A Van Buren man known for his contributions to the beautification of the city was recently awarded for his individual efforts to increase recycling programs at the state and local levels.
John Pope, Keep Van Buren Beautiful executive director, received this year鈥檚 Individual Recycler of the Year Award from the Arkansas Recycling Coalition.
Each year, the honor goes to a person 鈥渨ho has made a significant contribution to the advancement of waste reduction, recycling, and sustainability in Arkansas over the past year,鈥� according to the ARC website.
鈥淚鈥檓 overwhelmed,鈥� Pope said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a highly respectable group.鈥�
Pope was named the recipient of the honor at the ARC conference in September. Robert Phelps, former director for Keep Arkansas Beautiful, nominated Pope for this year鈥檚 award.
鈥淛ohn has been a champion for recycling ever since he became involved in Keep Arkansas Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful,鈥� Phelps said. 鈥淪ome of the things he has accomplished there in Van Buren … have really impressed me.鈥�
Pope has worked on numerous recycling and beautification projects in Van Buren and throughout the area, including city-wide clean ups twice a year, a yearly electronic waste collection and ongoing cigarette litter prevention.
He helped create a Van Buren School District recycling program, and started a regional recycling competition for schools participating in Recycle-Bowl.
As state commissioner for Keep Arkansas Beautiful for several years, Pope worked to get communities across the state to host annual America Recycles Day events.
Pope is most proud of a partnership he fostered between Keep America Beautiful and the national Lions Club organization to collect and redistribute used eyeglasses, he said.
Most recently, Pope helped get Van Buren and Keep Van Buren Beautiful selected to be the focus of a Keep America Beautiful recycling training video.
Phelps, who served on the Arkansas Recycling Coalition board from 1998 until 2017, has seen 鈥渁 number of deserving individuals receive the award,鈥� he said.
鈥淏ut I couldn鈥檛 think of anyone that deserved it more than John – I鈥檓 delighted and elated that he was a recipient this year,鈥� Phelps said.
Keep Van Buren Beautiful has won several awards for its efforts, including the President鈥檚 Circle Award and cigarette litter prevention award from Keep America Beautiful, and the Shine award from Keep Arkansas Beautiful.
To read the full story, visit .