|
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday,
July 22, 2003
| Contact: |
David Baker, Environmental Educator |
|
Thurston County Water and Waste Management 360-357-2491 |
Lakefair
Recycling a Big Hit
Olympia- They came for Lakefair, and they recycled their cans
and bottles. Area residents
recycled more than 500 pounds during the five day event, from July 16-20th.
“We’re really pleased with the amount,” said David Baker, one of
the event recycling coordinators. “It’s
great to see that people understand this stuff shouldn’t go in the
garbage”
Recycling containers for Lakefair
were set out by a joint effort of City of Olympia and County staff, with daily
service from Master Recyclers, a group of specially trained volunteers.
Pacific Disposal processed the recyclables.
Materials were collected during the five days of Lakefair, and also in
the Grand Twilight Parade.
On Saturday, 18 dedicated
recyclers, lead by Captain Waste Not and the Compost Queen, collected empty
beverage containers along the Parade route, gathering nearly half as many cans
and bottles as were collected during the rest of the event.
The total amount came to more than
500 pounds. Given that there are
20 or more cans in a single pound, estimates for the total number of
containers could be as high as 10,000. If
half the containers were aluminum, the energy saved by recycling could power
your TV for 15,000 hours, or save 200 gallons of gasoline!
The plastic equivalent is also impressive; recycling 5,000 plastic
bottles saves the amount of electricity required to power a 100-watt light
bulb for nearly two years!
Look for the blue recycling bins
at upcoming events, including Celebrate Olympia, the Thurston County Fair, and
Harbor Days. You(r) can makes a
difference!
For more information about County
waste reduction and recycling programs, call 360-754-4348 or the TDD line
754-2933. Or check the website at
www.co.thurston.wa.us/wwm.
In the City of Olympia, call
753-8509 or www.ci.olympia.wa.us.
| 