Seattle Public Utilities, CleanScapes and BOMA Seattle/King County recently announced five winners for their 2012 Golden Dumpster Awards. The Golden Dumpster Award recognizes commercial properties in Seattle that have made significant achievements in the areas of waste reduction, recycling and tenant education.
Awards were given in three categories based on the size of the building. Each winner of the Golden Dumpster Award has made significant progress in reducing their total solid waste, while increasing recycling and educating their tenants on the best practices for reducing waste management costs and conserving natural resources.
The 2012 winners of the Golden Dumpster Awards are: 
“CleanScapes is proud to recognize the efforts of these properties with the Golden Dumpster Award,” said CleanScapes President and founder, Chris Martin. “These buildings have realized both the economic and the environmental benefit of reducing their waste and set a new bar for all property management companies.”
“Seattle’s business community currently recycles 61.4 percent of the waste it generates,” said Tom Gannon, Seattle Public Utilities project manager. “It’s thanks to the efforts of businesses like these that help make Seattle one of the greenest cities in the nation.”
The Golden Dumpster Awards were founded to encourage properties to limit the amount of waste generated by their buildings. The award program also encourages property managers to educate tenants on how best to limit their “waste footprint” while promoting composting and recycling as alternatives. The results have been greater waste diversion and higher cost savings among participants.
“BOMA’s partnership with CleanScapes and Seattle Public Utilities in the first-ever Golden Dumpster Awards is an excellent example of how companies, organizations and government can work together to promote best practices in environmental stewardship,” said Rod Kauffman, President of BOMA Seattle King County. “We thank our partners for their commitment and effort and we congratulate the winners and all the participants.”
The Golden Dumpster competition is sponsored by BOMA Seattle/King County, CleanScapes and Seattle Public Utilities as a way to promote and reward best practices for reducing waste, reducing solid waste management costs and conserving natural resources.