CENTRE — Cherokee County Health and Rehabilitation Center is going green with its recycling program, which collects plastic and cardboard in specially marked receptacles around the facility.

The program, which is one of the largest in the county, helps protect natural resources and relieves some of the burden of disposing of huge amounts of paper and plastic daily.

The 185-bed facility receives truckloads of supplies for its residents every week. Dumpsters fill up quickly with cardboard boxes and plastic containers.

The Going Green Project, begun in April, already has dramatically cut the amount of garbage going to landfills. Chief Operating Officer Trudy C. Lowe said Going Green has dramatically reduced landfill garbage.

“We have gone from filling up four Dumpsters a day for landfill pickup to approximately two a day,” she said.

CCHRC started with paper and plastics, but plans to include aluminum and glass soon.

“We started with a realistic goal – paper and plastics – and that is going well. We will expand as our employees become familiar with the process of recycling. We have been very pleased with everyone's response to the project,” Lowe said.

CCHRC has placed recycling containers for plastics at each entrance and exit to the facility. Cherokee Village, the assisted living section, also has set up recycling containers. One of the main differences in recycling plastic bottles: The bottles should be rinsed before being placed in the bin, due to the potential of attracting pests.

Cardboard is collected in a tractor-trailer parked near the Dumpsters at CCHRC. When it is filled, FG Plastics of Fort Payne picks up the tractor-trailer and leaves an empty one in its place.

Freddy Glover, who owns FG Plastics, said recycling helps save money because less garbage means fewer trips to the landfill. Most of Glover's business is with recycling centers such as the one operated by the City of Fort Payne, which opened its center in 2000 to meet growing public demand for a recycling center.

About 60 percent of the garbage Americans throw away today could be recycled, according to the website www.environment-green.com.

By recycling one plastic bottle, consumers not only save landfill space, but they also save the environment from the emissions in producing new bottles as well as the oil used to make that bottle.

Lowe said she already considers the Going Green Project a success and hopes others in the county will consider starting their own recycling centers.

CCHRC attempted to implement Going Green without increasing labor costs.

“While FG Plastics will pay for our recycled products at the going market rate, it is not enough to fund a new position,” Lowe said. “We hope it will be enough to fund a special project, such as an outdoor gardening area.”