mattresses cut out of foam packaging, dressers made from old jewelry boxes, a floor mat made from Popsicle sticks and bunk bed made from an old, wicker bookcase.
Elainwy Slyboom was voted queen of the fall festival in Alachua County. She works for the county as a recycling specialist and she made a tutu from discarded plastic bags.
“I decided to be a recycling queen,” Slyboom wrote on FDEP’s Facebook page.
FDEP is accepting submissions for the contest through Nov. 25, having received about five since the beginning of the contest Nov. 5. Recycling selfies should be sent in a direct message to the FDEP Facebook page.
Not all the entries require creativity. FDEP Press Secretary Tiffany Cowie had photos of herself tossing paper into a recycle bin as an example.
At the end of the period, each submission will be entered into a random drawing determining winners of four state park entry passes. Participants can have more than one submission to increase their chances to win. St. Andrews and Camp Helen state parks are in Bay County, and the next closest is St. Joseph Peninsula.
Cowie said the recycling submissions can include something as simple as reusing plastic water bottles. There are a few places to recycle in Bay County, including Coastal Metals at 1023 E. 15th St. in Panama City, Emerald Coast Recycling at 2312 Industrial Drive in Panama City, and Redco Recycling, 2915 E. Sixth Court, Panama City, the last of which specializes in paper products.
“We’re really excited to share this recycling challenge,” Cowie said. “We’re encouraging kids to get on board, parents to get on board.”
Cowie added that part of the motivation for FDEP is increasing traffic at the department’s Facebook page.
