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BA/award.pr Contact: Joe Keyser, 301-217-2361
COUNTY'S ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM
EARNS HIGHEST AWARD
FROM NATIONAL RECYCLING COALITION For Immediate Release: Sept. 27, 1996
The County's Grasscycling and Home Composting Education and Outreach
Program has won the 1996 Outstanding Community Program Award from the National
Recycling Coalition (NRC).
The NRC's awards program honors outstanding recycling achievements and
helps recognize the nation's best efforts to conserve resources and reduce
waste through recycling. This is the first time in the history of the awards
program that a home composting initiative has been selected.
Joe Keyser, environmental specialist in the Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP), accepted the award at NRC's 15th Annual Congress &
Exposition in Pittsburgh on September 17.
Key elements in the County's program included: a series of phone surveys
which determined resident perceptions about yard trimmings; the development of
innovative graphics, use of a friendly mascot/spokesperson; and an
informative, entertaining campaign designed to saturate the market by using
every available media and outreach tool.
As a result, nearly 70 percent of the residents are grasscycling and 60
percent are home composting. Since 1994, approximately 20,000 home composting
bins have been sold at near cost. More than $2.5 million was saved in
-more-
COUNTY'S GRASSCYCLING/HOME COMPOSTING PROGRAM 2-2-2-2
facilities and processing costs in 1994. Department of Environmental
Protection officials estimate that another million dollars will be saved each
year.
Keyser described the campaign as "a blend of hundreds of workshops,
demonstrations, hard-working volunteers, a giant orange and yellow worm named
"Digger," plus thousands of compost bins and millions of media impressions.
All of these elements worked to make source reduction and recycling an
integral part of everyday life."
DEP Director James Caldwell said, "It is exciting to have this important
initiative recognized on a national level. We are looking forward to many
more such honors as DEP continues its leadership role in developing a wide
range of innovative environmental education programs of value to our residents
and to communities across the County."
Individual materials in the campaign have won more than 10 national and
international awards, including the prestigious ADDY AWARD given by
Advertising Club of Metropolitan Washington for the County's "Composting"
logo. The grasscycling poster also won the 1996 National Promotion and
Education Award from the Association of Municipal Recycling Coordinators.
For more information about the County's grasscycling and home composting
program, call 301-217-2355.
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