Fulton to consider including recycling in annual clean-up day

Saturday morning, hundreds of bright orange shirts will be seen scattered throughout the city as volunteers participate in the 11th annual Fulton Pride Day.

As that event and Earth Day - to be observed on April 22 this year - draw closer, one local resident questions why recycling has not been included in the clean-up.

"How can you call it pride when there's no pride involved? Half the stuff they'll be picking up as trash could be recycled," said George Fry, who recently took out an ad questioning "Why is there no recycling on Pride Day?"

Clay Caswell, director of Fulton's parks and recreation department, said it is not a bad question.

"That's the first time it's been mentioned to us; it's a good idea," Caswell said. "We'll take a look at it for next year and see if we can incorporate recycling somehow."

Fry said his concerns regarding Pride Day started when he noticed last year that the people participating

in the annual clean-up - created by former mayor Robert Craghead in 2001 - were putting everything they picked up in the same bag. When he contacted the city, Fry was upset to learn that the bags all were taken directly to the landfill. He said the person he spoke with did not appear interested in listening to his suggestion to include recycling as part of Pride Day.

"It doesn't seem like anybody cares," Fry said, noting he is frustrated by what appears to be a lack of interest in recycling in the area. "If you look at what they're going to be picking up, a lot of it's recyclable, and it would be wonderful if somehow a truck could drive around and at least pick up the cardboard."

Caswell, who again said recycling was something the city will consider making a part of the clean-up next year, pointed out that the annual event still has merit, even if it has not included recycling in the past.

"The idea of Pride Day is to clean up the town and get trash off the streets," Caswell said.

The 2011 Fulton Pride Day clean-up starts at 9 a.m. Saturday amphitheatre in Veterans Park at 9 a.m. and will conclude with a picnic back in the park at noon.