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 #1 aluminum cans and PET plastic bottles at four parks state
This recycling pilot project is made possible by a grant from the Louisiana Beverage Association in coordination with the Pontchartrain Conservancy and the Osprey Initiative.
The four participating parks are Bogue Chitto, Fairview-Riverside, Fontainebleau and Tickfaw State Parks.
“Littering affects Louisiana in many ways, harming the environment, quality of life and economic development,” Nungesser said. “By providing park visitors with recycling bins where they use plastic drink cans and bottles, we hope to not only prevent these items from entering waterways and roads, but also reduce the amount of recyclables going to landfills.
Materials will be collected, sorted, litter contamination removed and collection totals recorded every two weeks. Data collected throughout the pilot project will be used to develop best practices and determine how to expand the program to expand to other state parks.
Beverage bottles and cans are designed to be 100% recyclable. All recycled bottles and cans will be processed at a local Material Recovery Facility (MRF). MRF partners with facilities that provide a circular solution to reclaim more plastic bottles and help reduce the amount of new plastic used in the marketplace.
“Pontchartrain Conservancy is excited to help our partners with recycling,” said Kristi Trail, Pontchartrain Conservancy Executive Director. “In addition to keeping trash 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.”
For more information on the pilot program, go to Leave the Louisiana Shine Park Recycling Program webpage.
