Tempe Debuts Recycling Education Trailer July 1

Tempe, Arizona — The City of Tempe will debut E.R.I.C. (Education/Recycling Information Center), a 38-foot trailer filled with museum-quality interactive exhibits about recycling, at a 9 a.m. ceremony on Wednesday, July 1, at the city’s Public Works/Field Operations facility, at 55 S. Priest Drive.

Tempe received a Waste Reduction Initiative Through Education (WRITE) grant from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) to construct the trailer, which is the first of its kind in Arizona.

E.R.I.C. will be transported to schools and events beginning in the fall to increase awareness of and participation in Tempe’s solid waste and recycling programs, and to promote environmental stewardship. The project’s mascot, which will be featured prominently on the unit, is a likeable desert tortoise named “ERIC,” who will help carry the environmental message.

At the event, the city will recognize ADEQ, contractor Quality Vans, and partners Nike and Freelite, for helping in the construction. Singh Organic Farms will provide food for the event, which will be prepared by Chef Wade Simpson of the Paradise Valley Country Club.

The traveling museum will feature eco-friendly materials, and post-consumer and reclaimed interior finishes. The floor surface will feature Training Ground with Nike Grind, a rubberized floor surface made of nearly 100 percent recycled material.