Monroe County to give away seedlings today

Since 1970, people have celebrated April 22 as Earth Day. This year, the Monroe County Solid Waste Management District will celebrate by handing out tree seedlings at its Central Recycling and Reuse Facility. \n“We do this every year in collaboration with the (Indiana) Division of Forestry,” said Elisa Pokral, the Monroe County Solid Waste Management District’s media and education director. \nIf any seedlings are left, the district will give the rest out on Arbor Day, which is Friday, she said.\n“We encourage people to stop by the (Central Recycling and Reuse Facility) on April 22,” Pokral said. “They probably won’t be available on the 25th.”\nThe mission of the solid waste management district is to “reduce the amount of waste going to final disposals (landfills and incinerators) through education, source reduction, reuse and recycling,” according to its Web site. \nIn addition to the seedlings, the solid waste management district also has tree-planting instructions available, as well as its usual pamphlets about the three Rs – reduce, reuse, recycle – and about hazardous waste.\nThe Central Recycling and Reuse Facility is located at 3400 S. Walnut St. and will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. Seedlings are limited to one per family.