The City of Cleveland is hosting its first Cleveland Recycles 5k Run & Walk on the Cleveland/Bradley County Greenway Park on Raider Drive on May 9. Registration begins at 7 a.m. The run/walk begins at 8:30 a.m.
The goal is to raise awareness about the benefits of recycling and reduce litter. In keeping with the goal, in lieu of a race entry fee, please bring a minimum of two recyclable items on the day of the event. Prizes will be awarded to individuals who bring the most recyclable materials on the day of the event. Each participant will receive a reusable grocery tote and T-shirt.
In order to secure a T-shirt, submit https://endurancecui.active.com/event-reg/select-race?e=14786754 or email Brian Moran by Monday, May 4, at bmoran@clevelandtn.gov, by regular mail addressed to City of Cleveland, ATTN: Brian Moran, P. O. BOX 1519, Cleveland, TN, 37364, or deliver the forms in person to the Cleveland Municipal Building at 190 Church Street N. E., Cleveland, TN, 37311.
Parking will be available free of charge at Greenway Park and across the street at Cleveland High School.
The selected course is a safe and scenic route through the city that follows along the Cleveland/Bradley County Greenway. The course is both certified and sanctioned under USA Track & Field guidelines.
The Cleveland Recycles 5k Run and Walk is part of a campaign titled, “Clean & Green Cleveland,” that encourages recycling and discourages littering. The “Clean & Green Cleveland” awareness campaign is funded by a three-year matching grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation. TDOT pays $55,000 and the city is responsible for $11,000. In addition to the race, the grant pays for a three-year anti-litter campaign.
In addition to raising awareness, the goal is to educate and mobilize Cleveland residents and businesses in order to reduce littering, excess waste and encourage recycling through a campaign of marketing, education and other activities such as a logo design contest.
The Cleveland City Council applauded Crystal Stander, a member of the Boys and Girls Club of Cleveland Blythe Avenue Unit, for her winning logo. The city, Blythe Community and Blythe Unit of the Boys and Girls Club sponsored the contest.
Ms. Stander’s design appears on reusable grocery bags designed to increase recycling participation. Reusable bags decrease the number of plastic bags on streets, in streams and in the landfill. In the last six months, the Blythe Community and Coca-Cola collected more than 2,373 pounds of recyclable materials including plastic, cardboard, and mixed paper.