The Recycling Division of Mahoning County - The Green Team - is responsible for several types of recycling programs and serves as a source for information about recycling. The organization works with residents, businesses and industries to encourage and facilitate proper recycling.

The Regional Chamber has partnered with the Recycling Division of Mahoning County, Youngstown State University and Mahoning County Commissioners to offer members a solid waste minimization assessment and ways to reduce disposal costs.

An assessment consists of a one- to three-hour walk through a company. Engineers from YSU's Center for Engineering Research and Technology Transfer complete the assessment and reports. To date, more than 100 local firms have participated in the program. YSU CERTT has identified over $1 million of potential savings and more than 50,000 cubic yards of trash to be diverted from local landfills. For more information about the assessment, call the Chamber at (330) 744-2131, ext. 19.

To learn more about the Green Team's recycling programs, or to receive a free Recycling Guide that features information about what residents can recycle and drop-off sites, call (330) 740-2060.

The Recycling Division of Mahoning County (The Green Team) has scheduled a number of special waste collection days for 2002. At these events, residents can recycle items not accepted by the year-round curbside recycling and Community Drop-off Site programs.

This yearıs events include:

Watch local media for dates and more specific information about each of these events. Or, call The Green Team for more information at (330) 740-2060.

Everything you always wanted to know about how to recycle in Mahoning County can now be found in The Green Team's Recycling Guide -- now free for the asking -- from the Recycling Division of Mahoning County (RDMC).

The guide offers a detailed look at curbside recycling, including a comprehensive description of all items accepted and how to prepare them, as well as which items are not acceptable. Next is a complete list of all 21community recycling drop-off sites in Mahoning County, their locations, hours of operation and which items are accepted at each.

Also covered are additional recycling opportunities in Mahoning County, including household battery recycling, special hazardous waste collection days and holiday recycling of Christmas trees and gift wrap.

Finally, there's an explanation of RDMC's "Green Company" program for businesses and industries, where companies can receive the Green Company designation by instituting internal recycling programs that may also save them money. The Green Team's Recycling Guide is free and may be obtained by calling The Green Team at (330) 740-2060.

The recently opened Poland Branch of The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County is without a doubt one the most beautiful facilities anywhere in the United States.

But thanks to a $400,000 grant from the Recycling Division of Mahoning County (The Green Team), which required an equal match from local donations, the library has a sort of inner beauty that isn't apparent just from looking at it.

That's because The Poland Library is the foremost example of "green architecture" in our area, meaning that as much of the new building as possible has been constructed using recycled products.

For example, the roof is a composite of recycled tires, rubber and plastics; windows and doors contain 95 percent recycled aluminum and energy-efficient glass with 15 percent recycled content; flooring comes from vintage hardwood planks recycled from barns; and carpet is made from reclaimable materials.

The Green Team grant helped offset some of the costs of using these recycled materials. The Poland Library is a real showcase for what can be done using creative and earth-friendly design.