Recycle Rutherford and the Rutherford County Solid Waste Department, supported by AT&T Real Yellow Pages Project Redirectory, are encouraging Rutherford County students to recycle in the annual telephone book collection. In a competition open to all public and private schools within the county, students can collect used telephone books to win a cash prize for their classrooms. The contest will run from now through October 17. The drawing for the winners will be held at the Recycle Rutherford semi annual meeting on Monday October 24 at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford County Courthouse.

EVERYONE Urged To Recycle Phone Books

You don't have to be a student to recycle phone books. If you don't know a teacher or student that will take your phone book, you can recycle it at one of the collection locations. The bins will remain in place until the end of October.

"The Project Redirectory program provides the perfect opportunity for environmental lessons in the classroom," said Linda Stevens, coordinator of the project for Recycle Rutherford. "Our goals include not only reducing the amount of waste disposed of in Rutherford County, but also teaching students to care for the environment."

School Classes Compete

Participating teachers encourage their students to bring in used telephone books, then tabulate the number of books collected. The teacher or a volunteer delivers the books to one of four collection centers by October 24th. At the end of the collection, each teacher emails Recycle Rutherford at recyclerutherford@yahoo.com to report the total number of books turned in by his or her class. Each set of ten phone books turned in earns a class one entry in a drawing for a $200 cash prize. Fourteen classes will earn these prizes.

Local Collection Sites

All Rutherford County residents are encouraged to recycle phone books by giving them to a student at a participating school or by dropping them at one of the following collection sites:

Smyrna Middle School parking lot, 712 Hazelwood Drive, Smyrna

Haley Road Recycling Center, 1140 Haley Road, Murfreesboro 24 hours a day

Blackman Middle School, 3945 Blaze Drive, Murfreesboro 24 hours a day

Black Fox Elementary, 1753 South Rutherford Blvd, Murfreesboro 24 hours a day

Phonebook Facts

AT&T Real Yellow Pages directories are recyclable. Recycled phone books are made into useful products such as animal bedding, insulation, cereal boxes, roofing shingles, new phone books and more. AT&T Real Yellow Pages directories are made from recycled paper waste and wood fiber waste such as sawdust and wood chips left over from lumber processing operations. Special thanks go to AT&T Advertising Solutions for providing prize money.

Recycle Rutherford is a volunteer organization dedicated to increasing recycling in Rutherford County. To volunteer or request more information, please call 687-3497 or visit www.recyclerutherford.org.