Six employees of Roadway Express were honored last week with the American Trucking Assns.' 1999 Environmental Excellence in Trucking Award for developing two innovative programs to reduce and prevent the generation of hazardous waste at Roadway terminals.
One corporate-wide program connects Roadway terminals with community non-profit organizations to use slightly damaged building materials, which would have previously been disposed of as hazardous waste. In the first three months of the project, 6,000 pounds of material have been diverted from the waste stream and instead put to good use for maintenance of low-income housing, a boy's shelter, and a Christmas in April project.
Roadway employees also developed and implemented a waste minimization effort that focuses on separating waste paint, often hazardous waste, from non-hazardous debris associated with paint handling. The program has resulted in a 75% reduction in the amount of the hazardous waste generated at Roadway's Carlisle, PA, facility.
The Environmental Excellence in Trucking Award was launched last fall by ATA and Safety Kleen Corp. to recognize and celebrate outstanding environmental projects and initiatives in the trucking industry.
Four finalists were also honored during the ceremony: Allied Systems (Norfolk, VA, terminal), Knight Transportation (Phoenix, AZ), Federal Express (Memphis, TN), and Ruan Leasing (Savannah, GA, facility). The finalists' projects included a a pioneering spill control device that prevents spill migration and allows for complete recovery of the spilled material, an employee ride-sharing program that reduced air pollution by decreasing employee vehicle trips by almost 20%, electronic delivery of corporate compliance manuals which saved 92,000 pounds of paper, and a comprehensive waste reduction program which reduced the generation of oil, air and fuel filters by 80%.