Submitted by Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound.
Tacoma, WA – In celebration of Earth Month, the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound teamed up with Radius Recycling and Jessica Alexanderson, also known as “Scuba Jess” to raise environmental awareness and inspire action to protect the planet. Throughout the month of April, four Tacoma Clubs – Eastside, Al Davies, Schatz, and Gonyea – are encouraging the community to participate in a special recycling initiative that will also help raise funds for the Clubs.
To kick off the event, Jessica Alexanderson, also known as “Scuba Jess” from Recycling is Like Magic, visited all four Tacoma Clubs to give an engaging and educational presentation on sustainability and the importance of recycling.
Dressed in a vibrant octopus print dress and wearing tiny aluminum can earrings, Jessica captivated the Club youth with a fun, interactive session that included reading from her book The Girl Who Recycled 1 Million Cans, as well as cartoons, slideshows, and hands-on activities about recycling and Earth Day.
“It was such a joy to visit all four Tacoma Boys & Girls Clubs—these adorable kids are doing incredible things,” said Jessica Alexanderson. “I loved sharing stories about our amazing sea creatures and how they can help. This April, they’re racing to recycle cans—saving energy, stopping litter, and protecting our oceans. Remember: every time you recycle a can, a Giant Pacific Octopus smiles!”
Jessica, who has been featured on King 5 News for her work on diving, litter cleanups, and youth education about recycling, emphasized the significance of protecting marine life and creating a cleaner environment for future generations to Club youth ages 6-18.
“Earth Month is the perfect time to not only raise awareness about sustainability but to also take real action to protect our planet,” said Emily Nakada-Alm, community and corporate partnership manager for Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound. “We’re excited to partner with our friends at Radius Recycling to collect recyclables and raise money for the Clubs.”
As part of this collaboration, all four Tacoma Clubs will have designated recycling bins in their lobbies, where visitors can drop off clean tin (such as canned food) and aluminum (beverage) cans. The revenue generated from all recycled cans will be donated back to the Boys & Girls Clubs from Radius Recycling, a metals recycler with operations in Tacoma. To add some friendly competition to the mix, each Club will be holding a contest, with prizes awarded to the Club member who brings in the most cans.
“Support for children and families in the communities in which we operate is an essential part of our outreach activities,” said Tony Belot, government and public affairs manager at Radius Recycling. “We are proud to partner with the Boys and Girls Club and support their work to offer a safe and positive space where kids can grow and learn.”
Participation is open to everyone – you don’t have to be a Boys & Girls Clubs member to join in. In addition to the collection of tin and aluminum cans, other recyclable items can be taken directly to the Radius Recycling facility, where the returns will also be donated to Boys & Girls Clubs. Radius Recycling accepts a wide range of metals items for recycling, including bicycles, appliances, cables, wires, fencing, and even cars. This is a great opportunity for anyone to do some spring cleaning in their garage, storage, or basement while contributing to a good cause.
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