The Cleveland/Bradley Keep America Beautiful’s Business and Industry Committee presented its White Glove award to the Cleveland Coca-Cola plant on Wednesday.

Joanne Maskew, executive director for KAB, said one of the reasons Coca-Cola was chosen as the recipient for the award was its recycling program.

As part of the program, the plant has partnered with area schools. Schools participating in the program include Bradley Central High School, Walker Valley High School, Cleveland High School and Cleveland State Community College.

“(We are) really excited about what we’re doing with the schools,” said Debbie Millard, corporate responsibility and sustainability champion at the Cleveland location.

Recycling is also done within the plant.

Millard said they have a “Green Team” of workers that answers co-workers’ questions about recycling or the environment. A billboard in the administration building features pictures of the team members so everyone knows who they are.

The bulletin board also shows the progress of the recycling program with graphs showing the percentage of waste recycled by month and year.

Coca-Cola also has programs for conservation of resources such as water during production.

The White Glove award is presented quarterly by Keep America Beautiful to a company, individual or civic organization that shows excellence in their commitment to the environment, according to Maskew.

The award can be displayed by the company until the Business and Industry Committee is ready to present the award again. Then the previous recipient is given a certificate in place of the actual award.