FORT MCPHERSON, Ga. -- Each year the U.S. Army celebrates Earth Day, Apr. 22, at approximately 200 major commands, including Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem. This year's Army Earth Day theme is "Sustaining the Environment for a Secure Future."

Fort McPherson will host its annual Earth Day Event April 24, which also is Arbor Day.

Col. Deborah Grays, the U.S. Army Garrison commander, will kick off the Earth Day event with a tree-planting ceremony at 11 a.m.

Booths will be set up at Jacobs Park with information on recycling, Earth-friendly products, natural gas, lead-based paint and more.

The event will include environmental friendly giveaways, brochures and activities for children.

The event will include an amnesty program for the turn in and collection of unwanted household hazardous waste, such as paints, pesticides, motor oil, batteries and chemicals. There will be marked containers in place to receive those items at Fort McPherson's Jacobs Park between 10 a.m. and noon.

Members of the Environmental Section of the U.S. Army Garrison's Base Realignment and Closure Plans, Analysis and Integration Office will accept electronic waste (E-waste) from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Staff from Atlanta Recycling Solutions LLC, the installations' E-waste recycler, will accept televisions, computer monitors, personal computers, cell phones, VCRs, CD players and more. Atlanta Recycling Solutions cannot accept console television sets.

The household hazardous waste and E-waste turn-in event will be held Earth Day only.

Representatives from the Fort McPherson Environmental Office, Installation Management Command-Southeast, the Atlanta Recycling Solutions, Prochem, the University of Georgia (Fulton County Extension Office), the Fort McPherson Fire Department and Wenck Associates Inc. will be available to provide information and answer questions.