Next weekend we celebrate recycling and tree planting. Both activities provide vital benefits for our community. I hope you will plan now to participate.

Certainly, expanding our tree canopy by planting trees is beneficial, but so is recycling so plan now to bring recyclable electronics and household items on Feb. 20 to the Recycle It! Fair.

Many everyday items can be recycled, reused or need proper steps for safe disposal. That is what the quarterly fairs and area drop off centers are for. At the fairs, we collect items that cannot be dropped off at the sites. So join us from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at one of sites:
• Health department (1113 East Oglethorpe Highway)
• Walthourville City Hall (222 Busbee Drive)
• Midway Police Department (10490 East Oglethorpe Highway).

Items we collect range from electronics to paint to batteries, to oil. For a complete list, go to www.keeplibertybeautiful.org.

Also, this month the fair marks Georgia Arbor Day by giving away trees. Our Arbor Day is on the third Friday of February each year. It is the perfect time to plant trees. Besides free trees at the fair, Keep Liberty Beautiful, with help from the Farmers Natural Foods and Georgia Forestry Commission, provides free 3- to 5-foot trees to be given out Feb. 19 at Farmers and at the fair.

We have had an overwhelming response to the giveaway from residents, schools and groups interested in planting trees. We are thrilled by the response but are now out of trees to reserve. We are getting a limited number of trees for each fair site that will be available while supplies last.

If you didn’t reserve a tree, I hope you will consider buying one to plant at your home or business for Arbor Day.

For information on recycling or on Arbor Day, contact Keep Liberty Beautiful at 880 4888, or email us at keeplibertycountybeautiful@gmail.com or check out KLB on www.keeplibertybeautiful.org.

Swida is director of Keep Liberty Beautiful.