[ADEQ Media] ADEQ Director Owens Announces $370, 386 in Community Recycling Grants in Maricopa County

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

ADEQ Director Owens Announces $370,386 in Community Recycling Grants in
Maricopa County

PHOENIX (July 11, 2008) -Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Director Steve Owens announced today that ADEQ is awarding $370,386 to
fund recycling programs in Maricopa County.

The county itself will receive $188,736 to provide recycling to rural
and unincorporated areas through supervised residential dropoff of
household hazardous waste and 11 other recyclable materials including
aluminum, plastics, metals, cardboard and paper at county transfer
stations.  The funds will be used to purchase containers and compactors
at four stations in Aguila, Cave Creek, New River and Rainbow Valley. 

In addition, the City of Mesa will receive $61,000 to fund "Recycling
for the Masses," a districtwide program which will offer comprehensive
recycling within Mesa's public schools. The grant also will provide
recycling at Hohokam Stadium, the spring-training home of the Chicago
Cubs.  Mesa also will improve the signage at multifamily and dropoff
locations.  The funds will be used to purchase recycle barrels,
containers, signage, promotional materials and mailers.

Also, the Town of Fountain Hills will receive $19,000 for a household
hazardous waste collection event for the town and its nearby
communities. The funds will be used to hire a contractor to conduct the
event. The town has grown to about 25,000 residents and has never held a
household hazardous waste event.  

In addition, the City of Tempe will receive $59,800 to create a 24-foot
recycling exhibition trailer with interactive videos, displays and
educational materials to promote recycling.  The trailer will be present
at the 128 major outdoor events the city sponsors, with a total
estimated audience of 650,000 people. The City of Tempe has a goal of
increasing recycling collection by 20 percent through the new outreach
program.

Maricopa County also will receive $41,550 to inform residents of the
county's rural and unincorporated areas about recycling, waste reduction
and illegal dumping.  Advertisements, brochures, and direct mailings
will notify residents about recycling at four of the county's
solid-waste transfer stations and encourage participation of residents.

"Recycling is one of our most effective tools to protect our
environment," Director Owens said. "We are glad to be supporting efforts
to increase recycling in both the urban and rural parts of Maricopa
County."  

These grants are funded by ADEQ's Waste Reduction Assistance program,
which is for projects devoted to waste reduction, recycling and
composting. WRA projects may include new recycling collections,
household hazardous waste collections, electronics recycling programs,
mulching or composting operations, material processing operations and
manufacturing facilities that use recycled material as feedstock.

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News media interested in additional information on this or any other
topic concerning the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality should
contact the Office of Communications at (602) 771-2215 or via email at
communications@azdeq.gov.

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