Pictured with the Mayor are members of the Keep Athens Beautiful Board. November 5 is Keep Athens Beautiful annual Fall Clean Up and Recycling Day. Pictured are Linda Kenneaster, Jonathan Day, Carol Morton, Corey Rodrigues Marisa Gunstanson and Mayor Jerry Don Vaught. (Courtesy photo)
Press release
Keeping the environment clean has become a top priority in today’s culture, with people asking “can pizza boxes be recycled?” and several other questions about the products and items that end up in their homes often. According to local organization Keep Athens Beautiful, those in Athens will have a chance this Saturday to make a big difference in the local environment. It is not just people in Athens who should think about the effects of recycling in their city and the overall environment. Anyone and everyone should be playing their part in doing this too. There are so many ways in getting started such as trying to manage your waste materials through the use of plastic balers and other compactors. This will make it a lot easier to keep on top of your recycling duties. It is important to help each other out, especially when it comes to something as big as recycling.
On November 5, Keep Athens Beautiful, the City of Athens and Republic Services are partnering to present the annual KAB Fall Cleanup and Texas Recycling Day. That day is one of two days set aside each year to encourage residents to help keep the city clean.
During the Keep Athens Beautiful Fall Cleanup, the city and Republic Services will open the collection site on Aaron Street free of charge to all Athens residents. The site will be open from 8 a.m. until noon and those who can prove they live in the city – usually by providing a city water bill and driver’s license – can drop off their recyclables and waste free of charge. Brush and yard waste will also be accepted.
“This is always a great event,” said Keep Athens Beautiful Executive Director Carol Morton. “It’s amazing how just one day can make a difference in Athens.”
Also, those who live in Athens are encouraged to pick up litter during that morning and bring their litter to the collection site on Aaron Street. Businesses are also encouraged to hire companies like phs healthcare to help them clean up office spaces. Republic Services will provide lunch free of charge to those who take advantage of the cleanup opportunity.
KAB has hosted the annual cleanup twice a year for many years, usually in coordination with events sponsored by Keep Texas Beautiful. This year, the cleanup is in conjunction with Texas Recycles Day, and so the focus for the KAB Fall Cleanup is not just getting rid of refuse and litter around town, but on properly disposing of those materials that can be recycled.
Republic Services will have their recycling truck available at the Aaron Street collection site during the cleanup.
Also, free electronic waste and cardboard recycling will be available at this year’s fall cleanup. Commodity Recycling Solutions will be at the collection site for the electronics. We will also be collecting clothing and volleyball shoes on Saturday. Shredd 911 will also be available for you to bring in a box of shredding materials.
In case you were not aware, paper shredding offers a secure and convenient means of destroying any confidential paperwork. With this in mind, if you do not already own a paper shredder in your home or office, then you should definitely get a shredder for privacy. Moreover, shredding any sensitive documents ensures that all of the information on your paperwork is securely destroyed. In turn, this protects your reputation and your client relationships as well as the security of your business and the identity of your employees.
“The good part about recycling in Athens is that Republic Services will pick up recyclables in bulk. That means the homeowner doesn’t have to separate their paper from their plastic, etc.,” said Morton.
How do I recycle?
Materials that can be reused include glass, plastics, aluminum, tin/steel cans, and newsprint.
All containers submitted for recycling should be empty and rinsed. Labels may be left on containers.
All plastics are permitted. However, the plastic bags used for groceries can be recycled by dropping them off at the collection bin in the Wal-Mart Super Center and Brookshire’s on East Tyler Street.
The only aluminum for curbside recycling is beverage cans. Please do not include aluminum foil, food trays or aluminum siding.
Newsprint – including newspapers, advertising inserts, magazines, telephone books, office (copier/typing) paper, and envelopes – are allowed. Please do not put newsprint out for collection if a potential for rain exists. Newsprint cannot be accepted if wet, instead, you should give it to a Local Business Waste Management company who can dispose of it accordingly. Unfortunately, not everything can be recycled.
There is now a glass recycling bin at the Community Collection Site on Aaron Street. Glass can be dropped off on Saturdays between 8:30am and 3:00pm free of charge.
To obtain a recycling bin, call Republic Services at 903-675-1276. Recycling pickups are done on Wednesday in the City of Athens