PERRY — Green is the word at the fairgrounds this year.

The Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter recently started a recycling program.

The initiative, which involves recycling plastic, aluminum and cardboard, is in addition to the metal, yard waste and cooking oil the fairgrounds already recycles, said Richard Seuderi, physical plant director at the fairgrounds who has been spearheading the recycling there.

Seuderi originally contacted a company about a year ago to get quotes on recycling plastics, aluminum and cardboard. The company’s quote was a little more than he expected.

Enter Don Christopher, general manager at Advanced Disposal. Christopher wouldn’t charge extra to take the Dumpsters full of recyclable materials and would actually pay the fairgrounds for the amount of plastic it had.

“The big challenge is getting our crews to separate the trash,” Seuderi said.

The big payoff comes when only plastic is in a certain Dumpster. The fairgrounds will make about $50 from a Dumpster-load of plastic. Coca-Cola donated large plastic containers that look like bottles to use for the recycling project.

Advanced Disposal has been doing major recycling for about two years now. Christopher said most projects now involve some sort of accountability for how waste gets disposed.

“It’s a whole new spin,” he said. “Not everything goes into the garbage.”

What surprised Christopher the most about the fairground’s recycling program was that officials didn’t care about making money from it.

They just wanted to keep recyclable material out of the landfills, he said.

“We’re not trying to make money,” Seuderi said. “We’re trying to be kind to the environment.”

To contact writer Angela Woolen, call 923-5650.