At their regular televised meeting on Feb. 11, the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners will honor ten local students who won the first annual Kitsap Recycles Day poster contest in celebration of Kitsap Recycles Day, Feb. 15.

Kitsap Recycles Day is a day set aside to remind residents of the importance of buying and using recycled products in order to close the recycling loop.

Closing the loop is a process in which post-consumer waste is collected, recycled, and used to make new products. For example, recycled paper can be made into cereal boxes or egg cartons, and plastic bottles can be made into new bottles or polyester fleece for clothing.

This year, ten winning posters will be published, two each Friday for five consecutive Fridays beginning Feb. 15, in the “Kitsap Week” section in each of the Kitsap Newsgroup newspapers in Kitsap County, including the Bremerton Patriot and Central Kitsap Reporter. Winning poster entries are also posted on the county website.

Kitsap County Solid Waste Division’s Senior Program Manager, Pat Campbell commented, “We are very pleased that these young people are realizing the importance of conserving our earth’s limited resources not only by recycling, but also by closing the loop through purchasing recycled products. We thank them for their efforts in helping us to spread the word as we observe our first Kitsap Recycles Day.”

This year’s winners are:

Jessica Baugh, Emerald Heights Elementary, 2nd grade

Brody Oliver, Manchester Elementary, 4th grade

Natalie Oathout, Peace Lutheran, Kindergarten

Mia AllenGreen, Mountain Elementary, 4th grade

Elliot Campbell, Gateway Christian Schools – Poulsbo Campus, 1st grade

Trinity Ramirez, Esquire Hills Elementary, 2nd grade

Maya Desai, Emerald Heights, Elementary, 3rd grade

Daizy Abigania, Fairview Junior High, 7th grade

Isabel Iral, Gateway Christian Schools – Crosspoint Campus, 6th grade

Tyja Johnson, Pinecrest Elementary, 4th grade