Ronald McDonald House Charities and RecycleFirst Announce Partnership

For Immediate Release
Atlanta, GA (1/17/05) – Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities and RecycleFirst, LLC ,Dover NH, have partnered to implement a recycling based fundraising program to benefit families and children in need. The program was officially launched in Atlanta on November 19, 2004. Customized collection displays were shipped to over 300 participating McDonald’s restaurants and corporate partners such as Fox 5 Atlanta, The Martin-Brower Company and Moroch & Associates, Inc.

Printer cartridge and cell phone recycling centers can now be found in most Atlanta area McDonald’s restaurants. The prepaid mailers enable individuals to send in their phones and cartridges at no cost to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Atlanta or the donor. This program is made possible through the cooperation of McDonald’s Corporation, Atlanta area McDonald’s restaurant owners, and sponsoring Corporations.

The purpose of the program is to allow individuals to help support Ronald McDonald House Charities, which has devoted over 30 years to caring for families and children in need, and to give those who frequent McDonald’s a chance to do their part in protecting our environment from hazardous waste.

Mike Greco, Managing Partner of RecycleFirst, knows first-hand how critical it is to support this particular charity. “Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities is the most progressive and forward thinking organization that we have ever dealt with. Its willingness to promote the environmental aspects of this program demonstrates an understanding of the long term benefits to the community and further reinforces a long term commitment to the children and families that so dearly need their help.”

Linda Morris, Executive Director, Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities, states “We are very pleased to be working with RecycleFirst and Atlanta area McDonald's restaurants to benefit the two Atlanta Ronald McDonald Houses which, combined, serve over 1,000 families of critically ill and injured children each year. The funds raised from this recycling effort will help us continue providing these unique homes to families who need them during a very difficult and stressful time in their lives and will also help us as we plan to serve even more families in the future.”

Over 86% of all inkjet cartridges sold in this country are thrown away according to industry statistics. Laser cartridge recycling is a very large industry and yet over 50% of the cartridges are still deposited in landfills every year. This translates to 350 million cartridges that end up in landfills or approximately 875 million pounds of environmental waste. Cell phones are also a growing environmental problem affecting water and air quality.

There are two Ronald McDonald Houses in Atlanta owned and operated by Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities, Inc. --a non-profit 501(c)(3) which creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. Currently, 238 Ronald McDonald Houses in 25 countries provide temporary housing to over 6,000 families of critically-ill children each night.

For more information, please visit www.armh.com/recyclefirst or to find out how you can participate in this program, contact Lisa Brazis, National Accounts Coordinator, (770) 517-6011 or email lbrazis@recyclefirst.com.