TORRANCE, Calif., July 12, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- For the fifth consecutive year, Virco Mfg. Corporation (AMEX:VIR) has been named a Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP) winner by the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB).
In this context, the CIWMB web site provides the following overview of Virco's impressive recycling and resource recovery achievements.
"Virco Mfg. Corporation -- established in 1950 and headquartered in Torrance, California -- is the largest manufacturer of educational furniture in the United States. Virco has a highly effective, repeatedly honored waste recycling and resource conservation program that has been recently enhanced with a Take-Back Program which enables customers to recycle furniture components that have come to the end of their useful life. The company has also just introduced a remarkably sustainable furniture line, ZUMAfrd(tm), which includes recycled-content materials reclaimed from Virco's manufacturing operations and other sources, including its Take-Back Program. In California, the majority of Virco's recyclable waste is generated at its 560,000-square-foot Torrance facility, where tons of scrap metal, cardboard, sawdust, and paper products are recycled or reused every year, rather than being sent to local landfills. In fact, Virco diverted approximately 1,073 tons of solid waste from landfills in 2004 through resource conservation, waste reduction, and the sale of recyclable materials, resulting in estimated savings of $208,000."
And there's even more resource recovery work underway at Virco's Torrance headquarters, according to Facilities Manager Jason Morris.
"Since last year, we've partnered with local recycling and disposal companies in the LA area and have increased our overall recycling output," said Morris. "All of our scrap wood and sawdust now goes to an agricultural center to be used as filler in mulch products. We also initiated a miscellaneous plastic recycling program. As a result of these improvements, we have seen a 40 to 50% reduction in the amount of trash that's sent to landfills."
Regarding the 1,073-ton figure for solid waste diversion that appears on the CIWMB web site, Morris provided an approximate item-by-item breakdown of Torrance Division recyclables as follows: scrap metal, 728 tons; cardboard, 254 tons; miscellaneous plastic, 14 tons; hard plastic, 60 tons; paper, 11 tons; and aluminum, 6 tons.
Since beginning resource recovery and recycling efforts at Virco's extensive Conway Division facility in 1989, the company has received numerous awards from a variety of local, state and national organizations in recognition of its environmental initiatives. In fact, Virco was honored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2003 as one of three charter members of the EPA's WasteWise Hall of Fame.
As the agency that tracks and oversees the 76 million tons of waste generated statewide each year, the California Integrated Waste Management Board is the Golden State's premier authority on recycling and waste reduction. Established in 1993 by the CIWMB, the Waste Reduction Awards Program recognizes companies that have made significant progress in reducing their solid, non-hazardous waste. The CIWMB is a division of the State of California's Environmental Protection Agency.
The Virco Inc. company logo is available at http://media.primezone.com/prs/single/?pkgid=521
For more information, call Virco at 1-800-813-4150, or visit www.virco.com.