Popular Food Processor's Recycling Operations Win Waste Board Honors

SALINAS—Dole Fresh Vegetables, makers of those familiar supermarket packages with the pictures of tasty vegetables on its labels, was one of California's Top 10 waste busters in 1996, diverting thousands of tons of waste from area landfills and saving more than $1 million in the process, according to the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

"I'm pleased to present Dole with this award for their outstanding waste reduction and recycling achievements, which are sure to help Salinas meet mandated waste diversion levels in the upcoming years," said Waste Board Member Wesley Chesbro.

The company recently earned a Waste Reduction Awards Program "WRAP of the Year" plaque from the State, which Chesbro presented to top Dole officials today in a ceremony honoring the company's efforts. Like more and more companies, Dole discovered a wealth of money-saving waste management opportunities and ideas after studying how it could change the way it routinely generated and handled its trash.

For example, instead of throwing items in landfills last year, Dole found ways to recycle or donate tons of scrap paper, glass, plastic, metal, wood bins and pallets, and phone books. To reduce its amount of waste, the company reuses folders, envelopes, boxes, packaging materials, copier cartridges, and vehicle and equipment air filters. In the process, the company saved thousands of dollars in procurement and disposal expenses.

In 1996, Dole composted tons of culls at its 10-acre composting site, diverted 80 tons of plastic from landfills, and donated over $700,000 of products to local food banks. The effort saved Dole $1.5 million in disposal costs.

The giant food processing company uses cartons made up of 35 percent recycled materials to reduce weight of the millions of cartons it purchases every year. Last year, the company also donated file folders, copy paper, and computers to area schools and recycled more than 26,000 wooden pallets and bins for a savings of more than $80,000.

Since its inception in 1993, WRAP has presented more than 1,000 certificates to some 700 California businesses whose efforts have substantially contributed to reducing waste more efficiently. Besides generating and handling fewer excess materials, many companies find they can cut procurement and waste disposal costs and bolster profit margins through successful waste reduction programs.

The Waste Board's WRAP certificates can be displayed and used by businesses to publicly advertise their recycling activities and conservation ethic, something more and more conscientious shoppers apparently appreciate.

The Waste Board's WRAP application period is currently open to recycling-conscious businesses, running through June 30. For an application form, visit the Waste Board's WRAP Web site at www.ciwmb.ca.gov/WRAP/.

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