On Tap: Reducing Plastic Bottle Use

Other governments and communities in Montgomery County also striving to be environmentally friendly have started public education programs and recycling efforts.

Next month, Rockville officials will launch a green education section on the city's Web site, which will offer information on things residents can do, big and small, to help the environment. For the first time, the city also featured a green expo at its annual Hometown Holidays Celebration, which took place over the weekend.

During the recent Green Week in Gaithersburg, more than 400 people helped with the cleanup of 16 sites around the city, and more than 250 families participated in the city's Family Education Day. In addition, Gaithersburg officials also promoted a "lug a mug" day to encourage people to drink their beverages from reusable containers.

In 2006, Gaithersburg was the first city in Maryland to commit to fueling vehicles in the city fleet with biodiesel. The city has been able to reduce diesel fuel consumption by 10,000 gallons annually, said Erica Shingara, the city's environmental services director.

Residents and businesses in Bethesda have also launched their own set of green initiatives. Bethesda Green, in cooperation with Bethesda Urban Partnership, Honest Tea and Coca-Cola, recently unveiled the first of several specially designed beverage recycling bins that will be placed in pedestrian-friendly areas of Bethesda Row, Woodmont Triangle and the Metro stop in downtown Bethesda.

The goal is to have as many as 35 recycling bins for glass, plastic and metal beverage containers, said Dave Feldman, Bethesda Green's implementation director. Honest Tea and Coca-Cola donated seed money to buy the bins, and Bethesda Green is looking for residents to co-sponsor bins for a $1,000 donation each.

In addition to the recycling bins, other groups are developing proposals for collecting restaurant grease to be converted to fuel and for finding ways to help residents recycle toner cartridges, Feldman said. Another proposal would offer farmers markets as a place where people could drop off items that are sometimes difficult to recycle, such as compact fluorescent light bulbs, hangers and yogurt containers.

"This really is a community coming together," Feldman said about Bethesda's efforts. The recently installed recycling container "is symbolic of things to come."