Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and the Louisiana Office of State Parks announced Tuesday the launch of the Let Louisiana Shine Park Recycling Program, a new recycling pilot project for aluminum cans and #1 PET plastic bottles at four state parks.
This recycling pilot project is made possible through a grant from the Louisiana Beverage Association in coordination with the Pontchartrain Conservancy and the Osprey Initiative.
The four participating parks are the Bogue Chitto, Fairview-Riverside, Fontainebleau, and Tickfaw State Parks.
“Litter impacts Louisiana in so many ways hurting the environment, quality of life, and economic development,” Nungesser said. “By providing park visitors with recycling bins where they are using cans and plastic-drink bottles, we hope to not only prevent these items from entering waterways and roadways but also reduce the amount of recyclable material going to landfills.
Materials will be collected, sorted, trash contamination removed, and collection totals recorded on a bi-weekly basis. Data collected over the course of the pilot project will be used to develop best practices and determine how to scale up the program in order to expand into other state parks.
Beverage bottles and cans are designed to be 100% recyclable. All recycled bottles and cans will be processed at a local materials recovery facility (MRF). MRF partners with facilities that provide a circular solution recover more plastic bottles and help reduce the amount of new plastic being used in the market.
“Pontchartrain Conservancy is happy to assist our partners with recycling,” said Pontchartrain Conservancy Executive Director Kristi Trail. “Aside from keeping litter out of our waterways, recycling conserves natural resources, strengthens our economy, and creates jobs. It’s a great way to minimize our environmental impacts while enjoying our state parks.”
To learn more about the pilot program, go to the Let Louisiana Shine Park Recycling Program webpage.
This story originally appeared in Livingston Parish News. View the original story online here.
