Girl Scouts Urge Mayor To Bring Blue Cart Recycling To Their Neighborhoods
CHICAGO (CBS) -- About 70 Girl Scouts from the Portage Park and Jefferson Park neighborhoods turned a photo session with Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Thursday into an opportunity to make their case for more neighborhood recycling.
WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports the Girl Scouts from Troop 483 brought a basket of cookies for the mayor, but the scouts were also on a mission.
"We are juniors, Troop 483, and we are excited to meet the mayor. We are asking him to give us blue cart recycling," Girl Scout Junior Ashley said.
Girl Scouts Ask For More Recycling
Fellow junior scout Jeanne said they brought petitions, asking for blue cart recycling in their Northwest Side neighborhoods.
"It's really important to have blue cart recycling, because it's … an easy way to recycle, and more people will recycle because it's easy," she said.
The scouts said blue cart recycling makes it easier for residents to recycle than having to take recyclable materials to city drop-off centers.
"The girls have been really interested in the environment, and we're also talking about what they can do as girls. Even as girls, they can change the world," troop co-leader Pam Clark said.
Fellow scout Josie said the demand is there for blue cart recycling, from the residents in their neighborhoods.
"They want to recycle, because it will probably make the world a better place, and they should because just recycling, it will take away most of the garbage that we have in landfills," Josie said.
Blue cart recycling is available for approximately 240,000 Chicago households, in six zones – four served by private contractors, two served by city employees, as part of a competition to keep costs down.
Last summer, the mayor announced plans to expand blue cart recycling citywide by the end of 2013.
