Funding for recycling containers was recently awarded for the “Play Green” project.
The grant funding allows the city to furnish additional permanent recycling containers for the parks, as well as purchase more portable recycling containers for the city’s special events as well as educational and promotional materials.
“The containers are primarily for water bottles, cans and that sort of thing,” said Cristal Rollins, community programs coordinator for Coppell. “Those are the things found most often out on the parks and trails. Park goers can now recycle more while they are using the parks, fields, facilities and trails with the new recycling containers in place.
The containers were provided by a Solid Waste Implementation Project grant from the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and Texas Commission on Environmental Equality (TCEQ).
Rollins wrote the grant for just under $15,000 and that money provided 17 new recycling containers in the parks and on the trails located in Coppell.
The recycling containers have been placed at Andy Brown East and West parks, the Kid Country playground and the trail system. Each recycling container is marked with “Coppell Recycles Bottles and Cans” signage and has a special opening at the top to minimize contamination. The recycling receptacles are placed next to trash cans in all locations, Rollins said.
“The recycling containers are in the parks and we are using some of the portable containers we purchased at some of the recent city events,” she said. “We also purchased some promotional items to give out to encourage people to recycle.”
Recycling in the parks was first initiated in 2006. The first recycling containers were placed at the soccer and baseball fields at Wagon Wheel and MacArthur parks through “Run, Refresh, Recycle.”
The “Run, Refresh, Recycle” project was also funded through a Solid Waste Implementation Project grant.
The “Play Green” project funds have given the city the opportunity to enhance the park recycling program, increase the diversion rate and create less waste that ends up in a landfill, and gives park users more chances to play green, Rollins said.
Original article written by Jim Kilpatrick – Coppell Gazette
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