· This year’s Local Government Recycler of the Year Award was presented to Jackson County for their efforts to promote and increase recycling within the county. Located on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, Jackson County is one of the few counties in Mississippi that provides curbside recycling services to residents in the unincorporated areas of the county. The County continues to offer drop off locations for recyclables as well and offers recycling programs for electronic wastes, batteries, white goods, waste tires, certain household hazardous wastes and yard wastes. In conjunction with this award, the MRC Board of Directors specifically recognizes Ms. Ronda Powell, Jackson County Solid Waste Director, for her work to encourage and promote recycling in Jackson County and across the Gulf Coast. Based on these accomplishments and the level of services provided in Jackson County, MRC is proud to recognize Jackson County as the Local Government Recycler of the Year.

· This year the winner of the State/Federal Government Recycler of the Year Award is the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi for their strides in recycling and energy conservation. In November 2008, UMC established a “Go Green” Committee which developed recommendations including the purchase of Energy Star labeled equipment, replacement of incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent light bulbs, and using an automated energy management system to control and monitor building systems. Additionally in 2009, UMC recycled more than 730,000 pounds of paper and cardboard and over 1,700 pounds of aluminum and plastic containers. Furthermore, the amount of garbage generated by UMC was reduced by more than 1.3 million pounds compared to 2008 disposal figures while expanding building space by more than 190,000 square feet. Through additional training, UMC has also been able to reduce the amount of medical/infectious wastes by more than 300,000 pounds. Based on these accomplishments, MRC is proud to award the University of Mississippi Medical Center with its Recycler of the Year award for State and Federal Government agencies

· This year’s recipient of the Corporate Recycler of the Year Award is Allen Recycling of Canton, Mississippi. Allen Recycling has opened a new processing facility in Canton that has allowed the company to grow its recycling services. The company is servicing schools, communities, institutions and offices all over the Jackson Metropolitan area and beyond. In addition, Allen Recycling has been a significant part of the expansion of recycling services in state office buildings and at the State Capitol. The company has also been a big part of starting new programs at Jackson State University and in other metropolitan area communities and has been a champion for recycling in Central Mississippi. Based on these accomplishments, MRC is proud to award Allen Recycling with its Corporate Recycler of the Year Award.

· This year’s Non-Profit Recycler of the Year Award was presented to the Live Oak Alliance Mississippi specifically for their Recycle Hancock program in Hancock County, Mississippi. Started in July 2008, Recycle Hancock has hit the ground running, raising over $50,000 to install recycling receptacles at several of the schools in the count. In addition ,the organization has also promoted public use of the receptacles and has insured that any proceeds generated by the receptacles are returned to the schools. Recycle Hancock members have also distributed packets, resources, lesson plans, and many other recycling related information to the teachers of these schools. In addition to the Recycle Hancock program, Live Oak Alliance, Mississippi has been a voice for “going green” on the Coast and has helped promote various aspects of eco-tourism in the area. Based on these accomplishments, MRC is proud to honor the Live Oak Alliance Mississippi with its Non-Profit Recycler of the Year Award for its Recycle Hancock program.

In addition to these winners there were other organizations that deserved attention as well and we want to present Certificates of Recognition to those organizations. The organizations receiving Certificates of Recognition are as follows:

· Pontotoc Elementary School in Pontotoc, Mississippi

· Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi

· Keep Horn Lake Beautiful in Horn Lake, Mississippi

· BluBox Recycling in Columbus, Mississippi

· City of Ocean Springs in Ocean Springs, Mississippi

· Mississippi Action for Community Education - Youth Build Program in Greenville, Mississippi

There are numerous other communities, businesses, organizations, and education institutions that could have been nominated this year, and the MRC is appreciative of the efforts of all of these unsung heroes for their efforts to promote and increase recycling in Mississippi. MRC encourages interested persons to participate in the 2011 Environmental Hero Awards by nominating deserving organizations.

The Mississippi Recycling Coalition is a consortium of recycling companies, local governments, state agencies, and other organizations interested in promoting reuse, recycling, waste reduction, and composting in Mississippi. For more information on the MRC and its programs, please visit the Coalition’s web page at http://www.msrecycles.org.