Gary marks National Recycling Day
Gary city worker Irene Sanders-Allen treks around the grounds at City Hall picking up glass, cans and plastic.
She doesn’t toss it. She adds to the recycling container by the information desk.
Sanders-Allen has become a relentless recycler and her efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.
On Friday, she received the city’s “recycling best” plaque honoring her service from recycling department superintendent Mattiee Fitzgerald-Williams.
The presentation came as the city celebrated National Recycling Day.
At City Hall, citizens were invited to play recycling trivia and receive recycling bins, grocery bags and metal drink containers, along with recycling information.
Sanders-Allen said she’s worked in the Public Works maintenance department for four years. “I just go around the building and pick up plastic and cans,” she said.
“She not only recycles, but she has signed up 50 residents to join the program,” said FitzgeraldWilliams, who said it’s the first time the award has been given.
She said recycling is a voluntary program and residents need to request the free green and yellow containers. They’re picked up weekly by city crews. Fitzgerald-Williams said the city received a grant for the program from the Lake County Solid Waste Management District.
Fitzgerald-Williams also gave a plaque to Tehran Jones, a worker in her department, for “going above and beyond” to help the department service residents.
Most of the citizens who played recycling trivia got the answers right. Some of the questions included “What is compost?”
The Gary Recycling Department provides free recycling services for Gary residents including e-waste recycling, brown bag collection, shredding, household hazardous waste collection, recycling bins and educational services. Recycling pickup service is available Monday-Friday at 7:00 a.m. Bins must be placed curbside.
For more information about recycling services, contact the department at 219-882-8445, ext. 3, or at www.garyin.us. Recycling is located at 900 Madison St.