CHESAPEAKE — It was those pesky plastic water bottles that did it.

Once Linda Adkins heard that when those bottles get into a landfill, they could spend an eternity there as pristine as when they came off the shelf, she knew she had to do something.

That’s because Adkins is the on-site coordinator at the American Health Center, a chiropractic and wellness center in Chesapeake and water bottles are definitely part of the de rigueur costume of her clientele.

“We have tons of water bottles here,” she said.

That was five weeks ago and Adkins made an important decision for the center.

“We decided that we were going green,” she said. “Everyone is talking about the things we can do to help the environment like recycling plastic bottles, that they are there forever.”

At first Adkins made her own recycling bins out of ordinary trash cans, some paper and a heavy ink pin. She put signs on them labeling each can either “paper” or “plastic” or “metal.”

Then she took her campaign outside putting on the center’s signboard outside with the encouragement: “Let’s go green.”

“That was for the community to do this, not just for us,” Adkins said.

And someone in the community did see what Adkins was up to. That was Stephanie Helms with the Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management District.

Always eager to get recycling to spread across the county, Helms provided the center with regular recycling containers.

“I saw the sign and gave her a call,” Helms said. “I was glad to see a business being environmentally responsible and doing the right thing. Everyone knows what we should do but doesn’t always do it.”

Right now, Adkins takes the stash to the recycling center at the Wal-Mart Superstore in South Point. But that may change. She’s heard about a local church that is collecting plastic bottles to recycle with the proceeds to go help with the medical expenses of a boy suffering from cancer.

“We have been taking it to Wal-Mart, but if it can help a child, I would love to do that,” she said.

Adkins has even taken her mission home, adding recycling to the household chores.

“I think what brought it to my awareness was the plastic bottles. They are there forever and ever. You just don’t think about it,” she said. “With global warming and the seasons. You can hardly tell the seasons. We need to start being aware of the environment.”

And Adkins isn’t stopping there.

“Next is to go green for our cleaning products.”