NEWPORT - Keep Cocke County Beautiful, a Keep America Beautiful affiliate, is kicking off the Great American Clean Up with a bang! This year's Clean Up theme of "Green Starts Here" is already being showcased. Alcoa Aluminum recently provided the local organization with 363 22-gallon recycling bins, a part of the company's 2010 Recycling Bin Program.

As it has done for the past two years, Alcoa is partnering with state recycling organizations to establish individual allocations based upon locally-identified needs. "Alcoa and the Aluminum Association have a goal of increasing the recycling rates of aluminum beverage cans in the U.S. from the current 54% to 75% by the year 2015," said Greg Wittbecker, Alcoa Director of Recycling Strategy. He said if every American recycled just one additional can a week, that goal would be reached.  "This bin distribution program is just one way that we're trying to make it easier for people to recycle."

Keep Cocke County Beautiful is delighted with the donation. "We are absolutely elated to receive this award," said KCCB Board Chair Charlene Cureton.

Newport Street Department Supervisor Ben Hicks and Dean Cogdill, who coordinates the city's recyling program, transported the donated pans to the Newport Recycling Center, where they will be distributed to residents."

Cogdill said the city was running out of recyling bins. "More and more people are moving into the community from areas where everyone recycles and they need bins. This will really help the city save on the cost of recycling." He pointed out that the bins, with a retail value of $4,900, also will hold more recyclables than the 18 gallon containers the city previously used.

David Veridal, chair of KCCB recycling said recycling containers have always been a big issue because of the cost associated with buying them. "This donation will be a big, big help in that direction," he said.

Recycling aluminum cans provides benefits to the environment because it saves valuable landfill space, and the cans are infinitely recyclable. They can be used, recycled, and back on the store shelf as a new beverage can in less than 60 days. And, it takes 95% less energy to make a can from recycled aluminum, then from raw materials. Aluminum is also the most valuable material in the recycling bin. Although by weight it is less than 2% of the USA's recycled stream, aluminum generates 40% of the revenue to sustain all recycling programs.

Recycling one ton of aluminum saves enough energy to provide the electrical needs of an average home for 15 months. And it's an easy way to help save the environment and reduce your carbon footprint, says Wittbecker.

Throughout the months of March, April and May, an anticipated 1,200 KAB affiliates and participating organizations nationwide will rally an estimated 3 million volunteers to hold litter and debris cleanups on public lands and waterways, host recycling drives, spruce up community amenities like parks and playgrounds, remove graffiti, plant trees and community gardens, and host many more activities designed to improve the living environments that we all call "home."

The 2010 theme, "Green Starts Here," is a rallying call that encourages volunteer groups, community leaders, and people of all ages and walks of life to begin creating more sustainable communities through their efforts as volunteers, and through their daily choices and actions. It also reflects Keep America Beautiful's long legacy of community improvement activities.

America's leading companies and brands support the campaign.  The National Sponsors of the 2010 Great American Cleanup are: The Dow Chemical Company; The Glad Products Company; Nestlé(r) Pure Life(r) Purified Water; o.b.(r) tampons; Pepsi-Cola Company; The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company; Solo Cup Company; Troy-Bilt(r) Lawn and Garden Equipment; Waste Management, Inc.; Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.; Promotional Partners: Crescent Art and Framing Products and Get Green Racing; and Educational Partner: Rubber Manufacturers Association.

For more information on KCCB or the Great American Clean Up, contact KCCB at 423-623-1050.