County Celebrates America Recycles Day; Recognizes Model Recycling Family, Unveils New Recycles 50% by 2000 Campaign

Header--Montgomery County, Maryland. Press Releases

ba/ardpr 99-409

Contact: Eileen Kao, 240-777-6406
For Immediate Release: November 15, 1999

County Celebrates "America Recycles Day;"
Recognizes Model Recycling Family,
Unveils New "Recycle 50% by 2000" Campaign

Against a backdrop of recycling containers and collection trucks, County Executive Douglas M. Duncan today observed the third annual "America Recycles Day" by recognizing a local family for their recycling efforts. He also unveiled a new public education campaign designed to encourage increased recycling by all segments of the community.

Duncan visited the home of Ernestine and Thomas Lanahan in Rockville, presented them with a gift made from recycled materials, unveiled the new outreach campaign, and helped load recyclables, including mixed paper, newspapers and co-mingled glass, cans and plastics onto collection trucks.

Duncan said that "Montgomery County strives to support the goals of America Recycles Day every day. In turn, the goals of America Recycles Day will help the County reach its goal of recycling 50 percent of the waste stream by 2000.

Families like the Lanahans are doing their part to ensure we reach our goal, so we're rewarding them for their support."

The outreach campaign unveiled in the Lanahan home focuses on the County's 50% by 2000 goal by thanking residents and businesses for their efforts to date, while encouraging them to recycle more. Components include radio, TV, print and transit advertising.

"America Recycles Day" is a nationwide effort that promotes increased recycling and the purchase of recycled goods and products through activities and programs in local jurisdictions. Individuals who sign pledge cards to recycle and buy recycled materials are entered into national, regional and local drawings for prizes.

Local prizes, awarded on November 14 during an Open House at the County's Recycling Center, consisted of two mulching mowers.

Regional prizewinners will receive bicycles. Drawings for the regional prizes will take place December 2.

The three national prizes are a family trip to Disney World, a state-of-the-art-remanufactured computer and a computer network for the school of the winner's choice and an American Green Dream Home made of recycled materials. Drawing for the trip and computer will take place on December 2. The drawing for the Green Dream Home will take place in December 2000.

The regional effort is sponsored by donations from The Washington Post and Bell Atlantic Yellow Pages. Other local sponsors include the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Postal Service, Waste Management, The Home Depot, The 100% Recycled Paperboard Alliance and Remanufacturing Industries Council International.

To receive a pledge card or more information about America Recycles Day or the County's "Recycle 50% by 2000" campaign, call 240-777-6406.

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