The Alabama Department of Environmental Management has completed a large-scale recycling campaign in Calhoun County. The collaborative campaign with multiple organizations was a huge success, the sponsors said. Various outreach opportunities in the area marked the scope of the recycling campaign with cities, schools, companies and a university participating.
The events were designed to enhance recycling and spur economic growth in East Alabama.
ADEM collaborated with the city of Oxford, Calhoun County Solid Waste, Jacksonville State University and Waste Recycling Inc. of Anniston on numerous events to promote recycling on a level that had previously not been done in Calhoun County. The department conducted a focused School Recycling Challenge for the first time in Calhoun County.
Nine elementary schools and two high schools participated in the School Recycling Challenge designed to encourage and educate students on how to recycle in their communities. More than 13,000 pounds of recycled material was collected during the challenge.
Schools that participated were presented a certificate and a monetary grant award from ADEM to be used to further enhance recycling efforts on their campuses. ADEM set up a booth at the Jacksonville State game on Oct. 30, where schools were invited to receive their certificates for participation in the School Recycling Challenge.
The elementary schools were Alexandria, Coldwater, DeArmanville, Golden Springs, Kitty Stone, Ohatchee, Oxford, Pleasant Valley and Walter Wellborn. The high schools in the challenge were Anniston and Ohatchee.
ADEM was able to partner with the Keep Oxford Beautiful organization in an effort to promote recycling at the OxfordFest of Oct. 2. Keep Oxford Beautiful received a grant from ADEM to improve recycling through the purchase of a recycling container and four trailers.
ADEM consistently works to enhance opportunities for citizens of Alabama to have access to recycling. The ability to reduce, reuse and recycle waste materials provides environmental benefits by decreasing the amount of solid waste material sent to landfills, which conserves space and reduces the need to construct new landfills.
Additionally, recycling benefits the state by increasing employment opportunities and stimulating economic development.
This campaign highlights a larger goal by the Department to surpass the 25 percent recycling rate in Alabama, which the Department has achieved for the past three years. ADEM encourages everyone in the state to continue recycling and to join us as we celebrate America Recycles Day on Monday, Nov. 15.
