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Recycler of Year P. Schultz October 28, 2005 TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: Recycler of the Year Award Solid Waste Management Supervisor Paul Schultz has been named the "Recyler of the Year" by the Iowa Recycling Association. The Association states, ". . . award recipients represent excellence in recycling and reuse and are a vital part of Iowa's recycling community." Michael C. Van Milligen MCVM/jh Attachment cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager Don Vogt, Public Works Director CONT ACT: Randy Gehl Public Information Officer 563-589-4151 ( office) 563-599-2448 (cell) rgehl@cityofdubuque.org ~<k~ City Manager's Office 50 '^I est 13th Street Dubuque, Iowa 52001 www.cityofdubuque.org NEWS RELEASE Oct. 24, 2005 -- For Immediate Release Iowa Recycling Association Names Schultz Recycler of the Year DUl3UQUE, Iowa - City of Dubuque Solid Waste Management Supervisor Paul Schultz was named the 2005 Recycler of the Year by the Iowa Recycling Association at its Seventh Annual Awards Banquet on Tuesday, Oct. 18, in Des Moines. The Recycler of the Year Award is given to an individual whose career demonstrates the highest professional standards in the recycling field (including reuse and composting). Schultz has been Dubuque's solid waste management supervisor since January 1995. He was the general manager of the Environmental Recycling Corporation in Dubuque from 1991 to 1995 and stewardship director of the Sinsinawa Mound Center from 1989 to 1990. Schultz was the horticulturalist/owner of Sunshower Farm and Fruit Products in Lawrence, Mich., from 1975 to 1989. Schultz served on the Iowa Recycling Association Board of Directors (1999-2003), the Iowa Society of Solid Waste Operations Board of Directors (1998-2000), and the Governor's Steering Committee: Iowa Earth Year 2000. He received the Iowa Recycling Association's Best Public Education Campaign Award and the Dubuque Area Labor Management Council's Labor-Management Partnership Award, both in 2000, and the Dubuque Key City Rotary's Environmental Citizenship Award in 1993. The Iowa Recycling Association says the 2005 awards recipients represent excellence in recycling and reuse and are a vital part of Iowa's recycling community. "We are very pleased to present these awards which showcase the groups and individuals that exemplify the best of recycling in Iowa," said Micllaela Rich, President of the Iowa Recycling Association. Seven Iowa organizations dedicated to environmental stewardship through their missions and programs collaborate to sponsor, review, and select the award winners in each category. In addition to the Iowa Recycling Association, the organizations are: Iowa Environmental Council, Iowa League of Cities, Keel) Iowa Beautiful, Plan B Consulting, Recycle Iowa, Recycling and Reuse Technology Transfer Center, and Trees Forever. The 2005 Iowa Recycling Award categories and winners are: . Best School Recycling Program: Iowa State University (Ames) . Best Public Education Program: Metro Waste Authority (Des Moines) . Best Business Recycling Program: West Liberty Foods (West Liberty) · Recycling Project of the Year: Iowa DNR Compost Rebate Program (Des Moines) . Murray J. Fox Recycling Innovation Award: Avant Ministries (Kansas City) . Recycler of the Year: Paul Schultz, City of Dubuque (Dubuque) Founded in 1989, the Iowa Recycling Association is dedicated to a healthy environment and a healthy economy by promoting recycling, waste reduction, reuse, and composting. ### Iowa Recycling Awards 2005 Recycler of the Year Paul Schultz Paul Schultz began his recycling journey in the 19508 as a cub scout in Chicago, collecting newspaper at the curb in quarterly paper drives. Since then, his achievements in recycling have been diverse, covering the private business, nonprofit and government sectors. Paul has consistently devoted his time, energy and expertise to advancing sustainable practices and collaborating with others on community recycling and environmental projects. Under his direction the City of Dubuque has improved the per-household landfill diversion from 22% in 1995 to 40% in 2005. In 1970, Paul helped organize the first National Earth Day. Between 1971 and 1973, he taught urban studies for the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, leading a seminar on urban environmental issues. In 1973 and 1974, Paul joined the American Friends Service Committee and directed the Simple Living Program emphasizing conservation and the 3R's. During this time, Paul had become a founding member of the Sunshower Farm Community in Lawrence, Michigan, moving there full-time in 1975. He organized the Organic Growers of Michigan Cooperative and wrote organic certification standards as they applied to fertilizers, composts, pesticides, and pollution prevention. In the 1980s as markets were developed in Chicago for Sunshower products, Paul was able to backhaul tons of over-mature and damaged fruits, vegetables, and juice-bar pulp for animal feeding or composting. In 1989, his family relocated to Dubuque when Paul was recruited by the Sinsinawa Dominicans motherhouse as the new Director of Stewardship. As part of his responsibilities, he closed the small dump at the facility, expanded the recycling program, improved the composting process of food residuals, established a chipping/mulching program from orchard prunings, and ended most silviculture burning. He also coordinated the large Tri-State Earth Day Celebration at the Sinsinawa Mound. In 1990, Paul voluntarily organized the Dubuque Area Recycling Network (DARN) when the State of Iowa's longest running recycling drop-off program was about to end. In 1991, he became the general manager of the newly founded Environmental Recycling Corporation (ERe), which renovated a bankrupt tennis club into the Tri-State's first MRF. The facility initially served the DARN drop-off program, select business and industry, and later the city's curbside recycling program. During the early '90s, Paul co-founded the Eastern Iowa Recycling Network (ERIN), an association of new local MRFs and curbside recycling programs. In 1993, Paul received both the Iowa Governor's Volunteer Award for his work in diversifying the recycling workplace and Key City Rotary's Environmental Citizenship Award in the private business category~ In 1995, after ERe was sold to BFI, Paul joined the City of Dubuque as solid waste management supervisor. This position was responsible for refuse, recycling, yard waste and waste minimization programs. His new assignments were to organize a Toxic Cleanup Day and establish a permanent Regional Collection Center. Since moving to Iowa, Paul has served on a number of recycling -related boards and committees including terms with ISOSWO, IRA, the Environmental Stewardship Advisory Commission, and Iowa Earth Year 2000.