Holiday Recycling in Rome and Floyd County

Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, as a nation we throw away 25% more trash than any other time of the year. That amounts to about 25 MILLION TONS - or 50 BILLION POUNDS of garbage – all in about a 6 week period! Those numbers are almost impossible to comprehend, and consider that at least 40% of those pounds are recyclables being thrown out with the garbage. That is 10 MILLION TONS of recyclables being wasted in the landfill.

The largest component of this extra trash is packaging and the good news here is that our citizens are offered numerous opportunities to recycle all that packaging. Here are some schedules to help you recycle the most you can this holiday season:

• The Recycling Center will accept your packaging all day every day, along with your wrapping paper, Styrofoam and all the other recyclables. Our hours are 8 – 3:30 Mon – Fri and 8 – 2 Sat along with our 24/7 after hours drop off area. We will be closed Friday, December 23^rd and Monday, December 26^th. Please note that the Recycling Center does not take Christmas trees of any kind at any time. For more information call us at 291-5266. Visit our web site for lots of other holiday waste reduction tips.
• Curbside will pick up your boxes on your regular garbage/recycling day for the week after Christmas. You may also put your “real” Christmas trees out at the curb for pickup the 2 weeks after Christmas. For more information call 236-4580.
• Floyd County Remote Sites – will take your boxes anytime they are open along with the other normal recyclables and “real” Christmas trees for the 2 weeks after Christmas. For more information call 236-2495.
• “Bring One for the Chipper” Christmas tree recycling program sponsored by Keep Rome/Floyd Beautiful will be held Saturday, January 7, 2006 at the Home Depot parking lot from 9 – 4. They will be giving out dogwood seedlings while supplies last. For more information call 236-4456.

SPECIAL NOTE – The collections boxes at the Midway and Berryhill remote sites for electronics will be pulled from service at the end of December. Due to heavy contamination with non electronic materials – things like vacuum cleaners, chairs, fans, lamps, coffee makers - the program is not economically viable for the vendor providing the service. But don’t despair – we will be conducting a one day collection event at the Braves Stadium on Saturday - January 14, 2006 from 10 – 3. So be sure to hang on to all those outdated computers, phones, games and other electronics after Christmas to bring to that event. Happy Holidays from all of us at the Recycling Center.