Contact: Margie Byers, Lee County Solid Waste Division

(941) 479-8181

LATEST MISSION RECYCLE WINNERS GIVEN $500 EACH, BRING TOTAL TO 15

FORT MYERS, Fla. (April 26, 2000) – The residents who were selected during the first six months of the Mission Recycle Contest and did not win because they had improper items in their recycle bins had their second chance this month!

Officials from the Lee County Division of Solid Waste went back to areas previously visited to give residents a chance to show they had cleaned up their recycling habits. Two winners, Diane Fjelsted and Lloyd Jackson, were selected for having only recyclable materials in their bins. They will each receive $500 for paying attention to their recycling efforts, raising the prize money given Lee County recyclers to a total of $7,500.

The main reason many residents did not win the challenge at first is because they put plastic bags in their bins. Many people use the plastic bags to hold newspapers and magazines. Plastic bags cause problems when sorting the recyclables at the Materials Recovery Facility where the recyclables are separated and prepared for resale. It is recommended that the newspapers and magazines be placed in brown kraft grocery bags. The other main reason for not winning the challenge is because the bottles have lids on them. We want all plastic and glass bottles to be rinsed and to have the lids removed,” says Collin Davis, Recycling Coordinator for the Lee County Solid Waste Division. For more information on the Mission Recycle Challenge call 479-8181.

Fifteen happy winners have been selected to date. To qualify to win, residents in unincorporated Lee County and Cape Coral should place only proper items into their recycling bins. The items should be rinsed, lids removed and the paper items, including magazines, should be placed in a brown paper bag next to the bin. Corrugated cardboard should be flattened and placed under the recycling bin.