E-news for the workplace
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The Business Bulletin is produced by the Washington County Department of Health & Human Services, Solid Waste &  

Recycling Program.

 

For more information, go to www.WashingtonCountyRecycles.com, call 503-846-3605 or visit the office at 155 N First Ave, Ste 160, 

Hillsboro, 97124.

The value of recycling 

A recent study by non-profit organization Keep America Beautiful (KAB) noted that approximately two-thirds of respondents felt, "Recycling is a very/extremely important issue, citing its potential positive impact on the economy, public health, the environment, and waste reduction, among other benefits."

Recycling is good for the economy
Recycling in the United States drives much of our nation's domestic and global manufacturing. According to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc., the nation's recycling industry is responsible for 471,587 direct and indirect domestic jobs, generating more than $105 billion annually in economic activity. In Oregon, the local recycling industry is responsible for over 7,000 jobs and $1.55 billion in economic impact.

Recycling is good for business
A 2014 Nielsen Global Survey of 30,000 consumers in 60 countries revealed that 55 percent of consumers are willing to pay more for products and services provided by companies that are committed to positive social and environmental impact. Read more.
Upcoming conferences
Twelfth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability
January 21-23
Portland
Agent of Change Training Informational Meeting
February 1st
Portland

ResourceFull Use Workshop
May 2016
Email for more information

Association of Oregon Recyclers 
June 8-10
Portland
DoubleTree Hotel

Environmental Education Association of Oregon
September 28-30
Sisters
Suttle Lake Camp
The cost of commuting

How much do you spend each day, round-trip? Click on the graph to find out.

 

The Westside Transportation Alliance provides member businesses support for helping their employees get to work without driving alone. For more information, click here

 

Free assistance for multifamily communities
The Solid Waste & Recycling Program provides assistance and resources, at no charge, to multifamily communities located in Washington County, with the exception of the city limits of Beaverton. To request assistance, email or
call 503-846-3605.
 
This publication is produced in cooperation with the cities of Banks, Cornelius, Durham, Forest Grove, Hillsboro, King City, North Plains, Sherwood, Tigard and Tualatin.
Welcome to the team
The Washington County Solid Waste
& Recycling Program would like to welcome its newest program educator to the department's workplace assistance program -- Sanne Stienstra.
 
Sanne works with food-generating businesses throughout the county,
with the goal of helping them establish programs for composting and food donation. Before joining the county's workplace assistance program, Sanne conducted education and outreach for the Eat Smart, Waste Less Challenge.

Sanne recently earned a Master's degree in public administration from the University of Washington in Seattle, where she held a one-year fellowship with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Region 10 office working on food waste prevention and other materials management projects.

Welcome aboard, Sanne.
An introduction to Adelante Mujeres
by Paul Lask
On the first night of Adelante Mujeres' 10-week business formalization class, instructor Javier Urenda explains the philosophy of a triple-bottom-line approach to business. Urenda has been starting his course this way for three years now. How this business model plays out in the Latino communities of Washington County was recently explained to me in a conversation with Urenda at his BESThq office, a shared workspace behind Beaverton City Hall.
 
According to Urenda, many of those taking the Adelante courses, part of what is called the Empresas program, are new to the triple-bottom-line concept of balancing profit with environmental and social issues in the business world. Read more.   
Durables over disposables
On a recent Thursday morning, nearly 75 community members  gathered inside the Pearson Community Room above Symposium Coffee for a Tigard Area Chamber of Commerce meeting. The group looked like most other area chambers, with one important difference: Coffee was served using durable, reusable coffee mugs, instead of in disposable paper coffee cups. Why is this important? On average, more than 400 million cups of coffee are consumed each day in the U.S. That's over 146 billion cups consumed annually! That's a lot of coffee. What's worse is that 56 billion single-use coffee cups are landfilled annually nationwide. That's a lot of avoidable waste. Read more.
Washington County wins award
Every day, Washington County divisions and department programs provide services to over 500,000 constituents across more than 700 square miles of territory. The County recognizes the role and responsibility of public agencies in creating a healthy and productive organization by protecting, using and conserving natural and financial resources effectively and efficiently. The County was recently awarded the  Green Business Award for establishing programs that ensure the sustainable use of 
public resources. 

The County's sustainability efforts are guided by long-term planning at the agency level. Programs and efforts are implemented by County departments and staff who are dedicated to advancing sustainability in day-to-day operations. Read more.
Improve recycling at work
Over 450 local businesses benefited from FREE tools, on-site assistance and training provided by the Washington County Solid Waste & Recycling Program last year.


"Working with Washington County has allowed us to cut our garbage bill by two-thirds."

-- Rick Brunecz, Nortek Air Solutions

Request technical assistance for your business.

Contact the Washington County Solid Waste & Recycling Program by email, call 503-846-3605 or go to www.WashingtonCountyRecycles.com.

Drop-off recycling centers 

Take electronics, rigid plastics and other items not collected in residential or commercial recycling programs, to a drop-off recycling center for little or no charge. Visit the recycling center's website for more information about what is accepted. 

 

Far West Recycling - Beaverton

10750 SW Denney Rd

Beaverton 97008

503-643-9944

www.FarWestRecycling.com 

 

Far West Recycling - Hillsboro

6440 SE Alexander St

Hillsboro 97123

www.FarWestRecycling.com 

 

Pride Disposal Company, Recycling Depot

13910 SW Tualatin-Sherwood Rd

Sherwood 97140

503-625-6177

www.PrideDisposal.com 

 

Recycling alert: Styrofoam
White  Styrofoam products can once again be recycled at Far West Recycling's Beaverton and Hillsboro locations. More information can be found here.

For more information on public drop-off of non-curbside-accepted recyclables, contact the Washington County Solid Waste & Recycling Program at 503-846-3605 or by email