In years past the Niceville Chamber of Commerce has put on the annual fireworks show on 4th of July. Niceville is a small town with a small budget ($30,000 which is A LOT of money but not for fireworks I am told!) Last year the Chamber did not have the budget for the fireworks so the show didn’t go on. There was a public outcry for the lack of the show, with people unjustly upset at the City of Niceville for not puttin’ on their ’show’.

So the kind people of the City formed a partnership with Waste Management in the attempt to raise $30,000 to put on a fireworks show. And they are getting funds… They are also collecting aluminum cans for cash - that is where Waste Management come in… Letters have been included in with our water bills, bill board time displays etc to gather attention and money to this ’cause.’

So today I walk into the school and am faced with the big green trash can from Waste Management. They have sponosred can collections in the local 3 elementary schools with a ‘gift certificate’ for the school that collects the most cans. There are big green cans stategically placed around the school, other bin receptacles also across the campus. It looks good…even down to the color copy flyer that came home from school today in the kids folders.

Now again, I think that it is great for us to recycle, we have been doing it at home for years. And it is great to see someone collecting at school…but why do these companies only want to help take the money out of the school…

Where was Waste Management when we wanted to collect for the school and keep the funds in the school?? It takes money to make money and when we are so tight with a budget who wants to spend money buying trash cans for collection points for cans when the trash recepticle cost more than the cans collected? Maybe we will be lucky and Waste Management will leave us the bins for us to continue the collections for the school once the competition is over??? One can only hope!

I also emailed the City Commissioner and asked how much it cost to include a letter in with the water bills as our school is a city concern…as yet I received no response…