Transwestern Commercial Services Commits to Recycle Fluorescent Lamps and Electronic Waste
Transwestern Commercial Services is one of the region's largest property management firms with over 13 million square feet of office space in Northern Virginia, DC, and Maryland. Transwestern has voluntarily committed to recycle its mercury-containing lamps, ballasts and batteries as an opportunity to do its part to protect the environment. Transwestern's goal of 100% lamp recycling in its Mid-Atlantic Region has the potential to prevent between 175,000 and 220,000 fluorescent lamps from reaching local landfills each year.
"Although we just recently launched the program, two of our properties in Philadelphia alone have recycled a combined 1,000 pounds of fluorescent lamps," claimed Gary Le Francois, Transwestern Vice President and Director of Engineering. "In addition, we've just begun a new program - making each of our properties responsible for retrieving all Lamps, Ballasts and Batteries from all contractors that perform work at the property. That includes light retrofit projects, tenant improvement work, etc. We believe this new program removes any doubt that these potentially hazardous materials will be handled properly at Transwestern properties."
Over 500+ million fluorescent lamps are used annually in this country, and only 22% are currently recycled. Commercial office space accounts for a majority of that number. The Virginia DEQ is working with Transwestern and several other property management companies and encouraging them to set the example for others to follow.
Esquire Environmental of McLean, Virginia is Transwestern's contractor in charge of lamp recycling at the Mid-Atlantic Region facilities. Esquire is a partner organization in the Businesses for the Bay, EPA's voluntary partnership in support of the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. The Virginia DEQ coordinates the activities of B4B in Virginia. Esquire has encouraged Transwestern to join B4B to compliment its commitment to reduce its environmental impacts. To date, 23 Transwestern facilities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed have joined B4B and committed to track their waste reduction efforts.
Virginia DEQ and other states have also recommended that Transwestern Commercial Services be recognized by the US EPA Region III and the National Partnership for Environmental Priorities. NPEP is EPA's voluntary program which targets chemicals and wastes that are the most toxic and potentially harmful to the environment. Mercury is one of those "priority chemicals", and Transwestern's commitment represents roughly 10 pounds of mercury that will be kept from polluting the environment.
For more information on these efforts, see http://www.deq.virginia.gov, or contact the Virginia DEQ's Tom Griffin at 804-698-4545 or rtgriffin@deq.virginia.gov. July 2005
Transwestern Success Story (Press Release) » [PDF]
