Tanjie Schrimsher and Lynne Hart
Keep Athens Limestone Beautiful
Lynne Hart, Executive Coordinator, and Tanjie Schrimsher, Recycling Coordinator of Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful, Inc gave a fascinating talk on litter and recycling to residents of
Betty Harrison signs in
Lynne kicked off the program focusing on KALB’s “Clean and Green” mission, combining the topics of litter and recycling for a well-rounded community educational program. KALB works with
According to research, there are three reasons people litter:
1 – When people do not take ownership of a place they don’t take care of it.
2 – People believe someone will pick up after them.
3 – People tend to litter where litter has already accumulated.
4 – Lynne adds this to this list – LAZINESS.
Wilda Davis, Helen Kloock, Jim Starke and Sue Starke
Lynne jokingly calls plastic bags “our state bird,” because one can see these floating things in our skies as much as one can see birds. They perch in trees and swim among our waters, just like our feathered friends. That’s rather sad. She informed us about plastic bags in our waterways and oceans, telling us that sea turtles in particular try to eat plastic bags and have been found with them stuck in their throats or wrapped around their heads. Why? A sea turtles favorite food is jelly fish. A floating plastic bag looks just like a jellyfish. Albatross are becoming extinct because they are feeding their young plastic. They don’t know it’s plastic obviously, but plastic pellets look just like fish eggs, a key food of the baby albatross. Dead chicks have been found with their stomachs filled with plastic.
Carroll Adams introduces Lynne and Tanjie while Jayne Schmidt, Mary Radant, Linda Grinde and Betty Benson look on.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is easily twice the size of
We also learned this critical information: Plastic photo-degrades, it never, ever biodegrades. Plastic will out live us.
Our landfills are so tightly compacted that the elements necessary for decomposition- light and moisture - never reach the products. 50-year-old newspapers have been unearthed intact, and can still be read.
Cigarette filters and their proper disposal gave us much to think about. Cigarette filters are made of plastic, and they take 12 years or longer to break down. However, even more importantly is that these filters collect toxins – obviously, chemical toxins from the cigarette itself. These toxins leach out of these filters into our environment. That may not sound like much but when you consider the trillions – TRILLIONS – of filters that are thoughtlessly flicked out of car windows, rubbed out under shoes and left on pavement, tossed into our waterways – it’s staggering.
Lynne told attendees about KALB’s Adopt A Spot and Community Clean-up programs. KALB helps sponsoring communities and groups with bags, vests, pick-up-sticks and other supplies. Groups can choose and area and clean it up just once, or choose to clean it more often. Call Lynne for information or head to the website.
Betty Benson looks through the KALB handout
After Lynne’s sobering message, Tanjie entertained us with Show & Tell – various recyclables and examples to pass around as she educated us about the local recycling program.
We learned a new word – “Nurdles.” Plastic pellets that are the beginning of all plastic products. Nurdles are what the albatross’s pick up and feed to their young, in addition to other shiny plastic “treats.”
Again – remember – plastic is NOT biodegradable – it is photodegradable. I was going to give you the definition of “photodegradable” via Wikipedia, but link here and read it for yourself. Reading the definition gave me a headache. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photodegradation
The
Fritz Schmidt reads through the information
Tanjie shared great examples of what can and cannot be recycled at the
Link here to KALB for a complete list of what can be recycled: http://www.keepathenslimestonebeautiful.com/recyclables.html
Some fascinating Recycling Facts:
http://www.keepathenslimestonebeautiful.com/recyclingfacts.html
Go here for information on recycling hazardous materials: http://earth911.com/
Participants asked about specific recycling challenges, like motor oil, paint and paint cans, batteries of all kinds, cell phones, Solo Cups, shredded office paper (bagged, please), phone books and even ELECTRONICS RECYLING.
For every ton of garbage generated 6 people are employed; for every ton of recycling generated 34 people are employed.
We all need to do our part
This was a fantastic program and we would like to thank Lynne Hart and Tanjie Schrimsher for their time and efforts. Our community really got into the subject and asked all manner of wonderful, useful questions. Thank you all for coming.
The Bay Hill Conservancy sends our sincere thanks to Lynne and Tanjie, and also to Bill Wojciechowski, the Recycling Center Manager.
No wonder I'm gaining weight!
The Conservancy first tackled the newer crape myrtles planted by the Tidwells along Bay Village Drive. This first task was easy, taking a minimum of time and effort.
Dick and Marilyn Bachelor show off their pruning skills, above, while Fritz Schmidt, below, ponders the proper approach.
If we only knew what loomed before us we would have brought a case of beer. Hindsight is always 20/20.
The crape myrtles closer to the docks are an entirely different story. Wilda laughs while Jayne works. "Hey...these are bigger...and tougher!!! You've got to be kidding me!"
Debi puts her back into it. Not a very flattering pose but oh well.
Jayne and Wilda have this crape myrtle under control.
Linda and Dick concentrate on their pruning methods. 
Linda's working hard.
Lookin' good, Wilda.
It takes a Village...
How many more do we have to prune?
Oh, my aching back...
Remember that moment in "Jaws" when Roy Scheider saw the shark for the first time and he said "We need a bigger boat...?"
Fritz hauls the debris...
Holy cow...where's the beer already? Carroll?
Thankfully, Dick brought a saw for some of the larger limbs.
Is that the beer truck I see...?
Light at the end of the tunnel.
Good job, Dick.
The weary group stops to pose for a photo - thanks, Jim. And thanks to everyone who volunteered this lovely Sunday afternoon to help our community. 
For more information click here: http://www.keepathenslimestonebeautiful.com/recyclingboard.html
What's Recyclable, click here: http://www.keepathenslimestonebeautiful.com/recyclables.html
