REGION DEMONSTRATES RECYCLING COMMITMENT

An innovative statewide recycling program culminated in Cape Girardeau this weekend. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) distributed 1,680 ash, maple, hackberry trees as part of Missouri's Operation Tree (Trees Renew Energy and Environment).

Area residents can be proud of their role in making this statewide demonstration project a singular success. In Missouri, about 16,500 trees will be distributed.

The idea was simple yet effective. The program educates as well as boosts recycling efforts. A 3-foot stack of newspapers earned "recyclers" a 4- to 6-foot tree balled in burlap, valued at $20-25. The stack of papers equals the fiber of one tree.

The newsprint collected will be put to good use. It will be recycled as cellulose insulation, which is used in homes to enhance energy efficiency.

The trees will also serve as a permanent reminder of the importance of recycling. Hopefully as these trees grow, so will the region's commitment to recycling.

As more people become involved in recycling, it's hoped that markets for materials will expand. Local recycling efforts in the Woodland Hills subdivision and at Southeast Missouri State University provide good models of recycling efforts that work.

Statewide, the project will cost about $500,000, but no taxpayer dollars will be used. All funding comes from the state's oil overcharge fund, which is derived from fines levied against some major oil companies that have overcharged consumers. Revenues from these fines must go to environmental projects.

Cape is one of only six Missouri cities selected for the program. Trees were distributed this weekend in our town and Kansas City. More trees will be disbursed in St. Louis, Springfield, Columbia, Kirksville, and Chillicothe later this spring.

Although the project is over, the opportunity to recycle continues in Cape Girardeau. Separated newsprint, aluminum, plastic, glass and corrugated cardboard can be dropped off at the Public Works Building, 219 N. Kingshighway, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

This weekend's distribution was a fitting tribute to Missouri's Arbor Day celebration. Even Gov. John Ashcroft helped celebrate the day by planting a tree in Capaha Park.

A demonstration project, the state currently has no plans to extend the program. But this short-lived project certainly demonstrated a budding interest in recycling both in our region and the state as well. Cape Girardeau can be proud of its role in making Operation Tree a statewide success.