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 Berkeley,
California (Tuesday, July 15, 2003)
– Winners of the
City’s “Cash for Trash” contest will be honored by the
Berkeley City Council at its regular meeting on July 15, 2003 at
7:00 p.m. in the City Council chambers located at 2134 Martin Luther
King, Jr. Way.
Funded by Alameda County Waste
Management Authority—and jointly sponsored by the Berkeley Ecology
Center and the City of Berkeley—this innovative program rewards
Berkeley residents for outstanding recycling efforts.
On
selected days from May 5 through June 13, Ecology Center staff
collected trash from randomly selected addresses, with permission
from the residents, and searched for recyclables. Those with no recyclable material in their trash were awarded
cash prizes of at least $250. If
no winners were identified, the prize money rolled over to the next
day for a potentially larger reward for the next winner.
“The
‘Cash for Trash’ contest is a unique approach to educating
community residents regarding the need for recycling and leveraging
the innovation of Berkeley residents in identifying simple
strategies to reduce waste,” said Weldon Rucker, Berkeley City
Manager.
In
2001, the last time the contest was held, the event stimulated a
surge in curbside recycling participation and increased the tonnage
of material recycled in Berkeley.
The contest is part of the City’s effort to reach
the goal of diverting 75 percent of recyclable material away from
the landfill by 2010. The
City of Berkeley has successfully reached a 52 percent recycling
rate, but continues to focus efforts on the residential sector—the
largest waste generator.
This
year, seven local residents were awarded cash prizes totaling
$7,500. The winners
include Stephanie Turner, Anne Edwardson, Marianne Prior, Gertie
Sylvester, Mary Clegg, Vickie Piovia and Mike Scott, and Betsy
Hess-Behrens.
For
additional information, please contact Becky
Dowdakin of the City’s Solid Waste Management Division via
email or phone at (510) 981-6357, or visit the City’s Residential
Recycling Services web page and follow our partner link to
the Berkeley Ecology Center.
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