Pollution prevention a sound business investment for award-winning companies

Local companies that met or exceeded wastewater discharge permit requirements in 2008 have received environmental awards from the county’s Industrial Waste Program.
 
Protective Coatings Inc. in Kent took top honors, earning the prestigious EnvirOvation Award for its outstanding efforts in pollution prevention, waste reduction, and water use reduction. The full-service finishing shop has provided decorative and protective finishes for aerospace, automotive, electronics, computer, medical, and recreational industries since 1976.

“I’m pleased to congratulate Protective Coatings Inc. for their environmental accomplishments in 2008,” said Wastewater Treatment Division Director Christie True. “Their business practices are helping to improve water quality in King County, as well as the quality of the biosolids we recycle for agricultural and forestry uses.”

The EnvirOvation Award is presented to companies that voluntarily implement innovative pollution prevention and water conservation strategies, reduce waste, make significant upgrades to pretreatment methods or equipment, or demonstrate leadership in helping other companies develop better environmental practices.
 
“Protective Coatings Inc. is a stakeholder in this community, and our management and employees value the quality of life we enjoy living in this region,” said environmental manager Pete Schmaltz. “A strong team effort and a commitment to environmental stewardship by company owners Scott Rowe and Don DeVaney helped make this all possible."

“The measures we implemented to earn the EnvirOvation Award just make good business sense,” said Schmaltz.
 
Five companies also earned Commitment-to-Compliance Awards for protecting public health and the environment by meeting discharge permit standards every month for five consecutive years with no violations of any kind.

Commitment-to-Compliance Award winners for 2008 are Amgen Corporation of Bothell; Interstate Brands Corp – Hostess of Seattle, Kenworth Truck Co of Renton; Pioneer Industries of Seattle; and Quality Finishing of Kirkland.

The county's Industrial Waste Program also presented a Gold Award to 57 companies for discharging wastewater every month in 2008 with no violations. And 19 companies earned a Silver Award for having no discharge monitoring violations in 2008.

King County's industrial waste regulations protect public health and the environment by preventing businesses from discharging substances that can degrade wastewater treatment, harm workers, damage facilities or reduce surface-water quality.

Since 1969, the Industrial Waste Program has required many industries to pretreat wastewater before discharging it into the sewer. The program does more than enforce regulations, however. It also helps businesses meet regulations by educating them about pollution prevention, waste reduction and water conservation.

For more information about the program, visit the Web site at http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wastewater/IndustrialWaste/About/Awards_program.aspx

Note to editors and reporters: All award winners are listed as follows:

EnvirOvation Award
Protective Coatings, Inc.

Commitment-to-Compliance Awards
Amgen Corp. - Bothell
Interstate Brands Corp. - Hostess
Kenworth Truck Co.
Pioneer Industries
Quality Finishing Inc.

Gold Award
Acu-Line Corp.
Aero Controls Inc. - 20th Street NW
Aerojet-General Corp.
Alaskan Copper Works - 6th Avenue
Amgen Corp. - Bothell
Avtech Corp.
B.S.B. Diversified Company Inc.
Baker Commodities Inc.
Bayer HealthCare - Bothell
Bayer HealthCare - Seattle
Black Oxide LLC
Boeing Co. - Plant 2 Facility
Boeing Commercial Airplane - North Field
Boeing Commercial Airplane – Renton
Boeing Electronics Center
BP/Arco Petroleum Products Co.
Burlington Environmental LLC
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway - Interbay Facility
Carnitech US Inc.
Circuit Services WorldWide
Container Properties LLC
Crane-Eldec Corp. - Martha Lake Facility
Electrofinishing Inc.
Emerald Services Inc.
Express Finishing
Foss Maritime Co.
GKN Aerospace Chem-tronics Inc.
Glacier Northwest Inc. - Kenmore
GM Nameplate Inc.
Green Garden Food Products Inc.
Hexcel Corp.
Honeywell International Inc.
Industrial Container Services
International Paper Co.
Interstate Brands Corp. - Hostess
Kenworth Truck Co.
King County Solid Waste Division- Cedar Hills Landfill
Magnetic and Penetrant Services Co.
Martin Selig Real Estate - 333 Elliott Ave. W. Project
Mastercraft Metal Finishing Inc.
Metro Transit South Base
Mikron Industries
Pioneer Industries
Precor Inc. - Plant 2
Protective Coatings Inc.
Quality Finishing Inc.
Romac Inc.
Seattle Solid Waste - Kent Highlands Landfill
Shasta Beverages
Skills Inc. - Ballard Facility
Smith Fabrication Inc.
TOC Holdings Co.
Tri-Way Industries
Universal Manufacturing
Universal Sheet Metal Inc.
Viox Corp.
Washington Technology Center

Silver Award
Amgen Corp. - Seattle
Bayer HealthCare - Lynnwood
Carl Zapffe Inc.
Cedar Grove Composting Inc.
Darigold Inc. - Rainier Plant
Davis Wire Corp.
Exotic Metals Forming Co.
Island Spring Inc.
King County Wastewater Treatment Division - Point Wells Portal
National Industrial Concepts
Pacific Iron and Metal
Pacific Propeller International LLC
Pepsi-Cola Co.
Port of Seattle, Sea-Tac International Airport, IWS
Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products - Bakery Chef
Redhook Brewing Co.
Rexam Beverage Can Co.
Skills Inc. - Auburn Facility
Todd Pacific Shipyards Corp.

People enjoy clean water and a healthy environment because of King County's wastewater treatment program. The county's Wastewater Treatment Division protects public health and water quality by serving 17 cities, 17 local sewer districts and more than 1.4 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Formerly called Metro, the regional clean-water agency now operated by King County has been preventing water pollution for more than 40 years.

Note to editors and reporters: Visit the WTD Newsroom, a portal to information for the news media about the Wastewater Treatment Division, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks: http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Newsroom.aspx

Related information

Industrial Waste Program

Rewards and Recognition

Wastewater Treatment Division