Association of Oregon Recyclers Presents Annual Recycler of the Year Awards for 2007

• Individual: Steve Apotheker, Metro, OR

• Collector or Processor: Earth Protection Services, Inc. (EPSI), Tigard, OR

• Company or Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Corvallis, OR

• Market or Broker: Oil Re-Refining Company (ORRCO), Portland, OR

• Government: City of Portland Blueworks Program, Portland, OR

• Education/Promotion Program of the Year: Portland Metro Master Recycler Program, Portland, OR

• Alice Soderwall Reuse and Waste Prevention Award: First Alternative Natural Food Co-op, Corvallis, OR

• Ray Ford “Golden Touch” Award: Driving Department of the Rebuilding Center, Portland, OR

• Special Awards: Lake County Recycling Effort, Lakeview, OR (Rural Recycling Initiative); The Tri-County Hazardous Waste Management Program Partners (Community Partnerships)_________________________________________________________________

Award recipients typically demonstrate the following:

• Enhancement of environmental welfare, through waste prevention, recycling, composting, innovation, or market development

• A long-term commitment to waste prevention, recycling, market development, or community involvement

• Innovation in proposing or implementing new, modified, or unique technologies, processes, or promotion

• Economic benefits, in terms of reduced costs to businesses, organizations, or the public

• Transferability of recycling or waste prevention programs, processes, or efforts

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.

Recycler of the Year Awards for 2007 Award recipients are:

Recycler of the Year — Individual

Steve Apotheker, Metro 

Recognized by many for his dedication, expertise, and undying passion for his work, Steve Apotheker has not only been a critical player at the city level with his involvement with Portland Metro, but also on the state level with his work with the Department of Environmental Quality.  Steve is a consummate environmentalist.  He is an inspiration to many and provides an excellent example of how to live a sustainable lifestyle, both personally and professionally.

Recycler of the Year — Collector or Processor 

Earth Protection Services, Inc. (EPSI)  

Earth Protection Services, Inc. (EPSI), operating in Tigard, OR, in addition to six other facilities nationwide, is dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost-effective waste management for electronic products. EPSI assists Oregon residents and businesses in properly disposing of end-of-life E-Waste materials such as mercury-containing fluorescent lamps, computer electronics, industrial and consumer batteries as well as PCB and non-PCB lighting ballast. Prior to doing business with any downstream vendor, EPSI completes an environmental audit. EPSI also employs Christiance Vocational Program, which serves adults with developmental disabilities.

Recycler of the Year — Company or Organization

Hewlett Packard, Corvallis

Hewlett Packard (HP) of Corvallis has identified its non-hazardous waste program as a company-wide priority and has improved landfill diversion rates from 72% in 2002 to 85% in 2006. As part of HP’s Environmental Management System, HP conducts an annual waste stream analysis at each location to determine materials generated in order to evaluate the opportunities to reduce the amount of waste generated and determine the best method of distribution. HP emphasizes employee awareness and involvement.  In 2004, the company implemented a targeted communication campaign across roughly 150 US sites, encouraging employees to use reusable coffee and tea cups.

Recycler of the Year — Market or Broker

Oil Re-refining Company (ORRCO)

Founded in 1984, Oil Re-Refining Company built and now operates the only used oil re-refinery in the NW, which is one of four re-refineries in North America.  ORRCO collects used oils and spent fuels, oil spill clean up materials, petroleum contaminated soils, spent anti-freeze, and fats, oils, and greases, and brings them to one of their processing plants where they are transformed from a waste into either energy or a new, reusable product. ORRCO president, Bill Briggs, is widely recognized as the leading expert in Petroleum Recycling and for decades leaders have relied on ORRCO to serve them in the Western US and have called and visited from around the world.

Recycler of the Year — Government

The City of Portland Blueworks Program

BlueWorks is a program of the City of Portland’s Office of Sustainable Development that educates Portland businesses about recycling and waste prevention in the workplace. Program staff expect to assist approximately 700 businesses in 2007. BlueWorks, with its talented staff and effective, innovative programming, is helping to advance recycling within one of the largest sectors of waste generators.

Recycler of the Year — Education /Promotion Program of the Year

Portland Metro Master Recycler Program

The Master Recycler program offers three trainings a year with rotating locations throughout the Portland Metro region. The Program provides participants with training on waste reduction and outreach techniques.  After completion of training, each graduate commits to at least thirty hours of community education. The Portland Metro Program has inspired other across the state, and since the program’s inception, over 700 Master Recyclers have conducted over 11,000 volunteer hours of direct person-to-person outreach in the Portland Metro area.

Alice Soderwall Reuse and Waste Prevention Award

First Alternative Natural Food Co-op

First Alternative Natural Foods Co-op provides a one-stop shopping facility that always promotes the reuse, reduce, recycle concept for all income levels, with elegance, efficiency, and affordability.  First Alternative recycles and effectively markets its own waste and provides a large public recycling site that surpasses what the local recycling franchise handles. This year First Alternative began a campaign called “Local 6” (the six counties surrounding Corvallis) to increase awareness and boost purchasing of products from neighboring counties.  Local 6 seeks to reduce fuel used for long distance shipping and reduce export of local dollars to non-regional producers. 

Ray Ford “Golden Touch” Award

Driving Department of the Rebuilding Center

Every day, the 6 drivers and 10 trucks of the Driving Department reclaim the equivalent of four 20-foot long flatbed truckloads of reusable building materials that would otherwise go straight to the landfill. 100% of the “excess income” generated from selling used building materials goes directly back to local neighborhoods.  Last year the Driving Department provided donations of materials with a market value of $15,000 to more than 120 local organizations.

Special Award: Rural Recycling Initiative

Lake County Recycling Effort

Lakeview is the tallest town in the Beaver State, in the Outback of Oregon, on Goose Lake. The efforts of this group have spanned across all elements of the community and its Lake County program is continuing to expand. Volunteers from the entire community, including 4H youths, county commissioners and city council members, the Lake County Road Department and a number of other recycling volunteers, have all worked together to help facilitate Lakeview’s recycling expansion. As a result of the Lake County Recycling Effort, Lakeview now has official cardboard, newspaper and magazine recycling and is planning their 3rd annual countywide recycling event. 

Special Award: Community Partnership

The Tri-County Hazardous Waste Management Program Partners

The Tri-County Hazardous Waste Program is a collaborative effort between Sherman, Wasco, and Hood River Counties, and all their Incorporated Cities, as well as all of the franchised and permitted Waste Collection, Transfer and Disposal Companies in the area, and DEQ. The facilities and satellite events collect hazardous wastes from households and businesses, as well as pesticide wastes from farmers and ranchers.  Disposal and labor costs are covered by solid waste rates, making this one of the few programs in the nation – and the only one in Oregon – that collects hazardous waste from all generators without charging a user fee. The Tri-County Hazardous Waste Program is not only an innovative example of the collection of hazardous wastes from non-regulated generators, but it is also a positive example of cooperation and collaboration between local governments and the private sector.