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RECYCLING HIGHLIGHTS ISSUE

By Amy Widner/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Friday, November 6, 2009 2:19 AM CST

The emphasis on recycling for National Recycling Month continues this weekend with Saturday recycling hours hosted by the city and the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Clean and Beautiful Commission.

The city’s Household Waste Recycling Collection Center, 1600 S. Pennsylvania St. is open the first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. It was joined in October by the Clean and Beautiful Commission’s Recycle Saturday event, 8 a.m. to noon, at the east lot of the Pine Bluff Civic Center at Eighth Avenue and Convention Center Drive.

Gloria Sumner is executive director of the Clean and Beautiful Commission.

“There are a lot of areas across the country that have recycling, and there are a lot of residents in Pine Bluff that would like to have curbside recycling,” Sumner said. “This is a way we can help Pine Bluff have that recycling, and keep some of those hazardous materials our of our landfills and save our natural resources.”

Sumner said her organization, a nonprofit affiliated with the Keep Arkansas Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful programs, works closely with the city and county. America Recycles Day is Nov. 15, but the Jefferson County groups decided to expand it to the whole month.

Their most recent joint effort was the Oct. 31 Electronic Scrap Recycling Event. Sumner said they collected 34 pallets of computers, TVs and other electronics, at an average weight of 800 pounds per pallet.

Jefferson Regional Medical Center brought 18 pallets and White Hall High School brought four or five pallets of old computers that are being replaced.

“It was great,” Sumner said. “This was the third one we’ve had, and everything has run really smoothly during all three of them.”

Sumner said volunteers made all the difference.

“People pulled in, our volunteers unloaded everything, the cars pulled out and everybody was happy,” Sumner said.

David Trulock, manager for the city’s collection center, also said the event was a success.

“[All of the recent events] really have increased the awareness,” Trulock said. “It has increased the amount of recyclable stuff that we’re getting.”

Trulock said curbside pickup would be even better, and it may be added to the collection center’s contract next year.

Sumner said the next Electronic Scrap Recycling Event probably won’t be until March or April.

The city collection facility is also open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays.

The Jefferson County Recycling facility is at 3304 W. Seventh Ave. Its hours are 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Its phone number is 534-7020.

Details: Call the Clean and Beautiful Commission at 543-4901 or the Household Waste Recycling Collection Center at 543-1851.

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