[ADEQ Media] ADEQ Director Owens Announces $367, 103 in Community Recycling Grants for Peoria and Litchfield Park

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

ADEQ Director Owens Announces $367,103 in Community Recycling Grants for
Peoria and Litchfield Park

PHOENIX (June 8, 2007) - Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
(ADEQ) 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 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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