By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
Rowan County has won a regional award for its recycling program.
The county’s program was selected from among 600 members of the Carolina Recycling Association for the Spotlight Award, which honors a program, person or project that has promoted recycling.
The Recycling Association, which covers North and South Carolina, singled out Rowan for its new “Recycling Guide.”
“We’ve made so many changes in our recycling program, we created the guide for staff,” said Lori Swaim, county recycling coordinator.
The guide, complete with pictures, shows everything the county accepts and how the items are handled or separated.
“The response was incredible. Everyone loved it,” Swaim said.
It’s been such a hit that some other counties have picked it up and are doing similar guides. Also some private industries are using the guide to train employees.
The guide was produced last year and is already being revised to reflect changes in the recycling program.
Swaim pointed out that the county’s Web site has updated information on the recycling program. On the home page, click departments, then environmental management and, finally, recycling for complete information.
Swaim said the Spotlight Award brought recognition to the county’s recycling effort. “Rowan County is really doing some things. We’ve got a good program,” she said.
The award is the first the county has received for its recycling program in a decade or more.