Baseball fans at the All-Star game in Pittsburgh did more than watch top athletes play ball – they helped the environment too.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the City of Pittsburgh encouraged fans to "recycle on the go" by depositing their cans and bottles in bins in the tailgate area and at other key locations in the stadium area.

"Public venues and events present a great, and largely untapped, opportunity to help the environment through recycling," said EPA Assistant Administrator Susan Bodine. "It is our hope that events like today's All Star Game in Pittsburgh will encourage more Americans to think about 'recycling on the go' and encourage more organizations to start recycling programs in public venues."

Pittsburgh is adopting EPA's "Recycle on the Go" philosophy as part of a comprehensive plan to increase recycling participation in the city. More than 40,000 fans are expected to attend the game and other All Star-related activities. Revenue generated from the collected recyclable material will benefit Pittsburgh youth programs.

According to municipal authorities, Pittsburgh collects about 20,000 tons of recyclable material in an average year, which is below the national average reported by similar cities. Mayor Bob O'Conner is challenging the city to double the city's collection to 40,000 tons—to "make Pittsburgh one of the cleanest, safest cities in America."

EPA's "Recycle on the Go" initiative works with partners like the City of Pittsburgh to encourage people to recycle wherever they go by making recycling easy and convenient. EPA is working toward a 35 percent national recycling rate by 2008. Recycling saves energy, conserves resources, reduces the need for new landfills and incinerators, and stimulates the development of green technologies.

Visit EPA's Recycle on the Go Initiative online.

7/14/2006