CIWMB Press Room Archives

Green Businesses Save Money, Win Recognition: State honors California workplaces committed to waste reduction

SACRAMENTO--More than 250 California businesses and nonprofit organizations are being recognized for their innovative, environmentally friendly programs and policies by being named recipients of the 2009 Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP). The program, now in its 16th year, is sponsored by the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

This year’s WRAP honorees have diverted more than 2 million tons of materials annually from local landfills through aggressive resource management and recycling programs, and their voluntary waste reduction efforts have improved their balance sheets through savings of $150 million in operating costs.

“A healthy business community is indispensable to our economy, and the steps these WRAP winners have taken toward resource management, recycling, and waste reduction are impressive,” said Board Chair Margo Reid Brown. “All these businesses have managed to make their bottom line greener while helping preserve our environment.”

Approximately half of the 93 million tons of solid waste generated annually in California comes from the business sector. The WRAP awards honor California companies and nonprofits for workplace solutions to cut their waste output and reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfills.

This year, 263 businesses are being honored for their commitment to a range of environmentally preferable business practices, including:

• innovative reuse and recycling achievements;
• resource conservation;
• donating usable goods to nonprofit organizations;
• conducting employee education programs;
• buying recycled-content supplies for the workplace; and
• managing electronic waste responsibly.

Thanks to their improved materials management practices, many California businesses are enjoying substantial savings in their operating costs.

All WRAP awardees will receive a certificate of recognition from the Board, as well as the right to use the WRAP logo for promotional advertising and publicity about their accomplishments. Applicants were selected based on a set of criteria that included waste prevention, materials reuse, recycling, recycled-product purchases, and employee education.

The WRAP awards were initiated in 1993 to recognize California businesses and private, nonprofit organizations that are making outstanding efforts to reduce non-hazardous waste. Including today’s winners, the Board has now awarded WRAP awards to nearly 18,000 California businesses and nonprofits.

The winners represent 35 of California’s 58 counties, affirming a growing statewide acceptance of businesses’ commitment to “green” practices.

All winners are listed below by region. Descriptions of their successful waste reduction strategies are included online.

California’s recycling industry now accounts for more than 85,000 jobs. It generates $4 billion yearly in salaries and wages, and produces $10 billion worth of goods and services annually. Recycling has become a viable, mainstream industry that is equivalent to the size of the motion picture industry in California.

WRAP Award Winners

Multiple Statewide | Northern California | Bay Area | Central California | Southern California

Multiple Statewide Site Winners

Northern California

Bay Area

Central California

Southern California

The California Integrated Waste Management Board is the state's leading authority on recycling and waste reduction. It promotes reducing waste whenever possible, managing all materials to their highest and best use, and protecting public health and safety and the environment.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board is one of six boards, departments, and offices within the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA).

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Zero Waste California
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