Juno Beach, Florida: On Saturday, October 19th, 2019, Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) officially launched its Unwrap the Waves candy wrapper recycling program at its annual Fletch’s Fall Festival.
Partnering with 29 Palm Beach County (PBC) Schools and 7 community partners, LMC will collect and recycle Halloween and fall-inspired candy wrappers through TerraCycle’s zero waste program. All candy wrappers will be 100% recycled and used to make school supplies and other repurposed items.
At Fletch’s Fall Festival, guests had the opportunity to engage in hands on activities focused on sea turtle and ocean conservation. This year’s theme “Changing of the SEAsons” focused on providing guests with sustainable alternatives for everyday items that they use. At the event, guests had the opportunity to learn more about proper candy wrapper recycling, discuss sustainable candy product choices, and understand the impacts of using sustainable palm oil.
Through the program, participating local schools will collect candy wrappers as a way to prompt discussions of conservation, sustainability and protection of Florida’s natural ecosystems with students. The purpose of the initiative is not just to ensure students and individuals have a means to recycle their otherwise non-recyclable candy wrappers, but also to raise awareness of the large amount of single use holiday waste produced around the holiday season and start a conversation on the need for more sustainable packaging.
In its fourth year, the annual Unwrap the Waves initiative has generated more participation than ever. Last year, 21 schools, approximately 67 classrooms and 1,000 students participated in the program resulting in over 92,352 candy wrappers recycled. This year, 29 schools have signed up to participate and make the program a school wide initiative. Due to the increased number of schools participating in the program, LMC’s Education Department expects the total amount of recycled candy wrappers to far exceed previous years. With the help of community partners, local community members can participate in the recycling program by bringing their candy wrappers to a designated event or community partner drop-off location. Together, the South Florida community can make waves of progress.
Community Organizations: *Organizations hosting events featuring Unwrap the Waves collection boxes.
- Sugar Sand Park Shriek Week – October 24th, 25th, 26th
- Lion Country Safari Spooky Safari Halloween – October 26th
- Hobe Sound Nature Center Creepy Creature Feature – October 26th
- Palm Beach Zoo Boo at the Zoo – October 25th, 26th, 27th
Community Partners: *Organizations hosting a candy wrapper collection drop-off site for the public to use.
- Manatee Lagoon – An FPL Eco-Discovery Center
- Florida Atlantic University – Pine Jog Environmental Education Center
- The City of Boca Raton Office of Sustainability at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center
South Florida Schools: This year, a record number of South Florida schools are participating in the candy wrapper recycling program. During the week of October 14th, 2019, LMC’s Education Department dropped off recycling bags to the participating schools. The program will conclude on Monday, November 11th 2019, when the participating schools bring their recycled wrappers to one of the following drop-off locations.
Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Manatee Lagoon, FAU Pine Jog Environmental Education Center, Gumbo Limbo, Sandoway Discovery Center. The Palm Beach County Schools helping lead the way in ocean conservation include: Watson B Duncan Middle School; Jupiter Middle; Gove Elementary; Beacon Cove Intermediate; Crosspointe Elementary; Emerald Cove Middle School; Palm Beach Gardens Elementary; Forest Hill Elementary School; Timber Trace Elementary; Highland Elementary; Somerset Academy Lakes; HL Johnson; JD Parker; Limestone Creek Elementary; Lantana Elementary; Bright Futures Academy; Atlantic Community High School; The Pine School; Pine Jog Elementary; Greenacres Elementary; Coral Sunset Elementary School; Elbridge Gale Elementary; Treasure Coast Classical Academy; Jupiter Farms Elementary; Western Academy Charter; South Grade Elementary; St. Luke Catholic School a Notre Dame ACE Academy; Boca Raton Elementary; and Summit Questa Montessori School. – Additional Schools added on after original story – Belvedere Elementary, Palm Beach Day Academy, West Gate Elementary, Grandview Preparatory School, West Miami Middle School. Now a total of 34 schools spanning across Martin, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties!
Unwrap the Waves Candy Wrapper Recycling Program Contest Winners Announced: On Monday, November 18th, LMC’s Education Department will announce the top schools that collected the most candy wrappers and showcase the total amount of collected candy wrappers through a free, district-wide virtual experience. During this virtual experience, staff members will conduct a live Q&A to answer questions regarding sustainable packaging, sustainable palm oil, and suggestions for planning future candy focused events.
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About Loggerhead Marinelife Center: Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) is a nonprofit sea turtle research, rehabilitation and educational institution that promotes conservation of ocean ecosystems with a focus on threatened and endangered sea turtles. The Center features an on-site hospital, research laboratory, educational exhibits and aquariums, and also operates the Juno Beach Pier, which hosts world-class angling and sightseeing. Situated on one of the world’s most important sea turtle nesting beaches, Loggerhead Marinelife Center is open daily and hosts over 350,000 guests free-of-charge each year. The Center’s conservation team works with 90 local and international organizations across six continents to form partnerships and share conservation initiatives and best practices that are core to its mission of ocean conservation. The Center is expanding and has launched its Waves of Progress capital expansion campaign, designed to accelerate and amplify LMC’s conservation and education impact. When complete, the facility will offer one of the world’s most advanced and unique experiences for guests and scientific partners. For more information, visit marinelife.org or call (561) 627-8280.