Recycling Education Cartoon Series

Project Overview

Meet Mike, Chester, Tammy, Nellie, and Rodney in this kid-friendly cartoon series designed to promote recycling and get your toes tapping at the same time!

In a series of fun and short animated videos, Mike the Milk Jug, Chester the Cardboard Kid, Tammy the Tin Can, Nellie the Newspaper, and Rodney the Roll-Off Box all share their life stories, including how they were created, what they were useful for, what objects they wanted to be recycled into, and what the benefits of recycling are. 

Written by and using the comedic and musically talented voices of Rod Marlatt of Fayette County Conservation and Mallory Hanson of Fayette County Economic Development and Tourism, this project helped show the benefits of recycling to kids in a fun, creative way that they will remember forever.

Winner of

• 2022 award for Outstanding Interpretive Non-Print Media by the Iowa Conservation Education Coalition and the Iowa Association of Naturalists. 
• 2023 Excellence in Education Award from the Iowa Recycling Association. 

Find the Videos

View the entire video series on the Fayette County Conservation YouTube Channel.

Project Funders and Partners