Waste Management Wins Sustainable Florida Award

Okeechobee Organics Recycling Facility Honored As 2012 Best Practice Award Winner In Large Business Division

OKEECHOBEE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Waste Management’s Okeechobee Organics Recycling Facility has been named the winner of the 2012 Sustainable Florida Best Practice Award in the large business division at the organization’s annual awards ceremony in Palm Beach Gardens.

“As the nation’s largest environmental solutions provider, our customers are asking us to help them meet their sustainability goals”

The Sustainable Florida award is the premier state-level recognition for accomplishments and leadership in sustainable development. For more than 15 years, the award has become a respected measure of best performance standards in the integration of environmental, social and economic factors for the long-term sustainability of Florida.

The Okeechobee Organics Recycling Facility features the most advanced aerated composting technology to process food residuals in South Florida. The facility opened in November 2011 as a result of a forward-thinking partnership between Waste Management, Publix, Florida Power & Light and Garick.

“The Sustainable Florida awards honor those who have demonstrated a real sense of care for the environment, recognizing that sustainability is important for economic development,” said Joe Kilsheimer, an Apopka city commissioner who sits on the Sustainable Florida Board of Directors. “The program is about building for the future, and Waste Management has demonstrated that its focus is clearly on a sustainable future.”

Located adjacent to Waste Management’s Okeechobee Landfill, the eight-acre Okeechobee Organics Recycling Facility utilizes a forced aeration system with computer controls to regulate airflow and air treatment to process pre-consumer food waste from Publix and Whole Foods stores -- including produce, bakery and floral items -- with yard waste into organic compost products.

“As the nation’s largest environmental solutions provider, our customers are asking us to help them meet their sustainability goals,” said Tim Hawkins, area vice president for Waste Management. “We’re very pleased to be honored by Sustainable Florida for our work in developing the Okeechobee Organics Recycling Facility.”

The Okeechobee facility is permitted to accept up to 30,000 tons per year, including 15,000 tons of food waste and 15,000 tons of yard waste, and is part of Waste Management’s strategy to expand organics recycling in Florida and throughout North America.

Garick, a subsidiary of Waste Management and leading manufacturer, marketer and distributor of organic lawn and garden products, is producing the lawn and garden products from the Okeechobee composting facility.

ABOUT WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is one of the largest residential recyclers and also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more information about Waste Management visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.