Savannah, Ga., Joins CVP

The city of Savannah, Ga., will offer residential curbside recycling beginning in 2009. With assistance from the Curbside Value Partnership (CVP), a program funded by members of the Aluminum Association and Can Manufacturers Institute, the city of Savannah will roll out a grassroots education campaign encouraging residents to recycle curbside, rather than at drop-off locations in the city.

“Savannah is excited to offer curbside recycling to our residents, and we are proud to have been selected as a partner community by CVP,” Stephanie Cutter, director of the Bureau of Sanitation for the city of Savannah, says. “With CVP’s support and their valuable resources and expertise, we anticipate being able to convey to residents how easy and convenient single-stream curbside recycling really is.

Beginning this fall and running through 2009, CVP will help the city teach residents about the new curbside recycling system, what can be recycled and the benefits to be gained. Additionally, CVP will work with Savannah officials to unveil the new state-wide recycling brand currently being developed by the state’s Department of Community Affairs.

“We have found that educating residents about new recycling programs and the benefits of recycling has the greatest impact on efficiently implementing a curbside recycling system,” Steve Thompson, program director for CVP, says.  “We hope to get Savannah residents excited about recycling at the curb and encourage them to recycle more than ever before to preserve the city and state’s environment for generations to come.”

The CVP describes itself as is the only national program that engages communities, haulers, material recovery facilities (MRFs) and other stakeholders to identify solutions to improving curbside recycling programs through education. Its goal is to launch and study education programs to increase participation in local curbside recycling programs and make programs more profitable and sustainable. For more information, visit www.RecycleCurbside.org.