King County Solid Waste Division wins 3 Excellence Awards

2005 Archived News

The King County Solid Waste Division was honored last week by the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) with three 2005 Excellence Awards.

The King County Solid Waste Division received awards in three separate categories -- a Gold for Landfill Gas Control, a Bronze award for Landfill Management, and a Bronze for Special Waste Management.

"We are truly honored to be recognized by the nation's leading solid waste professional organization for our programs,” said Theresa Jennings, Director of the King County Solid Waste Division. "These awards highlight the dedication of our staff to protecting our natural environment".

SWANA's Excellence in Solid Waste Management Program was created to encourage innovation and acknowledge outstanding programs and facilities that are committed to the "environmentally and economically sound management of solid waste." This year's winners were recognized at a luncheon at WASTECON 2005 on Thursday, September 29, in Austin, Texas.

King County's Landfill Gas Control system won the top award in the nation for the gas collection system at the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill. A landfill, always settling due to waste decomposition, drags wells, valves and pipes along with it. The innovative gas collection system at Cedar Hills is designed to move with the waste as it settles.

The Bronze award for Excellence in Landfill Management was awarded to King County for the Solid Waste Division's focus on preventive maintenance of equipment, facilities, roads and environmental control systems at the state-of-the-art Cedar Hills Regional Landfill. This focus saves the ratepayers money and prevents unplanned releases to the environment,

King County Solid Waste also received the Bronze for Special Waste Management for a month-long pilot project that tested the feasibility of collecting TVs for recycling in a retail store setting. A partnership with Good Guys, an electronics retailer with 4 stores in Western Washington, showed that an in-store take-back program was both feasible and popular – they recycled almost 100 tons of television.

For more information about these awards, please visit: http://www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/about/achievements.asp.

The Solid Waste Association of North America is the leading professional association in the solid waste field. The association serves more than 7,200 members throughout North America, and thousands more with conferences, certifications, publications, and technical training courses.