ba/recyc.pr    97-309                                             
                         Contact: Esther Bowring, 301-217-2866

COUNTY LAUNCHES
CURBSIDE RECYCLING
EDUCATION PROGRAM         For Immediate Release:  October 8, 1997


     A year-long recycling education campaign has been launched
by Montgomery County's Division of Solid Waste Services.
     The campaign was created in response to a recent survey
which indicated that residents want more information on recycling
and what happens to materials after they are collected.  The
effort is part of the County's Goal 2000 to reduce and recycle 50
percent of the County's waste stream by the turn of the century.
     With one of the highest recycling participation rates in the
nation, the county recycles and reduces approximately 350,000
tons of materials a year.  However, officials 
believe that with more frequent and detailed information, the
rate can go higher.
     "Our residents are doing a terrific job of recycling their
household items," said Esther Bowring, senior planner with the
Division of Solid Waste Services, Department of Public Works and
Transportation.  "But, they've told us they wanted to know more
about what kinds of things can be recycled and what happens to
the things they put out in their blue bins."
     The advertising campaign features a different recyclable
product each month, plus 
information on how easy it is to prepare materials for recycling
and what products are made 
from the recyclables.
                                  -more-

COUNTY LAUNCHES .                                                
                    2-2-2-2

     The following topics will be featured during the coming
months:
          October     -- Telephone books, magazines and catalogs
          November -- Environmental shopping
          December --  Christmas trees/mulch preserves
          January    --  Appliances, scrap metal and steel cans
          February  --  Glass bottles and jars, aluminum cans,
and foil products
          March      --   Plastics
          April        --   Spring cleaning -- drop-off textiles,
mattresses, furniture,                       building and
construction materials, motor oil, anti-freeze, and               
        auto batteries for recycling or reuse
          May         --   Yard trimmings and grasscycling
          June         --   Household hazardous waste
     Another part of the campaign will feature special programs
for children, seminars and community events demonstrating
recycling.
     "Once recycling becomes a household habit," Bowring said,
"people realize how easy and convenient it is, how little time it
takes, and how much they're doing for the environment." 
     For more information on recycling in Montgomery County,
access the Department of Public Works and Transportation's
website at dpwt.com or call the Recycling Hotline at 301-590-
0046.
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