Hazardous Waste > Governor's Award > 1998 Winners

Governor's Award for Pollution Prevention and Sustainable Practices

1998 Winners

Hansville Auto Repair, Hansville

• Eliminated use of chlorinated solvents
• Switched from solvent-based brake cleaning to a water-based system.
• Facility employees explain environmental effects to customers.

United Paint and Coatings, Greenacres

• Shifted from solvent-based to water-based products; reduced overhead costs.
• Re-uses wash water from the latex line in the next batch of product.
• Improved worker safety.

Ace Galvanizing, Seattle

• Facility cleans and seals rusty pieces of steel and iron.
• Changed processes and equipment to reduce the generation and storage of hazardous waste from more than 2,200 pounds per month to less than 220 pounds per month

Cablecraft, Tacoma

• Produce assemblies used in aerospace, automotive, and farm equipment.
• No longer generates hazardous waste; used to produce more than 2,200 pounds per month.
• Worked with Tacoma Power to select energy-efficient motors and lighting
• Employs good stormwater controls
• Excellent waste-recycling program
• Seeks out and uses less-hazardous product substitutes
• Planted trees to improve work site.

Fairchild Air Force Base, Spokane

• Largest air-refueling wing in the U.S. Air Force; home to more than 60 active-duty and Air National Guard planes.
• Staff reduced the use of 17 chemicals identified as toxics of concern by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Reduced hazardous waste generation by about 215,000 pounds per year.
• Retrofitted lighting on landing pad; saving more than $157,000 per year in energy costs.
• Converted to less-volatile jet fuel; helped reduce emissions of volatile air contaminants by 92%.
• Eliminated ozone-depleting chemicals.
• Adopted pest management methods that consider alternatives to pesticides; dropped pesticide use by 68% and saves $20,000 per year.

Thurston County Hazardous Waste Program, Olympia

• Conducts an integrated pest management program, including pamphlets and garden tours. Reached more than 500 people per tour in 1996 and 1997.
• Collected more than 71,000 gallons of used oil at various sites.
• From 1991 to 1997, the Hazo House hazardous waste collection facility collected more than 2,035,000 pounds of hazardous waste from 36,327 customers.
• Provided free technical assistance to about 200 businesses in 1997.
• Cooperatively designed and implemented Operation: WaterWorks, a two-year technical assistance program about storm water quality and hazardous waste management for automotive, landscaping, construction, and building maintenance businesses.
• Held workshops for 200 teachers during 1996-1997, to reach 535 students with household hazardous material activities.
• Local information line responded to more than 600 calls in 1997.

Naval Submarine Base Bangor, Silverdale

• 10,000 military staff and civilians assigned to base; supports Trident submarines.
• Examined chemicals used on base; banned hazardous substances that are not mission-critical; seek least-toxic alternatives for raw materials.
• Recycle lead batteries and collect lead bullets from firing range.
• Provide curbside recycling of solid wastes and reclamation store for hazardous materials.
• Promote commute trip reduction
• Replaced solvent-based cleaners with safer substitutes.
• Converted coal-fired boilers to natural gas.

Honorable mention: Praegitzer Industries, Redmond

• Found a substitute that outperformed conventional cleaners, so that 1,500 pounds of lead-laden waste produced each year can be managed as a non-hazardous solid waste.