The newspaper you are holding today is printed on 100 percent recycled paper. The film and plates used to print the newspaper are reprocessed, and the ink used on today’s newspaper has as its base soybeans.

For years now, newspapers, including the Suffolk News-Herald, have worked to find ways to become ever-better environmental partners to the communities we serve.

Each day, unused and unsold newspapers are collected and processed by recycling companies. It is, in our way, an effort to every little bit we can.

This week, the City of Suffolk kicked off a campaign to sign-up at least 3,000 area residents to begin a new, curbside recycling program. The partnership with the Chesapeake-based recycling company, TFC Recycling, is an effort on the part of the city to provide a convenient recycling service, while at the same time working to overcome the problems of previous, ineffective recycling programs.

The Suffolk News-Herald has offered its full support to the program and will provide regular, front-page updates on just how many customers have signed up. And while organizers and city officials have set a date to reach the 3,000 minimum by Earth Day, April 22, we believe that number can be reached long before then.

Though we support this new program, we also want to encourage the city to maintain the recycling points located throughout Suffolk, which can continue to serve those who want to recycle, but cannot afford the monthly fee associated with this new, curbside program.

The recycling programs of the past were unsuccessful for many reasons, just one of which was lack of participation.

Continued marketing and education is a must to convince those that the benefits to be gained by recycling far outweigh the headaches and efforts involved with it.

We hope a sense of community pride will motivate Suffolk citizens not only to reach the 3,000-goal to start this program, but even to surpass it.

We hope that this program is tremendously successful and that recycling – at all levels – becomes a way of life rather than a passing fad.

To register online, or for more information, visit www.tfcrecycling.com/suffolk. Those who sign up for the program do not have to give their billing information until after the 3,000-household threshold is met.