October 27, 2004

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFORTS RECOGNIZED AT FIRST
OHIO PARTNERS FOR SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS

Leadership Awards go to Stark County teacher and waste management districts
in Cuyahoga and Portage counties

COLUMBUS, OH - Businesses, volunteers, students and government agencies from across Ohio were honored recently for their local efforts in recycling, waste reduction, litter prevention and environmental education at the first-ever Ohio Partners for Sustainability Awards, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

The awards are co-sponsored by the ODNR Division of Recycling & Litter Prevention, the Association of Ohio Recyclers and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

The awards program was created to recognize outstanding achievement in seven categories: Leadership-Outstanding Individual, Leadership-Outstanding Organization, Business Achievement, Community Partnership, Recycling Market Development, Waste Reduction/Reuse and Best Practices.

• David Fischer, a teacher at East Canton Middle School in Stark County, won the Leadership - Outstanding Individual Award for creating “Responsibility,” a new environmental teaching program that incorporates hands-on learning with environmental service projects.
• Portage County Solid Waste Management District Commissioners and Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District won Leadership - Outstanding Organization Awards. Portage County’s award recognizes an integrated solid waste reduction program for county residents, including a materials recovery facility, recycling and garbage collection trucks, a reuse center and a site for hazardous waste collection. Cuyahoga County received its award for developing a friendly competition between the district’s 59 communities to increase recycling rates.
• Battelle Memorial Institute, headquartered in Columbus, received the Business Achievement Award for its support of employee-driven waste reduction, recycling and environmental stewardship programs. The company sponsors waste audits, a virtual chemical warehouse exchange, an office supply swap and recycled-content purchasing.
• The Delaware/Knox/Marion/Morrow Solid Waste Management District Policy Committee and a group of volunteers from Lake Milton State Park in Mahoning County won Community Partnership Awards. The multi-county solid waste district partnered with county commissioners, health district representatives, mayors and township trustees to apply for scrap tire cleanup funds and develop a plan to clean up open tire dumps. The 300 volunteers from Lake Milton State Park were recognized for their work to improve the park and the surrounding community in an environmentally friendly manner. During the past several years, the volunteer group has installed boardwalks, signage, playground equipment and fishing piers made from recycled plastic lumber.
• Hancor, Inc. of Hancock County received the Recycling Market Development Award for its use of recycled materials in the manufacture of plastic drainage pipe. Each year, the company uses more than 80 million pounds of recycled PET plastic.
• Cardington Yutaka Technologies, Inc. of Morrow County won the Waste Reduction/Reuse Award for its aggressive “green factory” program. The program aims to precycle, recycle or reuse almost everything in the waste stream, including coolant, work gloves, office paper and welding tips. Last year, more than 278 tons of steel parts were precycled and 214 tons of cardboard were recycled.
• The Erie County Solid Waste Management District received the Best Practices Award for its innovative household battery recycling program. Since 1997, the program has emphasized partnerships with local retail stores, schools and government agencies to collect and recycle batteries throughout Erie County.

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