2001 STARR Award Program Case Studies

California Department of Transportation

By  being honored with the 2000 STARR award for "Innovation," the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has proven that even large agencies can successfully reduce their waste. Clearly proactive in their efforts to improve the state of the environment, both management and employees of the entire State highway department have sought to implement effective programs aimed at sparing the state's natural resources. Products used in highway design, construction, maintenance, and other transportation-related projects are all specifically chosen to limit the amount of material, ultimately reducing harm to the environment.

One of Caltrans' most recent  recycling efforts in highway development was the use of 660,000 shredded tires as lightweight fill at the 700-foot-long Dixon landing on-ramp on Interstate 880. The highway design substitutes traditional aggregate with scrapped tires, which not only diverted waste but also saved taxpayers an estimated $250,000 in material costs. Such developments represent some of the most innovative State projects designed to recycle waste materials. Efforts to effectively reduce waste and to promote a proper ethic for protecting the environment have made the California Department of Transportation one of the most conserving State agencies in  California.

For further information, please contact Jack Ezekiel at (916) 651-8254.

STARR Winners Home | 2001 Winners

Last updated: January 02, 2008