The Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department, Town of Sahuarita, Pima Association of Governments’ Clean Cities Program, Grecycle and EDG Fuels will partner once again to host the sixth annual Day- After-Thanksgiving Grease Recycling Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, November 26, the day after Thanksgiving.

This effort is held each holiday season to remind everyone to properly dispose of used cooking grease and that the grease can be used to produce a clean burning substitute for diesel fuel.

“Ordinary kitchen cooking grease buildup can clog sewer pipes, reduce sewage flow and act as a magnet for other debris,” said Laura Hagen Fairbanks of the Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department. “Eventually, buildup can clog lines and result in sanitary sewer overflows.”

“This grease can be easily disposed of in much better ways and be used to produce biodiesel, a clean burning substitute for diesel fuel,” said Colleen Crowninshield, Tucson Clean Cities Manager. “The diesel fuel can be used in any diesel engine and will help us to reduce our nation’s dependence on fossil fuel.”

Used cooking oil will be collected at five sites around the community. The 2009 event collected more than 2,500 pounds of used cooking oil and more than 9,300 pounds since the first event, held in 2005. This grease was converted into biodiesel and used in diesel engines in Pima County.

This year’s five grease recycling sites include:

East-O’Reilly Chevrolet
6160 E. Broadway Blvd.
(one block west of Wilmot Rd.)

Northwest-Pima County
Industrial Wastewater Control
5025 W. Ina Rd. (1/4 mile west of I-10)

South-City of Tucson Water Plant #2
1102 W. Irvington Rd.
(west of I-19 on Irvington; turn right at first light into Water Plant #2, across from the street from Mc Donald’s)

Sam Hughes Championship Dining
(vacant lot at northeast corner of Campbell Ave. and Sixth St.)

Town of Sahuarita Park & Ride Parking Lot
375 W. Sahuarita Center Way

Used cooking oil also can be recycled year-round. For information on drop-off locations, visit Grecycle, EDG Fuels, Pima Association of Governments’ Clean Cities Program, or the Pima County Household Hazardous Waste Program.

Ward 2 City Council Member Paul Cunningham, the Tucson Department of Transportation (TDOT), and the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) will celebrate the start of the Speedway Boulevard – Camino Seco to Houghton Road widening project with a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, September 23, 2010.

The event begins at 9 a.m. and will take place in front of Calvary Chapel of Tucson, on the northeast corner of Speedway and Camino Seco.

The $13.9 million RTA-funded project consists of widening Speedway Boulevard from Camino Seco to Houghton Road to provide two through lanes in each direction with a 20-ft wide center landscaped median. Concrete curbs, new rubberized asphalt paving, six-foot wide sidewalks, bike lanes, and frontage roads will be provided.

The improved roadway will include new drainage improvements. These include storm drains, catch basins, and reinforced concrete box culvert crossings to control flooding and provide all-weather crossing capability.

This project also will include new traffic signals at Harrison Road and Houghton Road. Signalized pedestrian crossings are planned at Schrader Lane and Igo Way. Street lighting for driver safety and neighborhood security will be included as well.

The project will be landscaped and include public art. The contractor is NAC Construction Company. The work will take approximately 24 months to complete.

The voter-approved, $2.1 billion RTA plan will be implemented through 2026. The RTA has a nine-member board with representatives from local, state and tribal governments. While funded through the RTA, the above projects will be managed by TDOT.

The Tucson Department of Transportation (TDOT) keeps Tucson moving smoothly and safely. The Department’s nearly 250 employees oversee the maintenance and reconstruction of nearly 1,900 miles of streets and are responsible for hundreds of drainage structures, public art pieces, street lights and signs, and traffic signs and signals in Tucson. TDOT also operates the City’s transit services Sun Tran and Sun Van.