Kids from all over Westchester played their part in improving the environment last weekend by collecting an astounding 421 pounds of plastic bags in a novel first-time effort at Playland amusement park. Children from dozens of local schools came out for “Plastic Bag Day” on June 28. Kids who brought in 100 or more used plastic bags received free rides as their reward. The day is just one of a number of steps Westchester County is taking to encourage youngsters to recycle and clean up their environment. The results have now been weighed and counted and the 39,995 plastic bags collected will eventually be sent to the county’s recycling center, and made into products such as outdoor decks and fencing.
Spano recently launched an effort to raise awareness about recycling when he proposed a law that would require large retailers to establish in-store collection and recycling programs. The law will go into effect this fall, and calls for stores larger than 10,000 square feet that provide plastic bags to offer receptacles to customers. The goal is for all of the plastic bags returned to be collected, transported, and recycled.
Plastic bag litter around the county has reached “mammoth proportions,” and it’s imperative for the community to get involved in these recycling efforts, County Executive Andy Spano said. The county has collected more than 7,000 pounds of plastic bags since adding them to the list of items accepted at Household Recycling Days – with 20 percent of that coming from recycling drives at local schools.
– from www.midhudsonnews.com. 4 Jul 2008