News Releases from Region 09

Earth Friendly Products (ECOS®) of Cypress, Calif., Wins EPA Regional WasteWise Award

Company Diverted 98 Percent of Waste from Local Landfills

Contact Information: Denise Adamic (adamic.denise@epa.gov) 415-972-3061

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized Earth Friendly Products (ECOS®) as a regional WasteWise leader in sustainable business practices, for its efforts in 2019. ECOS® is one of three organizations recognized for WasteWise achievements in EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region.

Every year, EPA recognizes WasteWise partners in various categories who report the best overall improvement in waste prevention and recycling activities, when compared to the previous year. In 2018, EPA’s WasteWise partners collectively reported preventing and diverting more than 1.9 million tons of municipal solid waste that would otherwise be disposed in landfills or incinerated, reaping clear environmental benefits and saving close to $100 million in avoided landfill-related fees.

“For more than 25 years, the WasteWise program has encouraged organizations and businesses to divert waste and apply sustainable materials management practices, saving them resources and money,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator John Busterud. “We are pleased to recognize ECOS® for their environmental stewardship and encourage others to follow their lead.”

“For over 50 years we’ve made sustainability a key part of our mission and being recognized with the EPA’s WasteWise Award is a wonderful acknowledgement of our comprehensive approach to waste reduction,” said Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, President and CEO of ECOS®. “The WasteWise program is a very important part of our long-term commitment to protecting our planet.”

ECOS® has been making green laundry detergents and cleaners for over 50 years. Its products, manufacturing processes, and facilities are designed to reduce impact on the environment. In 2018 the company achieved a 98 percent waste diversion rate, and currently uses only one small trash container per facility per week. Its California manufacturing facility prevented 105 tons of waste, recycled 125 tons of materials, donated 12 tons of products, and composted four tons of organic materials.

For more information about ECOS® sustainability efforts visit: https://www.epa.gov/smm/wastewise#AwardsandAwardWinners

Background

The WasteWise program is part of EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management efforts that promote the use and reuse of materials more productively over their entire life cycles. All U.S. businesses, governments, academic institutions and non-profit organizations can join WasteWise as a partner, an endorser or both. Partners demonstrate how they reduce waste, practice environmental stewardship and incorporate sustainable materials management into their waste management practices. Endorsers promote enrollment in WasteWise as part of a comprehensive approach to help their stakeholders realize the economic benefits to reducing waste.

Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region, which implements and enforces federal environmental laws in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands, and 148 tribal nations. Connect with us on Facebook and on Twitter.

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