City of Garland Press Release:

Garland Environmental Waste Services Wins Green Award

The City of Garland Environmental Waste Services Department is the First Place Award Winner of the Green3 Whole Circle Award, sponsored by the North Texas Corporate Recycling Association.
 
The Green3 Awards recognize efforts of North Texas businesses, governments, colleges and individuals for outstanding contributions to the recycling industry that result in meaningful waste reduction. “The Green3 Award winners are reinventing the way we do business in America, and are proving that there is a better way—businesses can be MORE efficient, save money and still conserve natural resources,” announced Shirlene Sitton, President of the NTRCA.
 
Environmental Waste Services’ award is based on implementation of an Environmental Management System that is helping all departmental employees examine internal processes and areas that merit improvement, as well as implement strategies to reduce, reuse and recycle. Environmental Waste is the first department in the City of Garland to adopt an EMS program.
 
The department has achieved significant milestones following EMS implementation, including fuel reduction of 35,000 gallons this fiscal year and a 12% increase in residential recycling, representing more than 1,150 cubic yards of landfill space saved. The brush diversion initiative has resulted in 44% of all brush being sent to the City’s Wood Recycling Facility, representing more than 11,500 tons of brush recycled and more than 46,000 cubic yards of landfill space saved.
 
EWS also implemented an office recycling program at its administrative offices, diverting more than one ton of material from the landfill in six months. Electricity usage has been reduced by an average of 20% at all facilities, representing a savings of 26,328 kilowatt hours.
 
“Our EMS journey is not complete,” explained Lonnie Banks, EWS Managing Director. “ We will build on these successes and stay committed to our EMS policy, which is to provide service on unbelievable levels for the community, strive for organizational improvement and employee development, understand our environmental impact and reduce waste and pollution and meet and exceed all legal requirements.”