Recycling clothes benefits D.A.R.E. program, county

Friday, Nov. 6, 2009

An alliance between D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and MAC Recycling has MAC supplying bins at each of the county's satellite refuse collection sites, as well as the landfill, for clothing.

D.A.R.E. America is paid $500 per bin by MAC Recycling to use the D.A.R.E. logo on the clothing bins.

D.A.R.E. America then puts $100 per bin that is located in Calvert County into an account for the local program to use for purchases related to D.A.R.E. The State D.A.R.E. Coordinator's Office also receives $100 per bin. This money is used to offset training costs and other expenses associated with the D.A.R.E. program statewide. At first there were 15 bins in the county; now there are 17.

This partnership has also benefitted the county, according to Bill Teter, the Calvert County recycling coordinator, who said that during the last half of 2008 and the first half of 2009, a total of 310.52 tons of clothing was recovered from the bins. The recycled clothing inadvertently saved the county more than $21,000 in disposal fees.

For more information about the program, contact Sgt. Michael Bomgardner via e-mail at bomgarmp@co.cal.md.us.

charvat@somdnews.com