On October 3, 2011, City of Tucson Environmental Services (ES) will kick off ‘Know Where to Throw’, a new waste diversion program that will help Tucsonans in need and save landfill space. The goal of the program is to inform Tucsonans about recycling and reuse options available in the community. “In Tucson, we can recycle about 35% of our waste in the blue barrels,” said Nancy Petersen, deputy director of Environmental Services. We hope this program will increase our waste diversion by letting residents know that there are many recycling and reuse options in Tucson.”
To kick off “Know Where to Throw”, ES will hold a community drive to collect recyclable and reusable “stuff” that we often overlook: items that can’t be put in the blue barrel, but can be dropped off at
locations in our community. For this drive, ES has identified four items
-- crayons, eyeglasses, bras, and athletic shoes -- that will be collected from October 3 through October 28 at City Hall and City Council Offices:
Crayons will be donated to the City’s Parks and Recreation Department for use in classes and programs for school-age children. Eyeglasses will be delivered to the Lions Clubs International which distributes the glasses collected worldwide.
Bras will be collected and delivered to the Bra Recyclers, a company that has partnered with New Beginnings, Primavera Foundation, and the Gospel Rescue Mission to provide the undergarments to women in need. This October drive coincides with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Athletic shoes will be shipped to Nike, where they are broken down and shredded and then used for athletic court surfaces and in new shoes.
If you would like to help and clear some space at home, bring your items to any City Council Ward Office and City Hall. The drop-off locations are as follows:
City Hall, 250 W. Alameda St.
Ward I Office, 940 W. Alameda St.
Ward II Office, 7575 E. Speedway Blvd.
Ward III Office, 1510 E. Grant Rd.
Ward IV Office, 8123 E. Poinciana
Ward V Office, 4300 S. Park Ave.
Ward VI Office, 3202 E. 1st St.
