StopWaste.Org Announces Business Efficiency Award Winners

(Oakland, CA) At a recognition event on November 4, public agency StopWaste.Org honored 12 Alameda County companies and organizations with the 2010 Business Efficiency Awards. The awards are presented annually for outstanding achievements in waste reduction, enhanced operational efficiency, and environmental performance.

The winners are: Peerless Coffee & Tea Company (Oakland), A. G. Ferrari Foods (San Leandro), Coca Cola Bottling Company of California (San Leandro), TMG Partners for the Emeryville Public Market (Emeryville), Novartis (Emeryville), University of California Office of the President (Oakland), Washington Hospital Healthcare System (Fremont), and Wente Family Estates (Livermore). Honorable Mentions were given to: Berkeley Repertory Theater (Berkeley), The Clorox Company (Oakland Office), Dobake Bakeries, Inc. (Oakland), and Telecare Villa Fairmont Mental Health Rehabilitation Center (San Leandro).

Speaking to an audience of over 200 business leaders, elected officials and members of the media, StopWaste.Org Executive Director Gary Wolff praised the leadership demonstrated by the awardees. "The companies and organizations we are honoring today have studied their production system and internal processes, often including their supply chains, to reduce or eliminate waste," Wolff said. "Their success demonstrates that resource efficiency is not just good for the environment, but can be a very powerful business strategy."

The 2010 award winners represent a wide range of industries and vary in size from 45 to 1,800 employees. All have dramatically cut waste-some, like the Coca Cola Bottling Company, by over 95%. Recycling, composting and waste prevention measures have often lowered operational costs significantly. Specialty foods retailer A.G. Ferrari, for instance, has slashed their garbage bill by 77%. Peerless Coffee & Tea Company is saving over $112,500 annually. Novartis has reduced disposal related expenses by $144,000 annually.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

About the StopWaste Business Partnership and the Business Efficiency Awards
The StopWaste Business Partnership, a program of public agency StopWaste.Org, offers free consulting services, grant funding and educational resources to Alameda County companies and institutions, to help reduce waste, conserve energy and natural resources, and cut costs.

The Business Efficiency Awards honor medium and large Alameda County organizations who are actively working with the StopWaste Business Partnership and whose leadership and continuous efforts to improve environmental performance and business efficiency have achieved outstanding results. This year's recognition event, co-sponsored by Wells Fargo, celebrates the awards for the 11th consecutive year. The awards are highly regarded throughout the region and sought after for their prestige within the green business community.

About the 2010 Award Winners and their Achievements
To arrange for interviews with the awardees, please contact Janet Smartt at (510) 891-6539.

Peerless Coffee & Tea Company (Oakland)
Leadership and Achievement in Sustainability Award

Achievements:

• Recycling or preventing 86% of all waste (cardboard, burlap, coffee chaff, wood and more)
• Saving over $112,500 annually
• Retrofitted packaging machine reduces Mylar waste by 95%
• Preventing cardboard waste with reusable totes on pilot delivery truck route
• For details see 3 min video at www.StopWaste.Org/PeerlessVideo

A.G. Ferrari, Italian Specialty Food Manufacturing & Retail (San Leandro)

Achievements:

• Composting 200 tons of waste per year
• Reducing cardboard use (and waste) with reusables totes
• Replaced plastic foam with environmentally preferable packaging
• Slashed garbage costs by 77%

Coca Cola Bottling Company of California (San Leandro)

Achievements:

• Recycling and composting over 95% of all waste (cardboard, stretch wrap, plastics, nylon strapping, paper, glass, aluminum cans, wood, rubber, among other materials)
• Preventing waste with reusable pallets and totes
• Saving water with waterless urinals, sensors on faucets & toilets, hand dryers

TMG Partners for the Emeryville Public Market, Multi-Tenant Office & Retail (Emeryville)

Achievements:

• Collecting food scraps and recyclables from food court customers
• Innovative collection program with Emeryville High School students and recycling vendors
• Doubled previous levels of composting to 170 tons per year
• Expanding use of compostable food service ware

Novartis, Vaccines & Diagnostics and Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research (Emeryville)

Achievements:

• Recycling over 62% of all waste (paper, cardboard, beverage containers, plastics, wood)
• Saving over $144,000 annually
• Collecting compostables from on-site café, break rooms, and bins throughout facility
• Rewarding employees for using reusable food service ware and mugs

University of California Office of the President (Oakland)

Achievements:

• Recycling over 50% of all waste (paper, cardboard, plastics, toner cartridges, e-waste and more)
• Collecting food scraps and compostable paper
• Helped the UC System adopt a Sustainable Practices Policy, incl. a zero waste goal by 2020

Washington Hospital Healthcare System (Fremont)

Achievements:

• Hospital-wide recycling and compostables collection program
• Reducing paper waste with online reports, training materials and e-newsletters
• Preventing waste with reusable produce totes & reusable sharps containers
• Educating employees through sustainability education fairs

Wente Family Estates (Livermore)

Achievements:

• Recycling cardboard, paper, bottles, cans, plastic, shrink wrap, and restaurant waste oils
• Composting kitchen food scraps and 9,000 tons of grape waste annually
• Chipping wood waste for use as on-site ground cover

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Berkeley Repertory Theater (Berkeley)
The Clorox Company (Oakland Office)
Dobake Bakeries, Inc. (Oakland)
Telecare Villa Fairmont Mental Health Rehabilitation Center (San Leandro)

2010 StopWaste Partnership Business Efficiency Award Winners

Leadership and Achievement in Sustainability Award

Peerless Coffee & Tea Company
This 3rd generation family business employs 85 people at their coffee roasting and packaging plant in Oakland. A client with the StopWaste Business Partnership since 2000, Peerless Coffee Company has reduced its waste stream by over 86% to date. Peerless recycles bottles and cans, paper, burlap, cardboard and wood; and composts their coffee waste, saving over $10,000 per year in avoided disposal costs. The company realizes even larger savings-over $100,000 annually-from the prevention of expensive Mylar packaging waste, thanks to the purchase of computerized packaging machines. Most recently Peerless outfitted one of their route delivery trucks with reusable totes instead of disposable cardboard cartons. They expect to save between $10,000 and $15,000 annually on cardboard costs alone. For more details watch the 3 minute video.

Business Efficiency Award Winners

A.G. Ferrari
This manufacturer and retailer of Italian specialty foods employs a staff of 50 at their San Leandro headquarters and has 13 retail stores throughout the Bay Area. A.G. Ferrari has dramatically reduced waste, slashing garbage costs by 77% as a result. The San Leandro facility currently composts 200 tons of food scraps and food-soiled paper packaging per year. A.G. Ferrari prevents cardboard waste, as they are switching from cardboard boxes to reusables totes for all Bay Area retail deliveries. Mail ordered products are protected with sustainably forested paper packaging or recycled content air pillows instead of plastic foam. In addition, A.G. Ferrari is consolidating truck routes to reduce fuel and emissions.

Coca Cola Bottling Company of California, San Leandro Bottling Plant
The Coca Cola Bottling Plant is located in San Leandro and has 500 employees. Sustainability efforts at the plant are led by the San Leandro Coca-Cola T100 Team. Over 95% of all waste generated at the plants is recycled or composted, including cardboard, stretch wrap, plastics, nylon strapping, paper, glass, aluminum cans, wood, rubber and other materials. To prevent waste before it happens, the Coca Cola Bottling Plant uses reusable pallets, totes and flavoring containers instead of disposables. In addition, the facility saves energy and water, for example in the restrooms, where they installed waterless urinals, sensors on faucets and toilets, and hand dryers instead of paper towels.

Emeryville Public Market, by TMG Partners
Owned and managed by TMG Partners, the Emeryville Public Market is a multi-tenant office and retail facility with a popular food court. They have 45 employees. The Emeryville Public Market collects compostable materials from food preparation as well as food scraps and recyclables generated by food court customers. Working with Emeryville High School students and recycling vendors, the Public Market has designed an innovative program to capture these materials. In addition, they are expanding the use of compostable food service ware. As a result of all these efforts, the facility has doubled previous levels of composting to 170 tons per year.

Novartis
Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, including the Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research, is located in Emeryville and has 850 employees. With a goal to keep 75% of waste generated out of the landfill, the facility recycles paper, cardboard, beverage containers, plastics and wood. They also collect food scraps, compostable plates and utensils, and paper for composting from the on-site café, break rooms and bins around the campus. As a result, Novartis has reached a 62% diversion rate and is saving over $144,000 a year. In addition, the company has replaced paper towel dispenser, saving over $20,000 per year in paper expenses. To further prevent waste, Novartis is evaluating incentives for Associates to use reusable food trays and bring their own cups. 

University of California Office of the President
The University of California Office of the President is the headquarters office for the University of California system. The Oakland facility employs a staff of 900. Aiming for zero waste by 2020, the organization's staff has been working continuously to expand their waste reduction and environmental initiatives. They are currently diverting over 50% of all waste from the landfill, by recycling beverage containers, paper, cardboard, plastics, toner cartridges and e-waste, in addition to collecting food scraps and compostable paper for composting from kitchenettes and conference rooms. The Office of the President was also instrumental in helping the U.C. system adopt a policy on sustainable practices. Leading by example, the Oakland facility achieved LEED green building certification.

Washington Hospital Healthcare System
Washington Hospital Healthcare System is based in Fremont and has 1,900 employees. The hospital has implemented a facility-wide recycling and compostables collection program. To prevent waste, they have replaced plastic foam food service ware and other disposable products in their cafeteria with recyclable and compostable ware. Working with their suppliers, Washington Hospital has switched from cardboard boxes to reusable totes for produce deliveries to the cafeteria, reducing cardboard waste. Used syringes and other sharps are collected in reusable containers. Reports, newsletters and other documents are distributed electronically as much as possible. Sustainability education fairs keep employees motivated and engaged.

Wente Family Estates
Located in Livermore, Wente Family Estates is the country's oldest, continuously operated family-owned winery. They have 500 employees. Wente recycles cardboard, paper, bottles and cans, plastic, shrinkwrap and chipped wine bottles. Their on-site composting operation turns compostable materials into soil amendment, including food scraps from the kitchen and over 9,000 tons of grape waste generated each year. Wood waste is chipped for use as ground cover, and waste oil from the restaurant is collected for biofuels production. In addition, Wente uses wastewater from their production to irrigate and control dust. Wente holds a Green Business certification and has achieved a Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing designation.

2010 Honorable Mention

Berkeley Repertory Theater
With a staff of 80, the Berkeley Repertory Theater welcomes an annual audience of 180,000. The theater recycles beverage containers, metal, wood, paper and cardboard. They are also collecting food scraps and other compostables from the public areas and back stage. To date, the Berkeley Repertory Theater has reached a waste diversion rate of 50%.

The Clorox Company
The Clorox Company Oakland General Office has 1,500 employees and contractors. As part of the Clorox Company's eco goals and initiatives, the Oakland Office has installed desk-side recycling bins in all offices and collects food scraps from the company kitchenettes. Expanding their greening efforts, The Clorox Company Oakland General Office is currently rolling out recycling and compostables collection with the largest tenant in their building.

Dobake Bakeries, Inc.
Dobake Bakeries delivers sweet baked goods to over 500 locations throughout the Bay Area. Based in Oakland, Dobake employs a staff of 185. The company collects recyclables in their offices and manufacturing areas, as well as recycling plastic film, mixed plastics and cardboard. In addition, they are reusing cardboard boxes and wood pallets, saving Dobake $3,900 each month.

Telecare Villa Fairmont Mental Health Rehabilitation Center
Located in San Leandro, this residential mental health facility treats adults with serious and persistent mental illness. They have a staff of 150. The Center collects bottles and cans, paper, cardboard, and personal care product containers throughout the facility. To prevent waste, printers are set to print double-sided by default. Villa Fairmount created a recycling position for their vocational training and rehabilitation program, offering clients the opportunity to learn how to manage a recycling program and learn vital skills as part of a green team.