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Cedar Grove Composting Recognized for Efforts in Sustainability

With 350,000 Tons Processed Annually, Cedar Grove Closes the Loop

ORLANDO, Fl. (October 24, 2017) – Cedar Grove Composting, responsible for recycling most of King and Snohomish Counties’ food and yard scraps, received the Organics Recycler of the Year Award from the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) at an awards luncheon, part of NWRA’s Executive Leadership Roundtable event. Cedar Grove Composting was honored for the critical role it plays in Puget Sound’s recycling infrastructure and sustainability efforts.

A local business, Cedar Grove Composting has roots in the Seattle area dating back to 1938. For more than 80 years, they have constantly innovated and changed to not only meet current organics recycling demand, but to prepare for increased diversion in the future. Today, Cedar Grove diverts more than 350,000 tons of organic material from landfills annually.

“This region’s collective desire to preserve our natural environment through waste avoidance and recycling is insatiable and our company has always stood at the ready, offering a sound infrastructure and custom pilot programs to support this region’s incessant innovation, competitive spirit and drive to do what’s right with regard to waste stream management,” said Karen Dawson, Cedar Grove’s Director of Marketing and Community Relations.

The company takes part in all stages of the organics recovery process. A division of the company, Cedar Grove Organics Recycling, is responsible for collecting and hauling materials generated at businesses, including Boeing, Amazon, Safeco and CenturyLink Fields, and many others. Cedar Grove also hauls from many restaurants and schools. Currently, the company is working with 17 restaurants, new to food waste composting. Cedar Grove is providing them with staff training to maximize food waste diversion while achieving the highest cost savings from composting.

Recently, the founders of Cedar Grove launched Sound Sustainable Farms with the goal of bringing bring fresh, locally grown, organic food to plates in the Seattle area. The farm utilizes Cedar Grove’s locally manufactured, organic compost to restore the soil and cultivate it for farming. Sound Sustainable Farms is currently growing organic vegetables that are sold back to restaurants that Cedar Grove hauls from, creating a closed-loop model.

“Cedar Grove’s continued commitment to sustainability is a model that others can look to,” said Darrell Smith, President & CEO of NWRA. “We congratulate them on their award. They are an important part of their community.” Cedar Grove is active in the community through its outreach efforts including site tours, compost donations to local school gardens, scholarship opportunities for students who demonstrate action and achievement with sustainability efforts, and works to help local businesses identify new sustainable solutions.

ABOUT NWRA

The National Waste & Recycling Association is the leading organization providing leadership, advocacy, research, education and safety expertise for the waste and recycling industries. NWRA advocates at the Federal, State and Local levels on all issues of importance to our member companies as they provide safe, economically sustainable and environmentally sound services to communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. For more information about how innovation in the waste and recycling industry is helping solve today’s environmental challenges, visit wasterecycling.org.

Contact:

Brandon Wright
bwright@wasterecycling.org
(202) 364-3706

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Cedar Grove’s continued commitment to sustainability is a model that others can look to. We congratulate them on their award. They are an important part of their community.”
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