Auburn to Celebrate Earth Day with Community Clean Up Event

As April begins to get a solid foothold throughout the North Georgia region, many adventurous spirits look ahead to a slew of seasonal festivals and upcoming Spring-themed celebrations.

With the advent of Easter, so comes Auburn’s much-anticipated Springfest and Easter Egg Hunt at James Shackelford Memorial Park from 1 to 3 p.m. April 7. 

For eco-conscious residents, April also means the return of Earth Day — a special day designed to increase awareness of the need for a healthy, sustainable environment. First established in 1970, Earth Day is commemorated each year on April 22.

In preparation for Earth Day, Auburn will host a clean up event from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, April 20 and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 21. During the clean up, residents are encouraged to bring items such as batteries, eye glasses, motor oil, cell phones, scrap metal, ink cartridges, electronics, cameras, radios, “junk” (anything you don’t want whether it is usable or not) and old tires (at a cost of $2 to $5 per tire depending on the size). Items that cannot be accepted at this event include paint of any type, paint thinner and cooking oil. Containers will be set up behind  on Fourth Avenue. Call Charlotte at 770-963-4002, ext. 223, for more information

The city of Auburn doesn’t need a special holiday to show its concern for the environment. By partnering with Robertson Sanitation/Republic Services, Auburn regularly encourages its residents to recycle and recently printed a complete list of recyclable items in its March 2012 newsletter. Those items include:

• Aluminum — Beverage cans, baking tins, food containers, etc.
• Cardboard — Pizza boxes, broken down packing boxes, etc.
• Glass — Bottles, jars, etc.
• Junk mail
• Kraft paper — Grocery bags, lunch bags, etc.
• Magazines and newspapers
• Paperboard — Toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, soda boxes, cereal boxes, etc.
• Plastics — Soda bottles, milk jugs, butter tubs, shampoo bottles, squeeze bottles, yogurt containers, straws, empty medicine bottles, disposable plates and cups, etc.
• Steel — Empty aerosol cans, steel food containers, clean metal lids, etc.
• Mixed paper — School papers, calendars, etc.
• Other paper — Phone books, computer paper, paperback books, etc.

Do you consider yourself to be eco-conscious? What do you and your family do that would fall under the "environmentally-friendly" category? Tell us in comments. 

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