Congratulations to Rowley Properties and Superior Seconds, winners of the inaugural Golden Dumpster Awards!
The awards — sponsored by Recology CleanScapes, the Greater Issaquah Chamber of Commerce and the City of Issaquah — recognize businesses that have made significant achievements in waste reduction, recycling, and employee and customer education.
Rowley Properties and Superior Seconds have proven that businesses large and small can effectively reduce waste while demonstrating that waste-reduction principles are part of a sound business plan.
Retail Services/Business Office: Rowley Properties
As it has developed and managed more than 100 acres over the last 60 years, Rowley Properties has contributed to Issaquah’s reputation as a sustainable community in numerous ways.
Rowley’s commitment to waste reduction reaches beyond the walls of its main office, and extends to all the properties it develops and manages.
More than 20 years ago, a member of Rowley Properties’ accounting department noticed how much usable furniture accumulated in dumpsters after tenants vacated their spaces. This realization inspired the company to take the lead in educating tenants and employees on the materials that could be recycled or recovered.
Eventually, Rowley Properties developed a system — a sort of precursor to Craigslist — that allowed tenants to post and claim unwanted furniture, thus keeping it out of the landfill.
Retail Store Category: Superior Seconds Neighborhood Gear Exchange
Since opening in 2013, Superior Seconds has reduced waste by helping our community reuse athletic equipment.
As a parent, general manager Geo Tamblyn knows how costly it can be for children to participate in organized sports, so he started collecting and restoring athletic gear in his garage for family and friends. He soon realized how our entire community could benefit.
Tamblyn and co-owner Heather Maloney match usable goods with customers, which reduces the need for families to buy new equipment. It also reduces the chance that perfectly reusable equipment will end up collecting dust in storage, or get dumped in the garbage.
Inside the store, all hardware, shelving and racking is secondhand. In fact, the wood for the main counter is a recovered bowling alley lane!
Rowley Properties and Superior Seconds were recognized as part of the annual Issaquah Community Awards on May 28, 2015.