[ADEQ Media] ADEQ Director Owens Announces $330, 000 in Grants to City of Sierra Vista to Support Recycling

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

ADEQ Director Owens Announces $330,000 in Grants to City of Sierra Vista
to Support Recycling

PHOENIX (June 17, 2008) - Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Director Steve Owens announced today that ADEQ is awarding three grants
totaling $330,000 to the City of  Sierra Vista to support recycling in
the community.

"Recycling is one of our most effective tools to protect our
environment," Director Owens said. "We are glad to support Sierra
Vista's efforts to increase recycling in Arizona." 

The majority of the new funding, $200,000, will be used to bring about
curbside recycling to serve about 10,000 Sierra Vista single-family
homes. The program is expected to divert more than 35 tons of recyclable
material per month from landfills.  

The city also will receive an additional $100,000 to expand the capacity
of its material recovery facility (MRF) and purchase a new recyclable
baler to handle the anticipated increase of tonnage of recyclable
material collected from the new curbside program.  

In addition, the city will receive $30,000 to publicize the curbside
recycling program and encourage participation. The education campaign
will consist of television and radio advertisements, direct mail
postcards, flyers and brochures to educate and encourage citizens to
participate in the new curbside program and the important effect
recycling has on the environment.

These grants are funded by ADEQ's Waste Reduction Assistance program,
which is awarded to projects devoted to waste reduction, recycling and
composting and the department's Waste Reduction Initiative Through
Education program, awarded to projects that educate the citizens of
Arizona about waste reduction, recycling and composting. 

The grants to Sierra Vista follow-up on a $60,000 grant ADEQ provided
last year to study recycling in Cochise County outside of Sierra Vista.

"This study has led the way in making recycling a part of every day life
in Cochise County and this project in Sierra Vista adds considerably to
that effort," Owens said. "Good things are happening there." 

-30-

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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