Rocky the Recycling Raccoon kicked off Chattanooga’s new “Recycle Right” initiative.

Mayor Ron Littlefield said at a press conference at Miller Plaza, “Rocky and Recycle Right’s Team Recycle have made a commitment to spread the word about recycling right in Chattanooga and are encouraging citizens to do the same.”

Recycle Right’s Team Recycle, a group of volunteers, along with Orange Grove Center were also on hand.

Mayor Littlefield said, “On average, 330 tons of materials collected through the curbside program are redirected to the landfill each month because those materials are either not recyclable or are recycled incorrectly. Rocky and Team Recycle are working to educate the community on how to recycle the 'right' way and how to prepare their recyclable materials in order to reduce the amount of redirected materials.

"Recycling right means more than recycling correctly; recycling is the 'right' thing to do for our community because it provides vocational training and jobs to academically at-risk high school students and developmentally disabled citizens at Orange Grove Center."

Tera Roberts, employment supports director at Orange Grove Center, said, “By recycling you are providing members of our community with valuable vocational skills which are necessary for future employment in our community. With the addition of the four new convenience centers, Orange Grove will provide approximately 150 jobs to academically at-risk high school students and developmentally disabled citizens from our community.”

Officials said recycling also helps reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill.

They said there are several steps Chattanoogans can take to Recycle Right:

Follow the guidelines to ensure you are recycling correctly—this entails properly preparing your recyclables and making sure the items you put on the curb can be recycled through the curbside pickup program
Spread the word—encourage your family members, friends and neighbors to “Recycle Right” and educate them on the proper way to recycle
Use convenience centers in addition to participating in the curbside program to enhance your positive impact on Chattanooga—by utilizing convenience centers, you can recycle additional materials such as glass and electronics
Volunteer—you can be a member of Team Recycle and educate the community at local events about how to recycle right” and why it’s important to recycle. Chattanoogans who are interested in volunteering can e-mail their name, phone number and mailing address to volunteer@recycleright.org, call (423) 648-7341 or visit www.recycleright.org.

Guidelines for both curbside recycling and recycling at convenience centers are available at www.recycleright.org.

The website also includes assistance in determining which Wednesday of the month is your curbside pickup day, answers to frequently asked questions, a printable “Rocky the Recycling Raccoon” coloring page, and will have information about upcoming Rocky and Team Recycle appearances, plus more, it was stated.

Chattanoogans may also pick up a copy of the recycling guidelines and view a map of service areas at City Hall, the Chattanooga Public Library and Orange Grove Center.