Pickens County Glass Upcycling Contest Information

The Challenge

The demand for glass recyclables has decreased, which has resulted in a lack of interest from vendors in purchasing it. When glass cannot be sold for recycling, the only options are to discard it as waste in the landfill or send it outside of the county at the taxpayers’ expense. This problem is not unique to Pickens County. Market conditions have impacted glass recycling throughout the nation, and many counties and cities have already responded by suspending glass recycling.

Contest Purpose

The purpose of this contest is to encourage the public to share creative ways to reduce glass waste by any of the following means:

Reducing your usage: finding environmentally friendly alternatives to glass use
Reusing glass products: giving them a new purpose rather than discarding them
Upcycling: repurposing the original glass product into something of higher value

Entries will be scored on the following criteria:

Effectiveness as a solution to the problem (40%)
Scalability/degree to which the idea can be replicated in other households or businesses for larger community impact (35%)
Creativity and originality (25%)

Eligibility

The contest is open to Pickens County residents of all ages. A consent form signed by a parent or legal guardian will be required for entrants under 18 years of age. Finalists will be required to provide proof of residency. If the contest winner is under the age of 18, they must be accompanied by an adult (18 years or older) during their stay at the Mile Creek cabins. Entries may be submitted by an individual, group of individuals or business/organization. Only one prize will be issued, regardless of the number of people involved in the project. For entries with more than one named entrant, a designated contact person is required.

The contest is not open to any of the following:

Pickens County employees (including elected officials)
Contest judges
Employees’ immediate family or members of their household
Contest judges’ immediate family or members of their household

The 2023 contest judges are, in addition to county staff, Dr. Jeffrey Mohr, Professor of Biology at Southern Wesleyan University and Dave Vandeventer, Board Member for the Carolina Recycling Association and administrative employee with Clemson University Recycling Services.

Rules

You may submit up to two (2) unique entries per individual, household, group or organization.
Individuals may be a contributor to an unlimited number of unique organizations’ projects (such as for their school, employer, church, civic group, etc.) provided they are not the sole participant and/or contact person for more than two entries. Each project submission must be unique.
The purpose of this contest is to reduce waste; therefore, you should limit your project to recyclable, repurposed or common household items whenever possible. You must be able to justify the use of all other materials by explaining how it led to a net-neutral or net-positive impact. Points may be deducted from your score for the use of waste-creating items without justification.
Completed entry forms must be submitted by Thursday, November 16 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Incomplete entry forms will not be considered. (Entry forms are the only requirements for entry.)
The following supplemental materials are optional but may be submitted as part of your entry for judging:
Photos (no more than 5 total)
Video or audio files (under 3 minutes)
Support documents, such as scientific research (5 pages or less)
Support materials must be submitted with your entry form in order to be considered; support materials will not be accepted without a submission form or after the Nov. 16 deadline.
Any words, images, videos, sounds, ideas or other intellectual property that are not your own must give credit to the owner/author.
Submissions containing graphic or offensive language or imagery will be automatically disqualified.
The submission deadline may be extended or the contest may be cancelled due to limited eligible entries at contest judges’ discretion.
Winner will have one year from the date of notification to redeem their prize. Cash will not be awarded in lieu of prize redemption.
Winner is responsible for abiding by all property rules at Mile Creek Park and for paying for any damages to the cabin during their stay.

Notification and Prize Redemption

Finalists will be notified by Nov. 29, 2023 unless the contest is cancelled or the deadline is extended.
The submission deadline may be extended or the contest may be cancelled due to limited eligible entries at judges’ or staff’s discretion.
Finalists may be asked to provide a display for others to view at the administration building to learn more about their project. Entrants are encouraged to consider methods of display while preparing their project for judging.
The winner will be announced at the County Council meeting on Dec. 4, 2023. Winner is not required to be present to win.
Winner will have one year from the date of notification to redeem their prize. Cash will not be awarded in lieu of prize redemption.
Winner is responsible for abiding by all property rules at Mile Creek Park and for paying for any damages to the cabin during their stay.

Inquiries

For recycling and research questions, contact Solid Waste Director Steve Raines at SteveR@co.pickens.sc.us. For questions about contest rules, contact Public Information Manager Jamie Burns at JBurns@co.pickens.sc.us.

Click here to enter.