Programs
Environmental
Recycling at Home
By recycling at home, you can help Andrews earn $1,000! The City measures the amount of trash vs. recycling picked up from the neighborhoods surrounding each elementary school and distributes cash awards based on these levels. By increasing our recycling tonnage, we can earn $1,000 for our school!
There is no cost to you and no need to sort your recyclables — they can be mixed together.
Please help our community and our school by recycling:
- Newspapers, magazines, and catalogs (remove plastic wrappers)
- Junk mail
- Mixed office and school papers
- Shredded paper (placed in a sealed clear plastic bag)
- Phone books
- Paper grocery bags
- Chipboard or boxboard (gray cardboard found in cereal boxes, cracker boxes, shoe boxes, etc.)
- Corrugated cardboard boxes (should be clean, dry and placed loosely in your recycling container)
- Aluminum, steel and tin cans (rinsed, labels ok)
- Plastic #1 and #2 bottles
- Aerosol cans
- Glass jars, containers, dishes, drinking glasses, and vases (any color)
Did you know your monthly refuse fee is based on the amount of trash you generate? Residents that are not able to reduce their capacity from the current 95-gallon containers pay $12.75/month. Those who reduce their capacity to a 68-gallon container only pay $11.25/month.
Recycling one aluminum can saves the equivalent of enough energy to run a television set for three hours.
Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour. Five recycled soft drink bottles will make enough fiberfill for a man’s ski jacket.
Every day, U.S. businesses generate enough paper to encircle the Earth 20 times.
Glass is 100% recyclable; there are no waste by-products. Every glass bottle that is recycled can save enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for four hours.
Your Backyard
Place yard trimmings (grass clippings, brush, tree trimmings, leaves, plant material) in biodegradable bags and set them at your collection point (street curb or alley) on your designated collection day. (If your lawn service uses plastic bags, please ask them to use paper or provide them with paper bags.) Large corrugated cardboard boxes can be flattened and placed out for collection with your yard trimmings. The City diverts 100% of its collected yard trimmings and corrugated cardboard from the landfill and makes them into Texas Pure compost, topdressing, soil blend, or wood mulch.
At least 20% of solid waste generated by Texans comes from grass clippings, leaves, and other landscape wastes. (Texas Agricultural Extension Service)
Our goal this year is to certify our school as a backyard habitat through the National Wildlife Federation. You can certify your yard, as well, by providing food, water, shelter, and a place to raise young. Find out more.
Recycling at Andrews
Throughout the year, we’ll be collecting the following items as part of our grade-level recycling contest. The grade level that collects the most items will get a party at the end of the year! To receive credit for your donation, you must give your items to a student helper. Student helpers are stationed in front of the counselors’ office each morning before school.
Please donate:
- Batteries (disposable and rechargeable)
- Cell Phones
- Eyeglasses
- Ink Cartridges
- Magazines
- Shoes (no high heels, please)
- Toiletries (unused sample and hotel shampoos, soaps, toothpaste, etc.)
Eyeglasses and shoes will be redistributed to those in need. Magazines will be given to local hospitals and the Plano Library. Toiletries will be donated to The Samaritan Inn, Collin County’s only homeless shelter.
Recycling Around Town
- Electronics (computer andother electronics)
- City of Plano, 4120 W. Plano Pkwy
- 3rd Sat. of each month from 9am-11am
- Call 972-769-4150 or see a list of acceptable items, processing fees, directions to wipe out a hard drive, and links to manufacturing company (i.e. Apple, Dell, etc.) take-back programs.
- Household Chemicals (paint, fertilizers, pool supplies, automotive products, used auto fluids, cleaners, garden products, car batteries)
- City of Plano
- Call 972-769-4150 to schedule a pickup at least 24 hours prior to our regular chemical collection day (Thursday)
- Motor Oil (used)
- North Texas Municipal Water District Transfer Station
- 9901 Custer Rd. (1.5 miles north of Custer and McDermott at Ridgeview Road)
- Plastic Shopping Bags
- Albertsons, Wal-Mart, Whole Foods
- (Whole Foods and Kroger reward you with a 5 cent credit on your shopping bill for each bag you reuse.)
- Styrofoam Peanuts
- The Zip Code Mail Center
- 2033 W. McDermott Drive (SE corner of Custer and McDermott) 972-359-0775
- Textiles (clothes, linens, belts, purses, chemical-free rags)
- Davis Library (container located behind the library)
- 7501 N. Independence
- Wire Hangers
- Infinity Cleaners
- 2120 Hedgcoxe Drive #100 (SE corner of Custer and Hedgcoxe) 972-527-9900
Shop Green
Visit the City’s Reuse Center to obtain reusable household products collected through the residential chemical collection program. Available items include:
- Paint (latex and oil-based)
- Garden products (herbicides and pesticides)
- Pool chemicals
- Household cleansers
- Repair products
- Pet products
The Reuse Center is located at 4110 W. Plano Parkway. Hours of operation are as follows:
- May through November
- Mondays 5pm—7pm, Wednesdays 11am—1pm and Saturdays 9am—11am
- December through February
- Mondays 5pm—7pm and the third Saturday of the month 9am—11am
- March through April
- Mondays 5pm—7pm and Saturdays 9am—11am
- The Reuse Center is closed on holidays.
The City also offers a free on-line listing service for Plano residents who have items they no longer need but could be used by others. The program matches residents who have good household items to dispose of with local individuals or nonprofit organizations who can use them. Items are not for sale — they are listed for exchange only. Check out the Plano Material Exchange.
If only 10% of Americans bought products with less plastic packaging only 10% of the time, approximately 144 million pounds of plastic could be eliminated from our landfills.
Links
- City of Plano Environmental Services
- Keep Plano Beautiful
- Consumer Reports Greener Choices
- Earth 911
- National Wildlife Federation
McGruff House
Please consider becoming a McGruff House.
A McGruff House is a safe house where children can go to receive help if they find themselves in a frightening or emergency situation. A McGruff House is identified by a bright yellow McGruff House sign in the front window of a house. McGruff House participants summon authorities by dialing 911. You can help make your neighborhood safer for children by participating in this program.
SAGE
SAGE is a new group formed through PTA in Plano. It stands for “Special and Gifted Education” and the goal is to bring information and awareness to parents of a special needs or gifted child in the Plano schools. Our goal is to serve the Andrews community by educating parents and teachers about the joys and differences with having special needs or gifted kids.
The PISD SAGE group hosts a variety of events such as parent groups, lectures and special guest speakers at events. If you would like to receive information about these events, please contact , visit the SAGE website or view the SAGE calendar of events and activities.
