Georgia Power’s Plant Scherer has won a 2002 State Environmental Improvement award from Keep Georgia Beautiful.

Plant Scherer was recognized for partnering with the State of Georgia through its Pollution Prevention program, and for its Plant Compliance Team, which ensures that the plant’s environmental goals are met through active employee participation.

The Pollution Prevention program included a special recycling effort that collected more than 28-thousand pounds of cardboard, 713 pounds of aluminum cans, 32-thousand pounds of wood used for mulch and more than 8-thousand pounds of paper. More than 150,000 tons of fly ash and bottom ash, by-products of the coal burned at Plant Scherer, were sold to outside vendors and used to make concrete for road base material.

Plant Scherer also adopted a one-mile section of Highway 87 near the plant’s entrance and conducted two litter pick-up events.

“We are pleased and honored to be recognized as a recipient of the Keep Georgia Beautiful State Award,” said Danny Morton, plant manager. "All the employees at Plant Scherer work very hard to make sure our plant and surrounding community are safe and clean. This award validates our commitment to the environment.”

The Keep Georgia Beautiful State Awards Program honors individuals, organizations and companies whose ongoing efforts prevent litter, improve community waste handling practices through recycling and waste minimization, and preserve the natural beauty and environment of Georgia.

Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the nation’s largest generators of electricity. The company is an investor-owned, tax-paying utility, serving customers in 57,000 of the state’s 59,000 square miles. Georgia Power’s rates are more than 15 percent below the national average and its 1.9 million customers are in all but six of Georgia’s 159 counties.