The Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce Going Green Committee has concluded their 4th Mayors Recycling Challenge event, which challenged cities in Cherokee County to encourage their residents to recycle during the months of June and July. The winning city for total pounds recycled, winning city for most pounds collected per capita and the winning city for highest percentage increase over last year were announced during the Chambers September Good Morning Cherokee breakfast meeting. North Metro Waste and Waste Management partnered with the Chamber on this event.

The City of Woodstock collected the most recycling, which totaled 460,146 pounds, followed by City of Canton 260,584 pounds, Ball Ground 85,260 pounds, Waleska 77,860 pounds and Holly Springs 46,780 pounds. The combined total collected by all the cities was 930,630 pounds, which is a fifteen percent increase over last year.

The City of Waleska, for the fourth consecutive year, collected the most recycling per capita with 111.39 pounds per resident, as determined based on 2013 U.S. Census population estimates. Additional per capita totals included City of Ball Ground 57.53 pounds/resident, City of Woodstock 17.11 pounds/resident, City of Canton 10.78 pounds/resident and City of Holly Springs 4.78 pounds/resident.

The City of Canton was recognized for having the highest percentage increase of collected recyclables over the previous year. This year, the city collected 260,584 pounds, which is a 64% increase over last year. This is the first year this award was presented.

The mission of the Chambers Going Green initiative is to encourage the community to implement green practices that conserve community resources, while helping businesses thrive. To learn more about the Chambers Going Green efforts, or to participate in upcoming events, visit the Chamber at CherokeeChamber.com, or contact the Chamber at 770-345-0400.