Nov. 10, 2010
Caption lakeblue: (L-R: Tom Waldec, Executive Director, Keep Phoenix Beautiful; Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon; and Phoenix Public Works Director Neil Mann)
Today, Mayor Phil Gordon and Councilman Bill Gates kicked off the Recycle Clean Phoenix campaign, designed to improve the quantity and quality of recycling in Phoenix.
The campaign is a result of a partnership with Keep America Beautiful program and the Curbside Value Partnership (CVP), a national invitation-only program designed to improve recycling through residential curbside programs. The city of Phoenix and Keep Phoenix Beautiful were selected along with two other communities (Frederick County, Maryland and Norfolk, Va.) to become 2010 CVP partners.
“This program is part of our vision to make Phoenix the greenest city in the country,” said Mayor Phil Gordon. “Phoenix has a long history as a leader in recycling and now we are taking it to the next level.”
Every day, items such as yard clippings, food waste and plastic bags end up in the city’s blue recycling containers. These items are not recyclable and can contaminate large amounts of recyclable material, costing time and money. The campaign takes a humorous approach by partnering a recyclable item, such as newspapers or glass, with something that is clearly not recyclable, such as a skunk or a hamster.
Caption lakeblue: (L-R: Tom Waldec, Executive Director, Keep Phoenix Beautiful; Beth Schmitt, Director of Recycling, ALCOA; Phoenix District 3 Councilman Bill Gates; and Steve Thompson, Program Director, Curbside Value Partnership)
Recycle Clean Phoenix is a pilot program focusing on two solid waste service areas in North Phoenix, mostly in District 3, and features a multi-media campaign that includes billboards, print and on line advertisements and radio public service announcements, all driving traffic to the campaign website, RecycleCleanPhoenix.org, to learn more about clean recycling.
“District 3 residents are proud to be a part of this unique program and are ready to make it a success,” said Councilman Bill Gates. “I encourage everyone across Phoenix to check out the website and learn more about ‘clean’ recycling.”
The Phoenix campaign will serve as a model for other communities interesting in improving their education efforts.
About the Curbside Value Partnership
The Curbside Value Partnership (CVP), a program of Keep America Beautiful, Inc., is designed to grow participation in curbside recycling programs nationwide. CVP was officially unveiled to communities in 2005 and is the only current national program that engages all recycling stakeholders (including communities, private industry, haulers and materials recovery facilities) to identify solutions to improving curbside recycling programs through education. CVP’s goal is to launch and study education programs to increase participation in local curbside programs and make programs more profitable and sustainable. Twenty-six communities and four states have been engaged by CVP in education campaigns, including the states of Georgia, Minnesota, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, as well as Arlington County, Va.; Baton Rouge, La.; Brevard County, Fla.; Burlington County, N.J.; Frederick County, M.D..; Denver, Colo.; Kansas City, Mo.; Indian River, Fla.; Hillsborough County, Fla.; Lancaster and York counties, Penn.; Greenville, N.C.; Mecklenburg County, N.C.; McLeod and St. Louis counties, Minn.; Omaha, Neb. Norfolk, Va.; Orlando, Fla., and Savannah, Ga. For more information, visit RecycleCurbside.org.
About Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of over 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful forms public private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. For additional information, visit kab.org.
Media Contact:
| Michael Hammett | 602-495-5405 |
