Day 244 – A new program just started in Atlanta, Georgia, to try to encourage more people to recycle.
“Atlanta’s Do You Recycle? Challenge is engaging 100 multifamily buildings citywide to provide recycling training and education to residents over the next 12 months, culminating in a public recognition event for the properties with the highest achievements in improving recycling participation and reducing the amount trash or nonrecyclables in the recycling.” – recyclingpartnership.org
So why is Atlanta offering this challenge?
“In the US, every year 22 million tons of household recyclables go to landfills, become litter, and pollute our waters. While packaging plays a key role in keeping products safe and transportable, it too often is discarded when it could be used again. Recycling protects resources from depletion, allows communities to manage the amount of trash they have to handle, and protects the environment by saving water and greenhouse gases.” – recyclingpartnership.org
The program is planned to run three years and hopes to include more multifamily homes. They hope their efforts will keep more recyclables out of landfills.
Live Thrive, an Atlanta-based recycling non-profit organization, will serve as the community hub for the Do You Recycle? Challenge. Last year Live Thrive’s Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM) diverted 1370 tons of items from the landfill.
Participating properties will receive:
– Technical assistance
– Education materials
– Signage
– Public recognition
– An improved sustainability amenity
If Atlanta can prove that such a program can be successful in diverting recyclable material from to the landfill, then there is no reason why it should not be pushed out to cities around the country. Would you be ready for the challenge?
Tomorrow, an option to recycle your old CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes.
365 Ways to Save the Planet 