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Kitsap County, Washington Wins Seventh Consecutive Award for Waste Reduction

Release Date: 12/17/2007
Contact Information: Domenic Calabro, EPA Waste Reduction Team, (206) 553-6640, [email protected] Tony Brown, EPA Public Affairs, (206) 553-1203, [email protected]

(Seattle, Wash. – Dec 17, 2007) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently recognized Kitsap County, Washington as the 2007 EPA WasteWise Program Local Government Partner of the Year. EPA is pleased to recognize Kitsap County and other members that have made the program a success through their sustained commitment to waste reduction.

Kitsap County is considered a model for other local governments and as a WasteWise Program endorser has provided technical assistance to local government agencies, cities, and counties in Washington State and beyond. Kitsap County joined WasteWise in 1999 and has won seven consecutive awards. WasteWise is a free and voluntary partnership program launched by EPA in 1994.

In 2006, the County saved over $450,000 by recycling paper products, food containers, tires, asphalt, organics, and reusing asphalt and road sand. The County also recycled fluorescent lights, batteries and biosolids and over 11,000 pounds of electronic equipment.

Vicki Bushnell, WasteWise Kitsap Coordinator credits the County’s departmental coordinators for the smooth operation and success of the program.

“Each department has someone who is the key contact person if employees have questions, and it’s their job to schedule annual training for their department,” said Bushnell. “They also keep an eye out for ways to reduce paper usage.” She adds that the office supply swap, the “Waste Exchange” is an easy and popular way to obtain good used office supplies, which keeps down purchasing costs.

According to EPA, the over 1,800 WasteWise Partners not only reduce waste, but also are addressing global climate change. By decreasing the demand on raw materials through waste reduction and recycling, organizations improve their operations, reduce costs, and minimize their environmental footprints. EPA estimates that simply increasing our national recycling rate from its current level of 30 percent to 35 percent would reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions by another 10 metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE).

For additional information about WasteWise, visit: https://www.epa.gov/wastewise/

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