PHOENIX (November 15, 2018) – The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is celebrating America Recycles Day with a new Recycling Toolkit. This comprehensive online resource helps schools, businesses and municipalities develop or expand current recycling programs and provides a wealth of information for residents to proactively develop recycling plans to present to their community leaders.

Recycling Toolkit | View >

The Recycling Toolkit originated from numerous phone calls and e-mails routed to ADEQ Recycling Coordinator JB Shaw.

“The toolkit is a one-stop shop for people interested in designing robust recycling programs to improve the environment of Arizona,” said Shaw. “It includes a how-to guide for starting recycling programs in your workplace or school and spotlights the best practices of communities with successful programs in both urban and rural areas. No matter where you live in our state, you can help reduce the amount of trash that goes into landfills each year.”

Shaw is passionate about expanding recycling efforts across Arizona, often helping plan and participating in events. He was also a driving force behind the introduction of a recycling program to the Arizona State Fair. His dedication was recently recognized by the Arizona Recycling Coalition, which honored him with the Recycling Advocate Award at their 2018 annual awards.

Organizations and communities with robust recycling programs can have positive impacts to the environment, public health and local economy. Schools that implement recycling programs help teach children waste reduction habits to preserve natural resources for future generations. For businesses, these programs can contribute to a company’s bottom line as well as rally community support. Great recycling programs:

• Keep neighborhoods cleaner and healthier
• Get citizens involved in their communities
• Better prepare organizations for responsible growth
• Divert waste from landfills to give it new life as renewed resource
• Save money

The Recycling Toolkit will be updated periodically with additional resources and examples of successful recycling programs. Check back soon to see what is new.

Additional Resources

Arizona Recycling Coalition | View >
America Recycles Day | View >
Photo of JB Shaw with Recycling Advocate Award | View >

Contact

ADEQ Public Information Officer | 602-771-2215 (office) | 602-540-8072 (cell) | E-mail >