Make Your Holiday "Eco-Friendly"-- "Bring One For The Chipper" Program Offers Free Christmas Tree Recycling Statewide

ATLANTA, GA (December 26, 2007) - Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Mike Beatty today called on Georgia families to make "eco-friendly" post-Christmas disposal plans by participating in the state's 18th annual Bring One for the Chipper recycling program.

   Bring One for the Chipper is Georgia's annual Christmas tree recycling program. Each year, Keep Georgia Beautiful works with private sponsors to organize a number of tree recycling events around the state. 

   For the 2007-post holiday efforts, more than 300 tree collection sites will be available statewide, including 100 in the metropolitan Atlanta area. As days of operation for collection sites vary, Georgians are encouraged to visit www.KeepGeorgiaBeautiful.org or call (800) CLEAN-UP for the most up-to-date information. 

   Since its inception in 1991, Keep Georgia Beautiful's Bring One for the Chipper program has collected over 5 million trees and provided over 1 million tree seedlings to program participants. Nearly 242,000 trees were recycled statewide in 2006. 

   Major Metro-Atlanta Effort Planned Slated For Saturday, January 5

   Corporate sponsors The Home Depot, WXIA-TV/11 Alive (Atlanta's NBC affiliate) and The Davey Tree Company are again partnering with DCA on one of the state's largest recycling tree drives. Each year, the metropolitan Atlanta's "single day" tree recycling drive is successful in encouraging many local families to "chip" versus "trash" their Christmas trees.

   Atlanta-area Home Depot stores will serve as community drop-off sites. The Davey Tree Company will donate use of their equipment to chip the trees collected at the store locations. WXIA-TV/ 11 Alive provides onsite broadcast coverage. 

   Local metropolitan Atlanta residents are invited to bring their trees to the Home Depot drop-off centers on Saturday, January 5, 2007 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Citizens are encouraged to contact the Home Depot location directly to confirm participation. 

   "Recycled" trees will be chipped into mulch or used as wildlife habitat. While supplies last, each citizen that donates a tree for recycling on that day will receive a free dogwood seedling. Seedlings will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Funds from Keep Georgia Beautiful, Georgia Forestry Commission and the state's Solid Waste Fund were used to purchase approximately 40,000 seedlings. 

   Program Encourages Georgians To Be Good Environmental Stewards

   Bring One For The Chipper has become a holiday tradition for many Georgia families. Recycling the Christmas tree provides a wonderful opportunity for families to discuss taking care of our environment and practice those principles by recycling their tree and planting a new seedling," said DCA Commissioner Mike Beatty. 

   "Georgia's citizens continue to demonstrate strong support for our annual Chipper program," said Randy Hartmann, DCA's Director - Environmental Programs. "We are especially pleased that many families will leave a drop-off site with a tree seedling. When families plant the seedlings, they are doing their part in keeping our state clean, green and beautiful. These individual and collective efforts of environmental stewardship are important for our state today and tomorrow."

   Governor Sonny and First Lady Mary Perdue are also big supporters of the Bring One for the Chipper program. Each year, Christmas trees from the Governor's Mansion are taken to The Home Depot's Cumberland Parkway store in Atlanta for recycling. 

   Year After Year Success Keeps Popular Program Going Strong

   In 2007, nearly 242,600 trees were collected and recycled into mulch for playgrounds, city and county landscaping projects and individual homes. Approximately 10,400 of the trees were sunk into lakes across the state to provide fish habitat.

   "Georgia's program continues to be so successful in due in large part to the dedication of our Keep Georgia Beautiful volunteers and affiliates in participating communities. We are especially proud of our affiliates and their successful efforts to engage Georgia communities on this effort and other important programs year round," added Commissioner Beatty. 

   For more information about the 2008 Bring One for the Chipper program, including local drop-off site locations, please call 1-800-CLEANUP or contact one of Georgia's Keep America Beautiful Affiliates. Information will be provided in English and Spanish. Additional program and collection site Information is also available at www.KeepGeorgiaBeautiful.org .