FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Matt Sheley at (401) 842-6543 or msheley@middletownri.com
“WHERE AM I?” ANSWER — AUGUST 2023
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (AUGUST 9, 2023) – Recycling isn’t just a catchphrase for the Town of Middletown.
It’s actually a way of life.
Whether it’s the dozens of blue or gray bins that are collected daily or other measures, Middletown is all in on helping the environment and saving space in the Central Land\ill.
Take the water fountains at Town Hall (pictured to the right).
Since the unit was installed a couple years back by the rear entrances to the East Main Road government center, more than 8,000 water bottles have been saved. About 4,500 more bottles have been saved from the water fountain upstairs too.
According to data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the use of plastics has grown sharply since the 1960s.
EPA \igures show the use and land\illing of plastic
products has spiked over the last 60 years, going up by 91 times from 390,000 tons to close to 35.7 million tons in 2018, the last time such data was available.
The numbers show that although recycling of such materials has risen since 1980, it’s a fraction — less than 12 percent — of the overall plastic generation today.
That doesn’t mean Middletown doesn’t take recycling seriously.