By Jacque Day
Murray, Ky. – From Thanksgiving to New Year's, Americans throw away a million extra tons of garbage each week. For folks hitting the malls for the Friday-after-Thanksgiving retail rush, why not add recycling to your shopping list. Plan to wrap gifts with other gifts, like pillow cases or towels. Give a present in a basket. And, Murray City council member Bill Wells urges area residents to recycle. Hang onto that wrapping paper and cardboard for the next Murray-Calloway County Make-A-Difference Day, shortly after the holidays.
"The main item that I want people to remember because it helps the resource centers of Murray and Calloway County, would be paper of all kinds. Newspaper, plus any kind of mixed paper or cardboard. That money goes back to the resource centers."
Wells, a longtime Make-A-Difference Day organizer, says in the City of Murray collects about 75 tons of "garbage" per day. He estimates up to half of that to be recyclable paper products. Local efforts over the 15 years have kept 2,360 tons of paper from ending up in a landfill. Make-A-Difference Day takes place about four times a year. The next one is scheduled for January 9.