The Business Recycler of the Year is:
Cormetech Environmental Technologies
Cost savings for the company in 2009 was over $200,000
Mixing contributed around 1/3of the controlled was in the plant and now generates zero. Everything is put back in the process unless it gets contaminated.
All damaged product is collected and sent out to be ground and added back into the process during mixing.
Damaged drying lids are reinforced and repaired so they can be put back in the system. These were through out and replaced. Lids that can’t be repaired are stripped and all parts are recycled.
All raw materials captured by dust collectors are weighted and put back in the process.
All material used for sample and quality testing is worked back into the process
Over 9 tons of controlled waste was reduced y adapting our process to run with out a set up product.
We are still trying to work with UT and other companies to find and end user for the Ammonium Bisulfate. If we can find a user for this we will reduce our controlled waste by 50% again in 2010.
The Government Recycler of the Year is: Haywood County
Haywood County’s public recycling program is extensive and available to all 19,000 plus residents. They collect metals, paper, glass, batteries, plastics textiles, pallets, tires and auto fluids at their recycling center in Brownsville.
Haywood County offers a $3.00 rebate to rural residents on their monthly solid waste fee of $15.00 if they recycle at least twice a month. Haywood County is the only county in TN that offers such a program. They work hand-in-hand with the school system by providing six-yard cardboard containers to collect cardboard, white paper, and plastic drink bottles. Approx. 30 to 40 percent of the students participate in the recycling program on a regular basis.
Haywood County distributes blue recycling bags to households that recycle. The blue bags help residents collect co-mingled recyclables. Haywood Co. was awarded 350 26-gal. recycling bins from NRC that helped the residents manage the loose bags.
The Haywood Co. recycling program is fully funded - being subsidized by solid waste fees from rural residents and tipping fees from the local landfill. This innovative, comprehensive waste prevention and recycling program can be duplicated by other counties due to its low cost and ease of operation.
The Non-Profit Recycler of the Year is:
Michael Dunn Center Nomination
Operates out of Kingston, TN
Specializes in providing employment opportunities to individuals living with disabilities and challenges.
In business for 30 years, began providing litter control services in 1998, their recycling services in 2000, and began a document destruction service in 2005.
They currently manage their own recycling center in Kingston where they bale OCC and shredded office paper from their two mobile document destruction trucks and shredded material from their recycling center. In addition, mixed paper, plastics and various metals are collected for recycling at that location.
Partnerships include: Oak Ridge Associated Universities, BWXT Y-12 and Department of Energy. Over 400 tons of paper and cardboard have been picked up from ORAU since April, 1998. The work for BWXT Y-12 has included recycling more than 15,000 outdated books, removing carbon paper from forms, making that paper acceptable for recycling and removing labels and identifying information from anti-contamination clothing and equipment. Since 1997, they have provided staffing for the Roane County Recycling Center to support the county’s recycling efforts and training for their clients.
Recently, the Michael Dunn Center has begun the state’s only rural curbside recycling program to 132 residential and 15 commercial customers.
The Individual Recycler of the Year is:
Karen Emerson-McPeak
Over the last 5 years, Karen Emerson has devoted over 1500 hours of service including helping with Shred Days, Hazardous Waste Collections Days, clean-up events, educational opportunities and much more.
In 2008, she was the volunteer coordinator for the Environmental Leader Class. She spent many hours devoted to that one project that has educated many of our future leaders and volunteers for KWB. The class purpose was to educate more Williamson countians on what they could do to keep our county beautiful, learn more about recycling and reusing.
She also did a presentation during the 6 week event on Living and Shopping Green that changed the way the class members looked at their future purchases and how they used items.
In 2009 she again spearheading the Environmental Leader class.
She also helped organize the first KWB volunteer appreciation event which had over 75 core volunteers receiving awards for their contributions. The event was a waste-free event that included a meal with only ½ bag of garbage left to trash. Everything else for the event from the plates to the napkins was reusable items.
Karen spearheaded the Living Green Expo. She spent hours upon hours researching green business to invite to Keep Williamson Beautiful’s first Living Green Expo of Williamson County and promoting this event. Without her volunteer help the Environmental Class and Living Green Expo would not be a reality goal! You can depend on Karen; she’s with you from the start to the finish, helping in so many ways.
She also speaks to groups as requested. Recently she was at the Franklin Lions Club and she has spoken to several churches and other civic groups in the past year. And if you know Karen; she utilizes every opportunity to promote living green and lives by the Keep Williamson Beautiful mission. She recycles, reuses, refurbishes, compost and gardens. She truly sets an example for all to follow.
The School (K-12) Recycler of the Year is:
Centennial High School
Earth Day car pool to school -- Centennial has over 500 parking spaces for student and staff cars. Students organize, publicize, and collect incentive freebies from local businesses to reward participants who carpool on Earth Day. This event has been on-going the past 4 years.
Beautification projects on campus -- when the school opened in 1996, there was no landscaping, and serious erosion was occurring off all the hills and into the streets. The Ecology and Environmental Science classes used money from recyclables to buy plants and trees for garden beds, containers, and erosion control. Now students continue to weed and mulch -- it is a lot to keep up with!
Mentoring and outreach - as part of the criteria for the TP3 Green Schools Program, students have involved all 2nd grade classes at Liberty Elementary in activities about energy, water, air, land, and hazardous materials. One day each week for 5 weeks.
Litter pickups -- Several roads around the school and the campus are kept clean by Ecology and Service Learning students during the school year.
Solar panel project -- Ecology students did all the electrical work to hook up solar photovoltaic panels for a light and fan in their greenhouse.
Ecology teachers have worked with the TEEN program to receive teaching materials on energy and assistance on the solar panel project.
Awards Category and Criteria Table
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Award Category
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Judging Criteria
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Government Recycler of the Year Award
Presented to a local, regional or state governmental agency, which has instituted comprehensive waste prevention and recycling programs.
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- Involves an extensive or unique population base in the program.
- Achieves significant waste stream diversion and/or diversion of newly marketable materials.
- Describes practical and successful program methodologies for collection.
- Demonstrates ability of program to be modeled in other communities.
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Non-Profit Recycler of the Year Award
Presented to a nonprofit organization; such as an environmental group, university, church, or hospital, that has had significant impact in its community through leadership and program development.
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- Impacts waste diversion in the community.
- Describes marketing success or recyclables, material diversion, or other unique program attributes to capture recyclable materials.
- Shows educational success of a program.
- Demonstrates ability of program to be modeled in other communities.
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Business Recycler of the Year Award
Presented to a business that practices outstanding leadership in waste prevention and recycling in their region or field.
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- Describes comprehensiveness of recycling and waste prevention.
- Shows volume of material recycled and types of recyclable waste streams captured.
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School (K-12) Recycler of the Year Award
Presented to a school that has established a comprehensive system of waste prevention, recycling, and other environmental programs.
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- Describes practical and successful program methodology
- Demonstrates ability of programs to be modeled by other schools.
- Shows educational components of the program and the success derived from educational efforts.
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Individual Recycler of the Year Award
Presented to an individual that practices outstanding leadership in waste prevention and recycling in their region or field.
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- Demonstrates success of waste prevention/recycling efforts, in terms of numbers of people affected, tonnage diverted, new programs initiated and other measures.
- Illustrates positive impact individually has had on his/her community, institution or field.
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File No: 276
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