First, a public service announcement to all of you Akron-area green recyclers: Do聽NOT聽put plastic grocery bags, trash, or food waste in recycling bins.
But there are a lot other things you can 鈥� and should 鈥� recycle.
And now there鈥檚 a giant banner affixed to the outside wall of the Akron Civic Theatre overlooking downtown鈥檚 Lock 3 showing very simply what should be put in recycling bins.
The 66-by-23-foot banner was paid for as part of a $5,000 donation to the city from Waste Management of Ohio鈥檚 鈥淭hink Green鈥� grant program. An additional $2,500 was donated by Waste Management鈥檚 Greenstar Recyling Plant in the city. The donations will help Akron better educate its residents on recycling.
About 45,000 of the city鈥檚 62,000 curbside trash customers regularly recycle, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said Tuesday morning as part of a news conference at Lock 3 on the recycling program.
鈥淩oughly 70 percent participate in Akron鈥檚 recycling program,鈥� Horrigan said. 鈥淲e need to do better. Seventy could be a great number. Why not aim for 75 next year?鈥�
The banner is in a 鈥減remier spot鈥� at Lock 3, the mayor said. The hundreds of thousands of people who annually go to Lock 3 events will be in a position to see the banner, officials said.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 essential that all city residents understand how to recycle properly,鈥� Horrigan said. The city recycles about 8,400 tons a year while disposing of about 68,000 tons of trash annually, he said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 room for improvement and this program will help us do it,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l continue to get better.鈥�
Kathy Trent, spokeswoman for Waste Management, said the banner was designed to show people simply and clearly what materials are appropriate to recycle 鈥� primarily empty bottles, cans, plastic and paper. Keep recyclable materials loose, not bagged, when they are put in a bin, she said.
鈥淲e want to keep all those loose plastic bags out of the recycling cart,鈥� Trent said. 鈥淲e want you to recycle often and recycle right.鈥�
Horrigan said afterward that a 70 percent recycling rate is good but he wants the city to increase participation.
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