PHOENIX (June 8, 2007) -- Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality Director Steve Owens announced today that ADEQ has awarded
$367,103 to fund recycling in the West and Northwest Valley.
The City of Peoria will receive $200,000 to
implement a city-wide automated Curbside Recycling Program to an estimated
45,500 Peoria households. The funds will be used to purchase recycling barrels
for residential use. The goal is to recycle at least 15 percent of material that
would normally end up in the solid waste stream.
In addition, Peoria will receive $61,728 to
launch an automated commingled city-wide recycling program for multi-family
dwellings. The program will deliver tote bins and 300-gallon barrels to
multi-family dwellings.
These grants are part of ADEQ's Waste Reduction
Assistance (WRA) grants program, which funds projects devoted to waste
reduction, recycling and composting.
Peoria also will receive $60,000 to promote the
new programs through school presentations, advertisements, newsletters, mailers,
special event booths, an instructional video and block parties.
"We are absolutely delighted to help Peoria
establish curbside recycling," Director Owens said. "With Peoria's program,
nearly every city with 50,000 or more people in Arizona now has curbside
recycling."
Also, the City of Litchfield Park will receive
$45,375 to implement an educational outreach campaign targeting school children,
local businesses and residents through public event appearances, advertising and
school presentations. Litchfield Park will host a poster/slogan recycling
contest for children, set up booths at special public events and create
newspaper and television advertisements to educate residents about a new
curbside recycling program. Funding will be used to create door hangers,
brochures, educational booklets, magnets, newspaper advertisements and videos to
inform and educate residents about recycling and responsible waste reduction
measures.
These grants are part of ADEQ's Waste Reduction
Initiative through Education (WRITE), which supports information and education
projects that encourage recycling, reuse and source reduction and increases
awareness of proper solid waste disposal techniques.
"Recycling is one of our most effective tools to
protect our environment," Owens said. "We are glad to support Litchfield Park's
and Peoria's efforts to increase recycling in Arizona."
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News release issued by the
Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality
