DAPHNE, Ala. — Daphne East Elementary School and the city of Daphne are teaming up to increase the amount of recycling in the city, using a school-wide competition to get recycling on the minds of students and parents.

Tracey Miller, the city’s solid-waste coordinator, said the classrooms at the school are in a competition throughout February to recycle the most paper and plastic goods. The two classrooms recycling the most will receive recycled computers.

“The city is increasing the amount of recycling tonnage,” Miller said. “It decreased over the past couple of years due to the economy and also we had equipment that needed repair.”

Miller said the school is interested in recycling and the campaign to increase the amount recycled could bring the city a $124,000 grant from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management for the recycling program.

“The state mandated we divert 25 percent more tonnage than what was being done,” Miller said, noting that the grant is based on if the city increases its tonnage as well. “We’re trying to get the other schools pumped, too.”

Miller said the grant would be used to add around 10 or 11 trailers near Spanish Fort city limits to help increase the amount of recycling in Spanish Fort since “(that) city doesn’t have a recycling program.”

Miller said the grant also would be used to buy around 1,500 64-gallon recycling carts and possibly move the entire recycling program to an automated system to help productivity.

There are also competitions by grade, physical-education teacher Carol Valdes said, and the winning classroom of each grade will receive a $25 gift card for teacher supplies.

Miller said the citizenship club at the school is organizing the event, and Valdes is head of the club. Part of the recycling campaign includes a poster competition among fifth- and sixth-graders at the school with the two winners — Athena Soria, 12, and Madison Hedge, 12 — receiving $25 and $20 gift cards for first and second place, respectively.

“It’s just a way of advertising that we’re recycling now at the school,” Valdes said.