[ADEQ Media] ADEQ Director Owens Announces $145, 019 in Community Recycling Grants for Arizona State University and Mesa Community College

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

ADEQ Director Owens Announces $145,019 in Community Recycling Grants for
Arizona State University and Mesa Community College

PHOENIX (June 8, 2007) - Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
(ADEQ) Director Steve Owens announced today that ADEQ has awarded
$145,019 to fund recycling in the Southeast Valley region.

Arizona State University's Office of Research and Sponsored Projects in
Tempe will receive $98,999 for a project to recycle construction debris
containing plant cellulose into ethanol to be used as fuel. The program
will collect construction debris in designated waste receptacles. The
construction debris will then be converted to ethanol and other
byproducts at Genahol-San Tan, LLC in Casa Grande. 

"This is an important project with a lot of potential," Director Owens
said. 

The program also will employ a graduate student from ASU to communicate
with construction companies and develop educational materials and signs
for construction companies. 

The goal of the program is to divert 80 tons a day of construction
debris from landfills. 

Under another grant, Mesa Community College will receive $46,020 to
increase the scope of its curbside commingled recycling program by
expanding recycling to encompass all campus buildings, providing
recycling locations along public walkways and establishing used battery
and light bulb collection sites on campus. This project will create two
positions to coordinate the program. MCC will partner with the City of
Mesa to obtain more than 150 collection bins.

"This is a great partnership between Mesa Community College and the City
of Mesa," Owens said. 

These grants are part of ADEQ's Waste Reduction Assistance (WRA) grants
program, which funds projects devoted to waste reduction, recycling and
composting. 

"Recycling is one of our most effective tools to protect our
environment," Owens added. "We are glad to support ASU's and MCC's
efforts to increase recycling in Arizona."

-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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