A Puppet Troupe That Recycles Its Material

Sally Swallow, Corky Coyote and the rest of the Quad Squad put on a show Tuesday for South County educators and community members.

The puppet show, sponsored by Solag Disposal and the cities of San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Niguel and San Juan Capistrano, was designed to teach students about the value of recycling.

The program at Dana Point Youth and Group Facility was a preview for principals who might want to schedule it at their schools. “It was very good,” said Judy Shades, head of R.H. Dana Exceptional Needs Facility, a school for disabled children. “I plan to use it.”

During the 20-minute skit, a character named Slobby learns how to reduce, reuse and recycle. His “teachers” are the Quad Squad cast: Dana Dolphin from Dana Point, Sally Swallow from San Juan Capistrano, Corky Coyote from Laguna Niguel and Selina Seal from San Clemente.

“It’s a great educational opportunity for our elementary school kids,” said Lois Thompson, a representative of the city of San Clemente. “I think the kids will really like the puppets.”

Solag and city leaders developed the idea for the show last summer as a way to inform the community about the California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989, which requires cities to divert 25% of their waste away from landfills by 1995 and 50% by the year 2000.

“We wanted to come up with a unique program to educate the youngsters about recycling,” said Daniel Batty, Solag’s recycling manager.

The program is available to schools, community centers, libraries and service clubs.

Information: (714) 240-0446.