OCRRA, a nonprofit public benefit corporation that handles the county’s solid-waste management, presents the Recycler of the Year award annually to businesses and nonprofit organizations that meet its stringent criteria.
An award ceremony will take place on Friday, March 1, at 10:30 a.m., in the Canyon area of the Destiny USA complex.
“Destiny USA has a first rate facility management team in place; they are helping their tenants do the utmost good for the environment,” Dave Nettle, a business recycling specialist at OCRRA, said in a news release.
In 2012, Destiny USA implemented several recycling initiatives. Its food-scrap recycling program involved more than 22 food vendors and delivered over 140 tons of food waste to OCRRA’s food-waste composting site in Amboy.
The shopping-center developer also installed a rainwater harvest system that can reduce water use by 78 percent. Destiny USA also adopted other environmental practices like recycling batteries, fluorescent bulbs, paper, and containers
A year ago, Destiny USA obtained LEED Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council, making it the largest certified retail commercial building in the country.
“2012 was a huge year for us when it comes to sustainability efforts and integrating new programs that will create long term success, when it comes to recycling and being environmentally friendly,” Dee Ingersoll, facility services manager at Destiny USA, said in the news release. “This is a great motivation to continue thinking of new ways to be more green across our facility.”
Business, education, and government organizations can apply for the 2013 Blue Ribbon Recycler of the Year designation at www.OCRRA.org. To be considered for the award, applicants’ recycling practices must meet OCRRA’s criteria, including adopting practices such as recycling all paper, recycling all glass and plastic bottles, purchasing copy paper that contains at least 30 percent recycled content, and much more.
Some of the certified Blue Ribbon Recyclers in Onondaga County include C&S Companies, CXtec, Feher Rubbish Removal, King & King Architects, SRC, and the Tech Garden.
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