Dear Editor,

The main objective of Keep Troup Beautiful it to educate the public about the benefits of recycling, beautification, litter prevention and waste management. We want everyone to take a personal interest in and responsibility for keeping their community clean. This is the time of year for our annual “Bring One For The Chipper/Electronic Recycle Day.” Our event this year will be held at the Recycling Center on Davis Road. KTB members will man the center Jan. 6 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., but you can bring your recyclable items all week long. Everyone recycling will receive a free gift, and if you register, you will be eligible for one of three door prizes Saturday Jan. 6. Bring your live Christmas tree (without the ornaments) to the event.  We will also have a bin for a “Tire Amnesty” during the week (no commercial tires please). We hope to have two other events at the same time in West Point and Hogansville.

For the past few years, we have seen fewer and fewer trees come in to be mulched, primarily because so many of them are being placed in the lakes and ponds for fish habitat. This is an excellent way to recycle the trees, and we are pleased that they are serving a worthwhile purpose. Those trees that are actually being mulched are taken to the landfill where it is seasoned and made available free of charge to residents of the County.

The electronics we receive have increased substantially since we first started collecting the items after Christmas. One year we collected almost 10 tons. During the year, electronics may be taken to the Recycling Center on Davis Road and there is no charge. Unfortunately, we cannot take televisions, however, if they work, they can be given to the Habitat ReStore.

In addition to the Bring One for the Chipper/Electronics Recycling, Keep Troup Beautiful sponsors several major projects each year  and our biggest event each year is the Great American Cleanup which will be held in April. It’s a time  where we join with thousands of other volunteers around the country to do general cleanups, pickups, beautification projects and litter prevention programs.

As an individual, you can start by beginning a recycling regiment at your own home or workplace. Pay attention to whether the restaurants or entertainment locations or churches, you attend have recycling bins.  If not, ask about it.

Another way is to help get your city or county ordinances implemented that will help stop littering.  Get involved with Keep Troup Beautiful — we are always looking for board members and volunteers who are interested in helping to Keep Troup Beautiful! Call us at (706) 884-9922 for more information.

— Howard Mingo is a board chairman for Keep Troup Beautiful, a 501c3 non-profit organization.