Annual Telephone Book Recycling Contest Under Way

Highlands County's schools and homeowners associations are competing for a total of $1,600 in prize money in the annual telephone book recycling contest.

Running now through Jan. 5, this annual recycling drive has averaged a collection of more than 10,000 telephone directories per year in recent years. All telephone directories are accepted, not just those from Highlands County

The schools and the homeowners associations compete separately in this contest.

Prizes in the homeowners contest are $400 for first place, $300 for second place, $200 for third place, and $100 for fourth place.

For the schools, first place will be awarded $300, second place $200, and third place $100.

The prize money is donated by the publisher of the Highlands County phone directories, Dex, an R.H. Donnelley Company.

Homeowners associations are scored by the total number of phone books recycled divided by their number of households, for an average recycling rate per household.

Sherri Cooper, coordinator of Keep Highlands County Beautiful, said phone books can be recycled in the cardboard recycling bins at the following locations:

•Avon Park: at the Beall's Outlet, 828 U.S. 27 S.; at Lake Olivia; near the Avon Park Public Library on Museum Avenue North;

•Sebring: at Sebring City Hall; DeSoto Square Mall, in front of the Sweetbay grocery, on U.S. 27 North; at Lakeshore Mall, behind Sears, on US 27 South; at the Max Long Complex; Sebring Square Mall (Winn-Dixie) on U.S. 27 North; and at Sun 'n Lake, at the recycling bins on Sun 'n Lake Boulevard.

•Lake Placid: at the Leisure Lakes Club House on Lake June Boulevard; at Placid Lakes on Washington Road North East; the Publix supermarket, on U.S. 27 South; and at the Sweetbay grocery at County Road 29 and U.S. 27; Lorida, at the Lorida Community Center; and Spring Lake, near the tennis courts.