Press Release

WASTE MANAGEMENT AND VALLEY YOUTH GO DUMPSTER
DIVING AT THE AV FAIR

Lancaster, CA, August 27, 2007 – As you stroll around the fair, eating deep-fried treats, looking at arts and crafts, cruising the midway, petting the 4-H animals and attending the concerts, you may notice some local youth “dumpster diving.”

Waste Management has teamed up with Cub Scout Troop 243 and the Teen Builders from Antelope Valley High School to go through the trash and pull out the plastic bottles and aluminum cans for recycling – and fundraising. These groups work the 11-day event, in the high heat, collecting recyclables. You can see them in their Waste Management Volunteer T-shirts.

“Our kids just love doing this each year,” said Mrs. Sue Strom, Teen Builders Director. “They work hard to be sure to collect every single can or bottle they can find. In the end, it pays off!”

You can help make the Cub Scouts and Teen Builders’ recycling job easier by using the labeled recycling containers at the fair. Take your can or bottle to the green plastic carts with the holes on top of the lids. Not only will you be doing the right thing by recycling, but you will also be helping out some of our local youth in the process.

“This is a great group of kids and we are happy to work with them. Last year, the two groups raised over $740 and Waste Management matched that amount dollar for dollar,” said Bill Minnis, Director of Operations.

“Most people don’t think twice about what happens to that can or plastic bottle when they are finished with it,” said Janette Crawford, Community Relations Manager for Waste Management in the Antelope Valley. “All we ask is that you put your cans and bottles – at the fair and at home – in the recycling bin.”

Waste Management of the Antelope Valley operates both the Palmdale and Lancaster Landfills as an integral part of the Valley’s solid waste management infrastructure. The facilities handle municipal solid waste, which is heavily regulated, monitored and controlled by local, state and federal government agencies. In addition to its community contributions and significant volunteer efforts, Waste Management of the Antelope Valley provides residential, commercial, construction and recycling services.  For more information of how we "think green," visit www.KeepingAVclean.com.

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