GREENVILLE, N.C. — The City of Greenville continued its tradition of recognizing the artwork of local students while also promoting recycling during the unveiling of this year's Keep the Green in Greenville Recycling Art Contest winners on Wednesday at the Public Works Department.

Winners of this year's contest included Ty'lasjah Richardson (8th grade, C.M. Eppes Middle), Kabe Copeland Jr. (8th grade, E.B. Aycock Middle), Dayanara Pena-Perez (3rd grade, South Greenville Elementary), and Hazel Hughes (2nd grade, Wahl-Coates Elementary). The artwork of each has been placed on the back of a City recycling truck, bringing the total number of trucks that include student artwork to 12.

"I can't tell you how many comments we have gotten about these trucks," Public Works Director Kevin Mulligan said. "And our drivers take a lot of pride in them."

The artists signed their artwork on the trucks, and Mulligan said the trucks would be out in neighborhoods right away. Each winner will get to see their art quite often, as the truck with it will be assigned to their neighborhood's route, Mulligan said.

As part of the Keep the Green in Greenville Recycling Art Contest, students from schools in Greenville were asked to create a poster that highlighted the importance of recycling. According to Pitt County Schools Arts Education Program Director Jan Austin Behan, the contest is effective in both promoting recycling and the talented youth in the city.

“Every time I pass one of these trucks, and I pass them often, I am thrilled to see how the city is supporting the arts in our community,” Behan said. ”And at the same time is helping to spread an important lesson as well.”

Mulligan said the message must be working, as Pitt County is typically one of the top two in the state for recycling collections. The county collected approximately 5,000 tons last year.

"Education plays a big part in that," Mulligan said. "We want to keep this going and keep our place at the top."