“It’s been a massive environmental weekend,” said Shirley Cavanagh, the founder of the Genie in a Bottle recycling project, who started the new year with back-to-back collections on January 10 and 11 in Howick and Saint-Anicet. The bottle drives were organized in partnership with the 1st Howick Scouts and in support of the Grade 5 and 6 class at the École des Jeunes-Riverains elementary school, where students are raising funds for a trip to Quebec City in May. Volunteer students, their parents, and teachers Marie-France Leblanc and Marise Perras began collecting and sorting through piles of recyclable materials at 9 a.m. and did not stop as donations poured into the school. In total, just under 10,670 cans were collected, as well as 588 beer bottles, 1,780 plastic bottles, 183 pounds of batteries, and 86 pounds of can tabs, making this a very successful day for the students – and the environment. (SR)