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Keep Putnam Beautiful Continues to Work on Reducing Litter and Increasing Recycling
Keep Putnam Beautiful is now in its second year of working with volunteers, civic organizations, Police/Sheriffs Departments and school districts to increase the value of property by reducing litter. The beautification of Putnam County includes working with school districts to educate students about the harmful effects of litter and the increased value of recycling.
School districts in Putnam County can lower their cost of trash removal by using the free services of the Putnam County Recycling Department. Cardboard, paper and cans/bottles can be picked up weekly from each school for free. The removal of the weight of the recyclable items can reduce the trash removal charges made by area haulers.
While many school districts are doing some recycling, work is proceeding with Brewster, Carmel, Mahopac and Putnam Valley school
districts to develop additional classroom recycling and composting programs. Led by interested administrators, teachers and students, recyclable items are collected from classrooms and cafeterias. They are then deposited in a central area. A truck from the Putnam County Recycling Department is available to pick up these items.
Not all school districts have taken full advantage of this cost saving program. Gordon Maxwell, Executive Director of the Putnam County Recycling Department is a good contact for the specifics on the operation of the trucking program. He is at 845-225-3641 X 202.
They are also looking into the processes necessary to do composting in schools. Cornell Cooperative Extension, 1 Geneva Road, Brewster has several composing units on display in their garden next to the Department of Motor
Vehicle office off Rte. 312 in Brewster. Composting of cafeteria waste can save more money while delivering free nutrients for school landscaping and butterfly/vegetable/ flower gardens.
In related news, Keep Putnam Beautiful has introduced a free program that has been endorsed by the New York State PTA and Governor George Pataki. The Go Green I n i t i a t i v e (www.gogreeninitiative.org) is a nationwide program. It is focused on protecting children's health through environmental stewardship. The program is entirely free. No contracts and no cost to participate. The free tools and suggestions have helped school districts in other parts of New York State save money while helping students and teachers.
In addition, the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling (www.nysar3.org) is offering grants of up to $1,000 in seed money to help with implementing the Go Green Initiative. These grants can be applied to each school in each school district. The due date for the grant proposal is July 15.
The Go Green Initiative encourages schools to recycle, compost and to look at "Green Cleaning" to reduce pollutants in classrooms, halls and other areas used by students, teachers and administrators. This reduction of pollutants can help reduce asthma and other breathing problems possibly aggravated by cleaning chemicals currently being used in halls, classrooms and other areas.
Addition information is available by contacting: Walt Thompson, Keep Putnam Beautiful County of Putnam, 40 Gleneida Avenue Carmel, NY 10512. Direct phone: 845528-1632
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