ESC held its first annual household hazardous waste collection week in 2011. By coordinating with a local waste disposal company, ESC offered this service to staff members by encouraging them to clean out their garages, cabinets, sheds, etc and bring in items for disposal. The effort was orchestrated by the ESSH Officer and allowed for the ability to group items for eventual lab packing and disposal. Staff members brought in old paint, pesticides, herbicides, oil, solvents and a variety of other items. The end result was 3106lbs of waste. In addition to this effort, ESC collected and recycled 1660lbs of electronic waste and 353lbs of spent batteries.
ESC and its 250+ staff owners continually identify ways to promote and improve our ESC Green Choice initiatives and where we can extend these efforts to staff, we find that it is a win-win for everyone.