UA researchers collect garbage in Arizona town

Arizona Daily Wildcat Photo Courtesy of Jeff Harrison at UA News Services Kathy Cisco, research specialist for the UA's Garbage Project, examines disposed glass. Cisco collected trash yesterday with Patagonia, Ariz. residents.

University of Arizona garbologists yesterday began a year-long waste study in rural areas around the state with $30,000 from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

The study's goal is to help Arizona rural communities reduce the amount of waste in landfills, said Anne Lozon, director of technical services for Southwest Public Recycling Association.

"Instead of doing a full-blown waste study, we've decided to take snapshots of communities in Arizona," Lozon said.

The garbologists chose Patagonia, Ariz. as the first of five sites across the state that will be studied. Lozon said the garbologists chose Patagonia because it fit the typical "small southern Arizona" town.

The researchers yesterday took trash samples from 43 Patagonia households and three businesses. The small town has a population of about 1,000 residents and is located between Sierra Vista and Nogales, Ariz.

Wilson Hughes, research specialist and the study's co-director, spent more than 12 hours with Patagonia residents hunting for hidden treasures in their garbage.

"The scope of our work is more intense," Hughes said, adding that the group will collect more garbage on Friday.

Patagonia town officials wanted to decrease the amount of waste that the community produces, Lozon said.

Kathy Cisco, also a project research specialist, had her UA waste sorting class help separate the trash. She said the study will allow scientists to find a manner to reduce the growing cost of processing trash.

"It's a ways of cutting down in order to stop the price of garbage from going up and up," she said.