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SOUNDS GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

This summer, the Nashville Sounds are bringing something new to the game of baseball—recycling. For the last three months, Sounds fans have been able to recycle their plastic soft drink and beer bottles, as well as other recyclable items, at Greer Stadium.

In addition to making recycling bins available at Greer Stadium, the Sounds are recycling cardboard boxes from their offices and vendors.

The pilot-recycling program, operated by Metro Nashville Public Works on behalf of the Sounds, is funded by a grant from the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR).

Under the provisions of the grant, NAPCOR has provided the Sounds with eight PET collection containers, a large recycling dumpster and educational materials used to remind patrons to recycle.

"The Sounds are more than a baseball team, we are members of this community," Jason Hise, assistant general manager of the Sounds, says. "And like other Nashville citizens, we have a vested interest in our city’s conservation efforts."

Sounds officials estimate that approximately 70,000 plastic soft drink and beer bottles will be sold during the team’s 2003 season. Based on recycling rates recorded at Greer Stadium’s "Recycle Night" last year, Metro anticipates that 50 percent of the bottles will be recycled during the pilot program.

"What the Sounds have started to find out is that when they encourage fans to recycle, the stadium’s garbage compactor needs to be emptied less often," Sharon Smith, recycling coordinator for Metro Nashville Public Works, says. "This signifies financial savings for the Sounds and an ecological gain for Nashville."

Additional information on Nashville’s recycling efforts and other waste management services are available at www.nashville/recycle.gov.

SUBWAY CARS SINK TO NEW DEPTHS

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has deployed the first of 50 subway cars from a group of 250 decommissioned by the New York Transit Authority (NYTA) for use in the state’s artificial reef program.

Since 2001 the NYTA’s artificial reef program has deposited 967 of the 1,217 "Redbird" cars available at reefs in Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia.

Each Redbird car is approximately 51 feet in length, measuring roughly 9 feet in width and height. Prior to the cars’ deployment, the NYTA strips them of all tanks, plastic, degradable materials, floatables and greases to avoid possible contamination of the marine ecosystem. NYTA also removes the wheel assemblies and undercarriages of the cars to be sold as scrap metal.