If you read this blog much, you know we are big fans of materials recovery in Phoenix. Remember how the City of Phoenix found a way to divert 36,000 tons of previously-considered useless palm fronds in to animal feed?

So, its nice to see Local First Arizona hosting tours of the Phoenix Materials Recovery program. It is worth a tour.

One plug from us, though. Think of all of the thousands of new gadgets that have batteries in them now, from pens to cars. All of those small batteries have precious metals in them –some worth more than gold. All of which require invasive and polluting mining to develop. What would it look like if we could divert those metals away from our land fills and back in to our circular economy?

That’s a net win for Arizona, as all of those metals originate from outside of Arizona.

It would take an investment from our cities in educating the public and coordination with businesses to help collect those items.

That said, now back to the news about the Local First tour:

At this event, you will meet Local First Arizona’s Green Team at Phoenix’s Material Recovery Facility (aka the MRF) where you will see how recycling is sorted and processed. This eye-opening tour is free and you’ll walk away with a new appreciation for recycling.

Thanks to our friends at Recyclebank for supporting this event! Attendees will receive bonus points from Recyclebank for attending. The North Gateway Transfer Station is located at 30205 N. Black Canyon Hwy, Phoenix and we will meet there. RSVP via email to Carrie@localfirstaz.com.