Montgomery County Council Honors County Materials
Recycling
Facility and Maryland Environmental Service with
Proclamation on January 22, 2008
The Montgomery County
Council today recognized the County’s Division of
Solid Waste Services and Maryland Environmental
Service for earning the National Solid Waste
Association of North America’s 2007 Gold Excellence
Award in the Waste Reduction, Recycling and
Composting Division.
The County’s
Materials Recycling Facility accrued approximately
$3.4 million in revenue from commingled materials
(nearly $185,000 more than the facility’s operating
expenses) and provided recycling education and
facility tours to 4,576 visitors. Councilmember
Marilyn Praisner presented proclamations to Dan
Locke, division chief of the Montgomery County
Division of Solid Waste Services, and Jim Harkins,
director of Maryland Environmental Service.
Photo Caption:
Pictured left to right: Arthur Holmes, Montgomery
County Director of Public Works; Dan Locke, Chief,
Montgomery County Division of Solid Waste Services;
Peter Karasik, Section Chief, Division of Solid
Waste Services Operations Section; Councilmember
Marilyn Praisner; Tom Kusterer, Montgomery County
Program Manager of the Recycling Center; Maclane
Gibson, MES Chief of Solid Waste Operations; Jim
Harkins, MES Director; Steve Tomczewski, MES
Executive Director of Environmental Operations; Ken
Shuman, MES Senior Operations Manager for the
Montgomery County Recycling Center
Whereas, the mission
of the Montgomery County Solid Waste Services
Division is to manage the County’s municipal solid
waste in an environmentally and economically sound
manner; and
Whereas, the County’s
goal is to recycle 50 percent of the municipal solid
waste stream through an integrated solid waste
management system that includes waste reduction,
reuse and recycling; and
Whereas, for more
than 40 years, the Solid Waste Association of North
America (SWANA) has been the leading professional
association in the solid waste management field,
serving more than 8,000 members and thousands more
industry professionals with technical conferences,
certifications, publications and a large offering of
technical training courses; and
Whereas, the
Materials Recovery Facility, which is operated by
the Maryland Environmental Service in partnership
with the County, has an exemplary safety record and
is managed in an environmentally responsible manner,
and
Whereas, in Fiscal
Year 2007, Montgomery County’s Materials Recovery
Facility and its 40 employees handled approximately
104,000 tons of mixed paper and commingled
recyclables, accrued approximately $3.4 million in
revenue from commingled materials (nearly $185,000
more than the facility’s operating expenses),
provided high quality customer service, recycling
education and offered tours to 4,576 visitors;
Now, therefore, be it
resolved that the County Council of Montgomery
County, Maryland hereby congratulates the Montgomery
County Department of Public Works and
Transportation, Division of Solid Waste Services and
The Maryland Environmental Service for maintaining
standards at the highest national levels as
recognized by the Solid Waste Association of North
America Waste Reduction & Composting Division’s
Recycling Systems’ 2007 Gold Excellence Award.
Signed this 22nd
day of January in the year 2008.
Michael J. Knapp
Council President
Maryland
Environmental Service has operated the recycling
facility in partnership with the County since 1997.