Residents Continue To Recycle In Westchester

26 students, government organizations to be honored for their effort at Earth Day Celebration Sunday

Last year, Westchester County residents and businesses reduced the amount of garbage they put out for disposal by almost 100,000 tons — helping the environment and saving themselves tax dollars. About half of all garbage generated by residents was recycled, exceeding the state recycling goal of 40 percent.

At the annual Earth Day Celebration Sunday, Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino will recognize 26 local governments, school children and others from the community for their efforts to help make this happen.

The awards presentation will take place at 1 p.m. at the county’s Earth Day 2010 celebration, which is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 18 at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla.

The county and its taxpayers save $85 for every ton of garbage that it doesn’t have to incinerate. Last year, the amount of municipally collected garbage was 842,000 tons – down from 941,000 in 2008. The amount recycled was 421,459 tons. The recycled materials get sold for cash and the non-recycled materials get turned into electricity in the county’s waste-to-energy facility.