Kent County Recognized for Buying Recycled
For Immediate Release
July 20, 2001
For Additional Information Contact
|
Daryl Delabbio, Administrator/Controller |
(616) 336-3512 |
KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN - Kent County has been recognized nationally by its peers for its commitment to "buying recycled." The National Association of Counties has chosen the county as the sole recipient of its Environmental Preferable Purchasing Award for 2001. The award is made each year for the most effective plan for purchasing and using recycled materials.
"The Board of Commissioners adopted a strong policy statement on this issue in 1999 when it included preferable purchasing of recycled goods in the county's purchasing policies," County Administrator Daryl Delabbio commented. The policy states that "the Kent County Board of Commissioners is committed to the preservation of the environment and encourages the purchase of products that contain recycled content."
Jon Denhof, Purchasing Manager for the County, explains how the decision to buy recycled is made: "Our Purchasing Procedures and Standards establish criteria for buying recycled products. Generally these products are more expensive than items made from virgin materials, so we've established the requirements that the product meets industry standards, meets our performance standards, the cost does not exceed a one percent premium over comparable virgin material for every ten percent of recycled content, and that the total premium does not exceed ten percent over the total cost of comparable virgin material. The criteria ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely and effectively, while maintaining an environmentally friendly program."
The County's award application was also supported by the effectiveness of its waste-to-energy facility, which incinerated 179,739 tons of solid waste last year, as well as its countywide recycling program which diverted about 11,000 tons of material from county landfills in 2000.
