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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25, 2008

Senator Browne Presents Citation to the
 City of Allentown and Its Recycling Program

City's Bureau of Recycling and Solid Waste Recognized with Waste Watcher Award

State Senator Pat Browne presented Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski and Allentown's Bureau of Recycling & Solid Waste Manager Ann Saurman on Thursday, September 25, 2008 with a citation from the Senate of Pennsylvania in recognition of receiving the Waste Watcher Award.

In 2007, the city of Allentown's residents and businesses recycled nearly 32,000 tons of materials.

"I want to congratulate the City of Allentown and Mayor Pawlowski on receiving this award; it is a very well deserved honor," Senator Browne said. "This award shows that the city's recycling effort is working. I also want to thank and recognize the residents and businesses in the City of Allentown for helping to make this program so successful. With the technological advances we have available today, it is imperative that we all strive to recycle and reuse materials whenever and wherever possible."

The City of Allentown's Bureau of Recycling and Solid Waste received the Waste Watcher Award at the 2008 Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania (PROP) Conference held on July 31, 2008 in Gettysburg for going above and beyond what is mandated under the Commonwealth's Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act. The Waste Watcher Award was presented by PROP, the Keystone Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America and the Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association.

"I was extremely pleased to be honored with the Waste Watcher Award by other waste and recycling professionals," Saurman said. "Our bureau has worked extremely hard to promote green living through waste reduction, recycling and buying recycled material and litter prevention. It's exciting to know that our efforts are being recognized by Senator Browne and others across the state."

The City of Allentown was recognized for continuing to expand its recycling effort. It added cardboard, paperboard and newspapers to its existing Blue Bin Curbside Recycling Program in 2007; more plastic items were added to the program in March of 2008 and in June of 2008, the city and Com-Cycle joined forces to offer city residents quarterly recycling of electronic devices.

"I credit the City of Allentown with exceeding the guidelines set by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and for being a leader in municipal recycling efforts," Senator Browne said. "The city has shown its commitment to being more environmental friendly and resourceful."

Allentown's new recycling programs reach all 36,500 households and 475 businesses in a once-a-week city curbside collection program.

The citation was presented to the City of Allentown at Allentown's Recycling Center at 1400 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

For more information, contact Senator Browne's Allentown District Office at (610) 821-8468.

Contact:

Matt Moyer
(610) 821-8468