Recycle at Work A publication of the Washington County Solid Waste & Recycling Program. Business Bulletin Winter-Spring 2014 What’s inside... 1 Spotlight on Business - Republic Services of Lake Oswego 3 County Workshop Educates Spanish Community About Sustainability 4 Spotlight on Business - Virginia Garcia, Cornelius Wellness Center 7 Spotlight on Business - Hillsboro Fire Department 9 Award Worthy Pictured, front row, from left to right: Pam Mendenhall and Karen DePriest. Back row, from left to right: Elizabeth Start, Kenneth Phillips, Michelle Burchfield, Carla Galbraith and Tracy Fiorante. epublic Services of Lake employees are not only excelling at pens and promotional material. Oswego has become the second recycling, but waste reduction and Thanks to Willamette garbage and recycling waste prevention as well. Resources Inc. (WRI) - Republic Rcollection company to earn the For example, to help cut down on Services’ transfer station located in Washington County Solid Waste & paper use, most office printers are set Wilsonville - staff at the Sherwood Recycling Program’s Recycle at Work to print double-sided automatically. office have an outlet for almost every Award. The award was given to And, for those occasions when only material they generate. Employees can Republic Services for the hard work single-sided printing is needed, the recycle plastic film, used motor oil and dedication of its staff to recycle office has a “Be Nice, Use It Twice” and electronics, all of which are taken and prevent waste under the box where staff can re-use paper that to WRI for eventual transfer to leadership of Elizabeth Start, recycling has already been printed on one side. processors. WRI also accepts these coordinator. Other efforts toward waste prevention materials from the public. Since joining the company in early include the establishment of an office The efforts undertaken by Republic 2013, Elizabeth has encouraged and supply re-use area. Other un-wanted Services of Lake Oswego help educated employees about office supplies are donated to contribute to the standard set by all sustainability, most notably recycling, local organizations such as SCRAP, a RAW Award winners when it comes composting and waste prevention. Portland-based, creative, non-profit to successful internal materials And the efforts are paying off, as office re-use center. handling practices. On the sustainable purchasing front, procurement staff ensure that purchased products include recycled content. Items used in and around the office include paper, file folders, tissue, print cartridges, writing pads, pencils, 1 JOIN THESE BUSINESSES Become Washington County’s Next Recycle at Work Award Winning Business BANKS TRAIL CAFE • MONTES MANAGEMENT & CONSULTING • KAREN L. LEWIS • SWATCO SANITARY SERVICE • CITY OR CORNELIUS • VIRGINIA GARCIA - CORNELIUS WELLNESS CENTER • WOODFOLD MANUFACTURING • WSC INSURANCE • CITY OF HILLSBORO - PARKS MAINTENANCE • CITY OF HILLSBORO - SENIOR CENTER • CLEAN COPY • CLEAN WATER SERVICES • WORLD OF SMILES PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY • EPSON PORTLAND INC. • GENENTECH • GREENSPACE • HILLSBORO FIRE DEPARTMENT - JONES FARM FIRE STATION NO. 5 • HILLSBORO FIRE DEPARTMENT - CHERRY LANE FIRE STATION NO. 6 • INSOMNIA COFFEE CO. • INTEL CORP. - HAWTHORN FARMS • INTEL CORP. - JONES FARM • INTEL CORP. - RONLER ACRES • JACKSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL • JONES & ROTH CPA • NEW SEASONS MARKET - ORENCO STATION • PACIFIC LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT • REI HILLSBORO • SALESFORCE • SHARI’S - TANASBOURNE • SHARI’S - HILLSBORO • SOLARWORLD • SOLV • WASHINGTON COUNTY • WHOLE FOODS MARKET - TANASBOURNE • SHARI’S - KING CITY • REPUBLIC SERVICES OF LAKE OSWEGO • SHARI’S SHERWOOD • ASH CREEK FOREST MANAGEMENT • CITY OF TIGARD • CLEAN WATER SERVICES - DURHAM WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY • CLUB SPORT OREGON • DEANGELO’S CATERING & EVENTS • FINNEGAN’S VILLAGE TOYS • GEODESIGN INC. • ID EXPERTS • IKON OFFICE SOLUTIONS • MARCO IDEAS UNLIMITED, INC. • PORTLAND CATERING CO. • CITY OF TUALATIN • DIANAPLANTSCIENCES • FUJIMI CORP. • OREGON SCIENTIFIC • PACIFIC FOODS OF OREGON, INC. • SHARI’S TUALATIN • VWR INTERNATIONAL • ALOHA DOG & CAT HOSPITAL • CONSUMER CELLULAR • INLINE COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION • INTEL CORP. - ALOHA • MONTINORE ESTATE • NEW SEASONS MARKET - RALEIGH HILLS • NIKE INC. WORLD HEADQUARTERS • RAPTOR RIDGE WINERY • SCHOLLS VALLEY NATIVE NURSERY • SHARI’S - FARMINGTON • SHARI’S - SUNSET • TUALATIN VALLEY WATER DISTRICT • WH PACIFIC • WINZLER & KELLY • CLICK COMMERCE • EID PASSPORT If your business is located in Washington County, and is working to recycle, prevent waste and purchase recycled-content products, contact the Washington County Solid Waste & Recycling Program for more information about the Recycle at Work Business Award, at 503-846-3605 or www.WashingtonCountyRecycles.org. 2 County Workshop Educates Spanish Coffee Cup Facts Community About Sustainability Average Serving Size: 9 oz. (266 ml) Servings Per Container 1 Make the Wise Mug Choice The Third Annual Spanish Sustainability Workshop on recycling, waste prevention and food safety was held this past September at Virginia Daily Value Million cups of coffee Garcia’s newly-opened Cornelius Wellness Center. The Washington consumed per day in U.S. 400 County Solid Waste & Recycling Program collaborated with the Million pounds of coffee cups Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce to provide the workshop. Speakers landfilled each year in U.S. 363 included Alejandro Tecum and Kaely Summers of Adelante Mujeres, Number of uses most Nadya Vera of Washington County’s Environmental Health Program, reusable mugs and tumblers are designed for 3,000 Lorena Juarez with Portland General Electric and Efua Osam-Cue with Number of coffee shops that the county’s recycling program. offer discounts to customers The workshop was organized for the Spanish-speaking business that provide their own mug Endless community. Topics included: Encourage Durable Mug Use! • How to recycle materials generated at work. Facts: Environment Action Association, Starbucks, • How to take advantage of energy savings incentive programs Alliance for the Environmental Innovation and Environmental Defense Fund. offered by Energy Trust of Oregon. • How to grow organic food. • The important health benefits associated with growing fresh organic food. Upcoming Events • How to avoid serious health risks by preserving food correctly. FREE-ResourceFull Use Workshop Participants learned about the Cornelius Wellness Center’s new April 16 vegetable garden developed with Adelante Mujeres and were educated Norm Thompson Outfitters on classes organized by the Oregon State University Extension Service. Hillsboro, OR Attendees also toured the LEED Silver-certified wellness Center, including the building’s learning kitchen. After the workshop, Association of Oregon Recyclers participants were invited to shop for fresh local organic food at Amaro’s Sustainable Oregon 2014 Produce, an organic farm stand that sets up shop at the wellness center. June 19-21 As part of the workshop, Virginia Garcia was presented with the Oregon State University County’s Recycle at Work Award for its sustainable achievements in Corvallis, OR recycling, waste prevention and sustainable procurement (see page 4). For more information about the Washington County Solid Waste & FREE -Washington County Recycling Program’s Spanish Sustainability Workshops – including Spanish Recycling workshop presentations – visit Workshop www.WashingtonCountyRecycles.org or contact Efua Osam-Cue at September 2014 503-846-3661 or [email protected]. Location TBD Note: Adelante Mujeres began offering classes to Latino farmers about sustainable farming methods and ecological land management this WASTE FACT! past January. More information can be found at Plastic film is the third biggest www.AdelanteMujeres.org. contaminant found in the local recycling stream, behind diapers and putrescible garbage. Pictured: Washington County Environmental Health Program Remember...WHEN IN DOUBT, Educator Nadya Vera speaks about THROW IT OUT! preserving food correctly. 3 Spotlight on Business Pictured, front row, from left to right: Gil Munoz and Tran Miers. Second row, from left to right: Yolanda Valenzuela, Laura Byerly and Maria Loredo. Back row, from left to right: Vicki Pedraza, Ignolia Duyck, Ivy Wagner and Ann Turner. Not pictured: Lynn Baker. irginia Garcia Memorial located within the region. However, lighting – with motion sensors. Health Center’s (Virginia with help from county recycling staff, • HVAC system that heats/cools Garcia) new Cornelius Well- instead, a deal with the immunization different zones independently. Vness Center is the first medical facility vendor was made and a take-back • Electricity sourced from such to receive the Washington County program for the ice chests and freezer renewable sources as wind Solid Waste & Recycling Program’s packs was established. power. Recycle at Work Award. To reduce paper waste, staff uses • Low-flow toilets, sinks and Not only are commingled whiteboards for messaging and showerheads. materials recycled on site, staff is also software that allows health records • 97 percent of construction taking items, such as batteries, to be shared among clinics. Staff also waste was recycled, and 11 Styrofoam and fluorescent bulbs, to uses durable dishware and silverware percent of the new building’s area drop-off recycling centers. material contains recycled Virginia Garcia staff even “Our partnership with Washington content. composts food scraps in the County is an important one as we Wellness