Earth Day in Tulsa

It's Earth Day and since the first Earth Day in 1970, environmentalists have encouraged all of us to do what we can to save the planet. <br><br>News on Six reporter Patrina Adger visited a recycling

Monday, April 22nd 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

It's Earth Day and since the first Earth Day in 1970, environmentalists have encouraged all of us to do what we can to save the planet.

News on Six reporter Patrina Adger visited a recycling center at 21st and Sheridan where folks have brought in bags of items to recycle. One out of every five people in Tulsa recycles. And while Earth Day is just a day for some, for others it's a year-round project.

Dottie McCoy considers herself a recycling fanatic. "There's cans, plastic and paper. I even recycle my plastic bags. I have to take them to another location." She's been doing it for ten years and says it's her civic duty. "The land fills are getting full and I don't want a pile of trash out there with my name on it, so I recycle." But why is this so environmentally correct for these faithful recyclers? Anna May Sweet, recycler, "because they have a use for it. If you throw it away it's burned, we don't need all that trash." Matt Howard, 7 year recycler, "there's so much going into landfills these days. I think it's important that we do to keep the land clean."

Metropolitan Environmental Trust Director Michael Patton says more than 8,000 Tulsa families each month bring in bags of office paper, magazines, newspapers and bottles, both glass and plastic, to be recycled and turned into other goods. "My pop bottles are currently going to Dallas and will be made into carpeting. Milk jugs are made into a lumber project from a company at 7th and Utica."

Patton says Tulsa is on the right path in establishing itself as an enviromentally responsible city. But more can always be done. "It's hard to save the whales in Oklahoma, it's hard to save the rain forest but recycling is something everyone can do so we want to encourage recycling as a good step for Earth Day."

If you have newspapers, bottles or anything else you'd rather not throw away you can take it to a recycling center. To find the closest one, you can visit Metropolitan Environmental Trust. Most of the centers are open 24 hours a day.