(Little Rock – March 20, 2009) Ten thousand Little Rock citizens can have a positive impact on the environment at no cost by participating in the newest in program of LRecycles, the City’s recycling effort.

This program was announced by Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola, City Manager Bruce T. Moore, and neighborhood leader Pat Gee today. Following the announcement, they unveiled the bag and started distributing it to people gathered for the event.

The bags are being distributed at Little Rock City Hall, the Willie L. Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center, and the Little Rock branches of the Central Arkansas Library System.

“Little Rock’s population is approximately 190,000,” noted Mayor Stodola. “Many of these bags will go to households with more than one person. So these 10,000 bags will impact more than 20,000 or over 10 percent of Little Rock’s population. That will put the Little Rock at the forefront of citizen involvement in recycling.”

The bags cost the City approximately $18,000 which was paid for out of the Solid Waste Fund, which is an enterprise fund in which the services provided are principally supported through charges to the users of the services. “This is a sound investment,” noted Moore. “I think it will have economic and environmental benefits in the short-term as well as in the long-run.”

“Inside each of the bags is a postcard containing a quick survey about recycling,” said Melinda Glasgow, the City’s recycling program coordinator. “The City wants to collect information so that we can better serve the recycling needs of the citizens. We ask that everyone who picks up a bag will fill out a card and mail it to City Hall.”

“It is a cliché to say that recycling begins at home, but it does,” said Pat Gee. “It begins in neighborhoods, too. Today, I would like to issue a challenge to the leaders in all of the City’s 140 plus neighborhood associations to help LRecycles by: getting bags yourself, filling out the card, encouraging neighbors to get bags, scheduling the City for presentations to association meetings, and working with Public Works on clean up days.”

“Today marks the first day of Spring,” noted the Mayor. “I cannot think of a better way to kick off this time of renewal than by launching this exciting program. I look forward to seeing these 10,000 bags in grocery stores and shopping centers all over Little Rock.”

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Locations for the pick up of bags

? Little Rock City Hall, 500 West Markham
? Willie L. Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center, 3805 West 12th Street
? Central Arkansas Library Main Branch, 100 Rock Street
? Aerospace Education Center Library, 3301 Roosevelt Road
? Dee Brown Library, 6325 Baseline Road
? John Gould Fletcher Library, 823 North Buchanan Street
? Sidney McMath Library, 2100 John Barrow Road
? Adolphine Fletcher Terry Library, 2015 Napa Valley Drive
? Roosevelt Thompson Library, 38 Rahling Circle
? Sue Cowan Williams Library, 1800 South Chester Street