Recycle electronics and help Destination Imagination teams

Do you have electronics that you need to discard? Destination Imagination (DI) teams in Madison City Schools are recycling electronics through May 11.

Funds from collected electronics will help the teams attend the 2012 DI Global Finals at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville on May 23-27.

Individuals can recycle used inkjet and laser printer cartridges, cell phones, digital cameras, games systems and laptops.

Collection boxes are in the lobbies at Madison Public Library, Discovery Middle School and Bob Jones High School. The teams cannot accept desktop computers or printers.

“The DI organization has always been a proponent of recycling,” coach Robin Dauma said. “If you come to a DI tournament, you will see a plethora of re-purposed items that have been turned into set pieces, props and costumes.”

DI teams often use basic materials, like lumber and PVC pipe, for several years. “Teaching students how to accomplish a goal while reusing something that was otherwise destined for the trash heap is something that will hopefully stay with them for life,” Dauma said.

“The Madison City Schools’ DI teams are always looking for creative ways to raise funds for our trip to Global Finals,” Dauma said. “We feel that this fundraiser, (affiliated with) the Cartridges for Kids organization, is a perfect match for us.”

Dauma and other DI coaches hope that Madison residents will clean out their dresser drawers and bring in their old cell phones, along with used ink cartridges, laptops and game consoles.

Fifteen DI teams from Madison won first-place honors at the state tournament on April 14 at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Eight of those teams from Madison qualified to compete at global finals, including four from Bob Jones, two from Discovery and one each from Horizon and Madison elementary schools.

For more information, visit globalfinals.org.