Mayor Bill Haslam and Knox County Deputy Director of Office of Neighborhoods kicked off this year's Knox County school phone book recycling effort Tuesday, at 10:30 a.m. at the new City of Knoxville Recycling Center at 400 State Street.

Mayor Haslam and Rosenberg recognized the two winners of the recent phone book recycling poster contest, which was open to elementary and middle school students in Knox County Schools.

The poster competition is aimed at promoting awareness among students of the importance of recycling and both winners receive $50 cash prizes while their teachers receive $125 awards for use in the classroom.

The school system is also involved in an ongoing contest to see which schools can collect the most phone books for recycling. Cash prizes are awarded to the schools that collect the most phone books for recycling.Some new phone books have already started arriving at residences and businesses and AT&T begins distributing its books later this month.

The annual competition has a solid environmental impact.Last year, for example, the Knox County Schools collected more than 101 tons of phone books that were sent for recycling - instead of taking up space in landfills.

Mayor Haslam congratulates student Layla Mosadegh and teacher Diana Dome According to John Homa, solid waste specialist for the City of Knoxville, recycling those books saved 168 cubic yards of landfill space, 1,717 trees from having to be planted or cut for paper products, saved 303 barrels of oil, or 5,816 gallons of gasoline, and kept 22,321 pounds of carbon dioxide from polluting the air in one year. "This is a great effort that provides major environmental benefits," Haslam said, "including saving existing resources as well as helping limit the amount of pollutants into the environment.

Individuals can drop off old phone books, AT&T phone books as well as other companies books, at schools, though they should check with the school first to see if it is participating in the effort.Individuals and businesses can also make arrangements to directly deliver large numbers of books off, on behalf of particular schools, to the recycling company Advance Polymer Recycling, 200 W. Springdale off of Central and they are open M - F from 7:30 - 4:30. If possible, encourage the businesses to call ahead before bringing their books 521-5094.They need to inform the schools of the number of books they drop off so those schools can credit that number to their total.January 31, 2008, is the last day for books to be collected for the contest.

Mayor Haslam congratulates student Meg Conger and teacher Barbara KemperPhone books can also be dropped off by the public at the following recycling centers throughout the city in the mixed paper bins:

Kroger Stores:
5003 Broadway (Fountain City)
4440 Western Ave. at Clinton
4918 Kingston Pike (Knox Plaza)
2217 Broadway (Broadway Shopping Center)

Food City:
5941 Kingston Pike
939 Alcoa Highway

Goodwill Collection Centers:
225 W. Moody Ave.
Collection Center at the corner of Magnolia and Alice.
341 Parkvillage Rd. - across from P&S School Supply

City of Knoxville Downtown Recycling Center
400 State St. Participating sponsors are The City of Knoxville, Advanced Polymer Recycling, Goodwill and Knox County Solid Waste Office.