Winners of Commercial Recycling Awards Announced 

The City of Greensboro Environmental Services Department held its second annual Commercial Recycling Awards program this week to present plaques to top commercial recyclers. Mayor Carolyn S. Allen, City Manager Ed Kitchen and Environmental Services Director Elizabeth Treadway presented the awards to the 10 winners.

The top award, for Distinguished Recycler 1999, went to Guilford Mills for its comprehensive waste reduction and recycling efforts. Guilford Mills, a member of the "Recycle Greensboro" program since 1994, has taken its environmental ethic a few steps beyond simply recycling – for them, it goes without saying that they will recycle their soda bottles, their aluminum cans, their office paper and cardboard. Jimmy Summers, the company’s corporate environmental manager, said the company’s corporate policy is to recycle not only those materials, but everything they can, where feasible.

Recycling everything they can has meant finding markets for things like pallets (which are either reused or ground up into mulch or other products), plastic film, heat transfer print paper and waste yarn, which are all handled through waste processing companies, and material scraps, yarn tubes and paper tubes, which are returned to the suppliers.

To reinforce its environmental commitment, Guilford Mills became part of the American Textile Manufacturers Institute’s 3-E program – Encouraging Environmental Excellence. As part of that program, the company is required to report their environmental efforts. Summers says, "We are committed to continuous improvement through that program."

The award for Outstanding Large Business Recycler was presented to Novartis for its comprehensive recycling and waste reduction program. Not only does Novartis recycle the materials accepted in the "Recycle Greensboro" program, but it also encourages waste reduction throughout its operation. Near the copiers and the reams of recycled paper are signs that read, "Duplex when possible." In the cafeteria are notices reminding people to reduce the amount of waste they create by taking only what they need. Each Friday, the cafeteria provides food to Greensboro Urban Ministries. And in a hallway near the cafeteria is a small table full of unclaimed coffee mugs, free to anyone who needs one – an encouragement to avoid disposable cups and reduce waste.

In addition, the employees save Styrofoam packing peanuts and reuse them when possible. And the landscapers at Novartis compost and grasscycle.

The Outstanding Medium Business Recycler was presented to Sherwin Williams for recycling efforts taking place at its Howard Street manufacturing location. Sherwin Williams retail stores in Greensboro also participate in the "Recycle Greensboro" program, but the Howard Street plant has shown a dedication to the program that has been unmatched. After joining the "Recycle Greensboro" program in 1997, company officials immediately equipped each office with blue recycling cans to make the program convenient and easy for the employees.

To help educate the employees, company officials posted recycling information throughout the plant and called the Solid Waste Management Division whenever they had a question.

A custom-framing shop, The Artery, received the award for Outstanding Small Business Recycler. After joining the program last year, the Artery converted its garbage dumpster to a recycling dumpster and then added two 90-gallon garbage cans for their remaining waste. Framing shops typically produce a large amount of cardboard and mat board, both of which can be recycled through the "Recycle Greensboro" program. Since starting their recycling efforts, the company has saved nearly $1,000 a year in waste disposal costs.

Other awards included:

• Outstanding Multi-Family Community Recycler, presented to Stone Ridge, a Greensboro Housing Authority community
• Outstanding School Recycler, presented to Jesse Wharton Elementary School
• The Extra Mile Award, presented to White Rabbit Books for its recycling and reuse of Styrofoam packing peanuts, and
• Initiative Awards, presented to Carolina American Tours, Piedmont Land Conservancy and the Greensboro Jewish Federation, each of whom has taken extra initiative to ensure successful recycling programs in their organizations.

In presenting her remarks, Mayor Allen commended each of the recycling winners, noting that they were vital to the success of Greensboro's recycling program.