At a special event on May 9, StopWaste recognized the recipients of the 2013 StopWaste Business Efficiency Awards, given for outstanding achievements in waste reduction. The winners—twelve companies from around Alameda County—represent a wide range of industries and were selected for their proactive and innovative waste reduction efforts, waste prevention, recycling and composting, and the promotion of recycled content products.
Speaking to an audience of close to 150 business leaders, elected officials, and guests, StopWaste executive director Gary Wolff praised the award winners for their achievements in waste reduction leadership.
“The twelve companies we celebrate today show others the way, modeling how to improve the bottom line by reducing waste. They win, and so does our local economy,” Wolff says. “As these awardees demonstrate, there are opportunities for increased business efficiency in all industry sectors and in all areas, from manufacturing to product sales to handling discards.”
Representing the manufacturing sector, Tesla Motors Inc. was awarded for replacing disposable packaging materials used to ship windshields with reusable racks at their Fremont facility, eliminating hundreds of tons of windshield packaging waste. Tesla is working to expand the practice to other parts of their operations. During their award acceptance speech, the company’s representatives emphasized the cost savings opportunities associated with waste reduction practices, pointing out that of the total cost for manufacturing a car, over $600 are related to handling and disposal of packaging. These avoidable costs amount to more than $240,000 per week at current production levels.
Among the businesses recognized for excellence in capturing recyclable and compostable materials was McDonald’s – Pacific Sierra Region. As part of a regional initiative, 24 McDonald’s restaurants in Alameda County set up effective collection systems for recyclable and compostable discards. Nine of those restaurants, located in Alameda, Oakland, Hayward, Dublin, and Livermore, do so both in kitchens and customer areas.
The twelve award categories and winners are:
Waste Reduction Excellence in Commercial Property Management:
Balentine Plaza Shopping Center (Newark)
Waste Reduction Excellence in Landscape Construction & Maintenance:
Cagwin & Dorward (Union City office)
Leadership and Achievement in Sustainability:
CBRE Inc. (various Alameda County cities)
Waste Reduction Excellence in Product Distribution:
FreshPoint San Francisco (Union City)
Waste Reduction Excellence in Fast Food Restaurant Recycling and Composting
McDonald’s – Pacific Sierra Region (multiple locations in Alameda County)
Waste Reduction Excellence by a Hardware Store:
Pete’s ACE Hardware (Castro Valley)
Waste Reduction Excellence in Manufacturing:
Tesla Motors Inc. (Fremont plant)
Waste Reduction Excellence in Multi-Family Property Management:
The John Stewart Company (multiple properties in Alameda County)
Waste Reduction Excellence by a Building Materials Supplier:
Truitt & White (Berkeley)
Waste Reduction Excellence in Institutional Food Service:
UC Berkeley, Cal Dining (Berkeley)
Waste Reduction Excellence in Office Operations:
VF Outdoor Inc. (Alameda)
Waste Reduction Excellence in Landscape and Garden Retail:
Western Garden Nursery (Pleasanton)
