3/1/08 8:38 AM

What's wrong with this tattoo?

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Published on SavannahNow.com (http://savannahnow.com)

What's wrong with this tattoo?

By Scott M. Larson

Created 2008-03-01 00:30

It's just like free money. But Tybee doesn't want it. Could it be the tattoo?

On Thursday, the Tybee Island City Council essentially rejected a gift from the state - a portable

recycling trailer. The island was one of the first 13 communities in Georgia to get one, which is designed

to be put out for special events to encourage people to recycle away from home.

To Councilman Paul Wolff, who applied for the trailer, the reason his fellow council members rejected it

was clear: They didn't like the marketing campaign that came with and featured images of people with

tattoos.

"I'm really frustrated by the attitude of this council toward any progressive initiative that furthers the

sustainability of our community," he said. "I am very disappointed with the majority of this council."

Hold on, two councilmen said. They worried that Wolff could not say how much it would cost the city to

drag the trailer out to whatever event was happening, set it up and take it down.

"The tattoos were an issue, but it wasn't the biggest issue," said Councilman Barry Brown. "There was no

cost analysis about how much it's going to cost to maintain. Just because it's free doesn't mean it's free."

Councilman Dick Smith said city officials told him that putting the trailer out would require employees to

be paid overtime. Since he joined the council in January, he has been trying to cut city expenses.

"The tattoo was probably part of it, but it wasn't the whole thing," he said. "To say that's the reason is an

excuse, not a reason."

The trailers are part of Gov. Sonny Perdue's statewide recycling strategy. The city of Savannah, Bulloch

County and Liberty County also have taken delivery of such trailers.

3/1/08 8:38 AM

What's wrong with this tattoo?

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The state has found that Georgians throw away 2.6 million tons of material with a recycling market value

of $300 million, said Randy Hartmann, with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

The program is designed to reach people between the ages of 18 and 30 because they don't recycle that

much, Hartmann said. Moreover, one in three people between the ages of 18 and 24 have a tattoo.

"The imagery wasn't picked out of the sky," Hartmann said. "This is a bold ad campaign. It had to be

bold because we haven't captured the demographic that we are trying to reach here."

Each community that received a trailer could choose from three images of people with tattoos that say

"Recycle 4 Georgia." Hartmann said towns that weren't awarded trailers have asked for the images for

their own recycling programs.

Communities have until Friday to tell the state which image they want. Trailers won't be delivered

without the images because they want cohesive marketing statewide, Hartmann said.

It's unclear what will happen now that Tybee has rejected the designs.

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