By TRACEY COMPTON
tcompton@rentonreporter.com
A local waste management company recently was named among five other Kent workplaces to the 2012 Best Workplaces for Recycling and Waste Reduction list by the King County Solid Waste Division.
Ingenium was among 92 companies named on this year’s list. The other Kent honorees were Applus Technologies, the City of Kent, Kent Downtown Partnership and Torklift Central.
“The recognition of our efforts is exciting and it’s nice to see so many local companies working hard to be sustainable,” said Corey Johnson, director of the Pacific Northwest for Ingenium. “I am confident this list will continue to grow and help keep Washington the evergreen state and a leader for sustainable practices at work and at home.”
Ingenium, has 20 recycling criteria that they adhere to in their Kent workplace. Among them are their zero waste policy and participation in a city or other recycling green business program. The company donates, resells or recycles used electronic equipment. They offer a take back program for fluorescent bulbs, tubes, plastic bags, cell phones and
other electronics or media.
Not only are they in the business of providing alternative solutions for transportation, recycling and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste, but they are a model for green workplaces.
The Kent office doesn’t even have garbage service, it’s all recycling.
“So, everything we use here we send off for recycling whether it’s plastic bottles, cans, paper towels from the bathroom, the paper we utilize in our offices,” said Johnson.
Having sustainable business practices is a value Johnson finds important.
“When a business incorporates sustainable practices and employees shift their mindset to consider waste reduction and recycling options it has a positive effect on both our local community and the global community,” said Johnson. “Sustainable business systems are easy to initiate and capital is quickly recovered in total cost and overhead reductions.”
Ingenium provides their current 25 clients with options as to what to do with their waste by-products. Two of the markets they serve are manufacturing and the health sciences. But, for some companies making the decision to go green – recycle, repurpose or reuse their waste – is a tough sell.
Costs and a lack of knowledge about the potential uses for waste often hinder companies, Johnson said.
“It’s been a tough economy the last few years,” he said. “Typically environment comes right off the bottom line. Most companies see it as a cost. Whereas we come in and try and position ourselves as a partner. And, let them realize there are a lot of options out there for different types of material.”
The company’s mission easily translates to their green workplace environment, he said.
“Implementing the ideas we share with our clients into our own office space was simple, so I guess you could say we followed our own program and ideas to meet the criteria on the city’s application,” Johnson said.
Ingenium is a San Diego-based company with about 30 employees total.
The Kent office has four employees and opened in January.
For more information visit, www.pureingenium.com.
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