"Avenue Of The Strongest" To Honor New York City Sanitation Workers

WORLD WASTES STAFF

New York City - As a tribute to the city's 6,200 uniformed garbage collectors, the New York City Council has elected to re-name a three-block section of Worth Street, the "Avenue of the Strongest."

"The word 'strongest' has to do with the fact that the members of our department make 13,000 tons of garbage and 2,200 tons of recycling disappear each day," said Lucien Chalfen, a spokesperson for the city's Department of Sanitation.

Last winter, workers showed their job dedication by working twenty-four hours a day to clear snow from 15,000 miles of roadway and collect 100,000 tons of trash: In some areas, snow drifts stood more than seven- and one-half feet high.

The long hours and dedicated service provided by the sanitation workers during this time was the impetus for receiving the name recognition, sanitation officials said.

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani re-quested that an area be designated for the street name by the city council. The area chosen is located in lower Manhattan and is home to the sanitation department's headquarters.

After unanimous approval by the City Council's Parks Committee, the mayor signed the bill on July 9. A dedication ceremony was planned for July 30, and the entire department was invited to attend, according to Chalfen.

The new street signs with installation cost the city approximately $750.

Other street name changes were made for community leaders and public service officials. For example, the city honored police officers with an area designated as the "Avenue of the Finest" and recognized the firefighters with the "Avenue of the Bravest."

Facility Connecticut Metal Industries, Monroe, Conn., has opened a polymer recycling di-vision to purchase post consumer plastic bottles.

Rock-Tenn Co., Atlanta, has opened a paper recovery facility in Montreal and a recycled fiber plant in Tucker, Ga.

Purchase Eastern Environ-mental Opportunities, Mt. Laurel, N.J., has announced the purchase of its controlling interests by investors Louis D. Paolino, George Moorehead and the Environmental Oppor-tunities Fund.

Used Oil Recycling The California Integrated Waste Management Board, Sacra-mento, has awarded more than $6.7 million in used oil recycling grants to establish or ex-pand state collection efforts.