2006 Recycler Awards

Association of Oregon Recyclers Presents Annual Recycler of the Year Awards for 2006

On June 24, the Association of Oregon Recyclers (AOR) honored eight Oregon businesses, non-profits, and individuals with a “Recycler of the Year” award at its annual conference, held this year at Valley River Inn in Eugene. The awards are bestowed annually to recognize innovation and commitment in the field of recycling.

	Organization: Free Geek, Portland, OR
	Alice Soderwall Reuse and Waste Prevention Award: Computer Reuse and Recycling Center, Eugene, OR
	Government: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, David Allaway, Portland, OR
	Processor: Western Oregon Waste, McMinville, OR
	Collector: Hood River Garbage, Hood River, OR
	Markets: Blue Heron Paper Co, Oregon City, OR
	Education: Karyn Kaplan, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
	Ray Ford "Golden Torch" Award: Dennis Maricle, St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County Inc., Eugene, OR

This year marked the first that a new award, the Ray Ford “Golden Torch” Award, was given out. The award honors Ray Ford, a long-time mechanic and millwright at BRING Recycling in Eugene, who died in 2005. The recipient of the first Ray Ford “Golden Torch” Award was Dennis Maricle, a member of the board of directors of St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County. Dennis is known for his genius, technical skill, and ingenuity in turning seemingly far-fetched schemes into productive components of St. Vincent de Paul’s various enterprises. Among other things, Dennis assembled a fiber garnetter to get mattress recycling off the ground at St. Vincent, and at the organization’s glass foundry he helped fabricate, design, and build everything from furnaces to tumblers that create useful, decorative pieces out of non-saleable glassware and pottery.

This 78-year-old company provides a full spectrum of solid waste services in northwest Oregon, from composting to transfer station operation and processing and marketing recyclable materials. The company has a special flair for effective customer education and outreach. It has developed a successful branding program, an attractive and user-friendly Web site with recycling information and a waste quiz, and an audio system at the McMinnville recycling depot that educates visitors about recycling.

The goal of this Eugene non-profit is to keep computers and other electronics in use and offer technology to those who otherwise would not have access to it. With the help of 500 volunteers a year, the organization has repaired more than 3,000 computers and provided them to people in need. CRRC also makes sure that all the toxic components of electronic waste are handled responsibly and that the end-markets for processed materials are here in the Pacific Northwest.

This Portland-based computer recycler incorporates community service into its business model. Besides diverting hundreds of tons of e-waste from the landfill and refurbishing computers for reuse, Free Geek has provided education and job skills training to more than 200 volunteers a year. The organization has participated in development of electronic waste management legislation and were members of the Western Electronic Product Stewardship Initiative. Their business model has spread as far as Pennsylvania and New York.

Energetic and enthusiastic, Karyn Kaplan has co-authored a recycling textbook, developed a comprehensive Web site for the University of Oregon’s campus recycling program, created a reusable office supply exchange on campus, and organized special event recycling that has resulted in 80 percent recovery of waste generated at the university’s annual folk festival. She is the driving force behind a university recycling program that has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the American Forest and Paper Association

David Allaway’s ability to study and collect data will be influencing the recycling industry for years to come. He coordinated research and writing for the materials use, recovery, and waste disposal section of the Oregon Strategy for Greenhouse Gas Reductions and, with the support of EPA and Metro, conducted an exhaustive study on waste prevention specifically related to packaging. By participating in the study, several local businesses avoided generating 493 tons of waste—and saved themselves money. David also is an engaging speaker, whether he is talking about preventing greenhouse gas emissions or understanding the true sources of happiness. (Could they perhaps be related?)

This company demonstrates how important the collector’s role is in helping residents to reduce, reuse and recycle. To improve the county’s recovery rate, Hood River Garbage implemented an aggressive education and outreach campaign that included newsletters, flyers, brochures, involvement in a compost demonstration site, and print, radio, cable TV, and billboard advertisements—all with a cohesive “reduce, reuse, recycle and compost” message. As a result, the county saw its recovery rate climb from 17.8 percent to a 41.2 percent in 2004—one of the highest in Oregon.

What has Blue Heron not done to further recycling in the Northwest? Every day this company purchases 550 tons of newspapers, magazines, mixed paper, and office pack from local processors, and it has committed to a $10 million capital upgrade that is increasing the recycled pulp capacity at its mill by 25 percent. Also, last year Blue Heron retrofitted a natural-gas-fueled boiler to run on waste wood, thus improving the local market for urban wood. In addition to improving markets for paper and waste wood, the plant changes have reduced Blue Heron’s demand for energy.