News from the Atascocita Recycling and Disposal Facility

Atascocita Recycling and Disposal FacilityCommunity Relations Manager: Lisa DoughtyE-mail: LDoughty@wm.comPhone: 713-647-5546

Please call us any time to arrange for a landfill tour,or if you have any questions about operations.

Manager’s reportWhile we recognize that it may not last,we’re pretty grateful for the rainfall we’vebeen receiving recently. We work tomaintain a variety of grasses on ourslopes to reduce the potential for erosion,and right now I’d say we have the bestgrowth I’ve ever seen here. Our winterrye is growing well, and we’ll be reseedingwith millet and Bermuda grass to maintainthe cover as the weather warms. How-

ever, the recent and ongoing drought conditions remain veryfresh in our memory, and so we’re well-prepared to manageour water usage if the situation worsens.

We’re in the midst of another routine expansion of our landfillgas collection system, which removes the gas from the landfilland channels it to our gas-to-energy plant, where we gener-ate electricity to feed the power grid. We’re presently adding15 new wells, bringing our total to 184 wells.

In our habitat area, we’re busy making plans for the upcomingseason:• We’re working with the Galveston Bay Foundation and TexasParks and Wildlife to produce an updated list of invasiveplants so we can target them more efficiently.

• We’re working with a local Wildlife Habitat Council expertto investigate the opportunity to attract and supporthummingbirds here.

• The Christmas trees we recycled from our neighbors havealready been turned into mulch, which is ready for anupcoming habitat workday.

This is also a busy time for us in the community. WasteManagement continues to be a major player in a number ofhigh-profile events and organizations that help to keep thisa great place to live, including the Humble Rodeo & BBQCook-Off, the Education Foundation of Harris County’sAll-Earth EcoBot Challenge, and Earth Day Houston.

We’re proud of the work we do, and we’re also grateful to beable to support the community that provides not only ourworkplace, but our home as well.

Did you know that as much as 30 percent of the waste streamacross the U.S. can be counted as organic waste? In fact, thewaste from grocery stores and restaurants can run as high as60 percent organic waste.

Waste Management sees a big opportunity for waste reduc-tion and resource recovery in this area, and the company hasestablished a number of strategic partnerships with innovatorsin this field who are improving the process and its efficiency. Inaddition to reducing the incoming load on landfills and offeringbetter solutions to customers, these partners are creatingproducts and services like energy, fertilizer, mulch and rawmaterials for manufacturing bio-based renewable fuels andchemicals.

Altogether, Waste Management operates more than 35 or-ganic processing facilities across North America, and it contin-ues to form partnerships that specialize in marketing thematerials.

“We feel quite fortu-nate here to be part ofa strong organizationwith the capital, re-sources and determina-tion to create moresustainable processes,”says the landfill’s Dis-trict Manager GordonSpradley. “As a result ofeconomic, environmen-tal and technologicalfactors, the whole areaof managing organic waste is evolving rapidly. While we’retaking small steps here at the landfill—like recycling lumber,Christmas trees and other organic materials—it’s nice toknow that Waste Management is pushing the envelope toreduce the amount of waste going into landfills and to helpus all use precious natural resources more wisely.”

Printed on recycled paper.

Gordon Spradley, District Manager, Atascocita Recycling and Disposal Facility

At numerous sites around the country, WasteManagement is working to create more sustain-able approaches to the management of organicwastes.

Spring 2013

CommunityConnections

Making progress on organics

see pg. 2

Houston’s premier celebration of our planet is happeningagain at Discovery Green this year, on Sunday, April 14,from 11 am to 5 pm. For the second year in a row, WasteManagement is one of the event’s major presenting part-ners, and will be helping Air Alliance Houston to focus onthe merits of mindful, sustainable living while educatingand encouraging Houstonians to do their part to preserve,conserve and enhance our city and the earth.

EARTH DAY IS COMING!

Atascocita Recycling & Disposal3623 Wilson RoadHumble, Texas 77396

News from the Atascocita Recycling and Disposal Facility Spring 2013

Composting at homeWaste pros may call it “organics management,”

but home gardeners are likely toknow it as composting.According to TCEQ, mulchingand composting can savemoney, time and effort while

helping conserve water resources and reducewater pollution. For more information, visitwww.tceq.texas.gov/p2/nav/composting.html.

For the eleventh year, Waste Management playeda huge role in the success of the Humble Rodeo &BBQ Cook-Off. The 2013 edition broke attendancerecords, and raised $216,000 for local education(the event benefits the Humble ISD Education Foun-dation)—an 88 percent increase year-over-year.. According to Waste Management’s Lisa Doughty, whohas served as the event’s Executive Director for thelast three years, “Altogether WM employees con-tributed more than 1,000 volunteer hours to theevent this year, and that’s in addition to the financialand in-kind support provided by the company. Theunrestricted funds that come from this event supportinnovative programs that increase learning opportuni-ties for students at all 42 schools in Humble ISD.”

Gittin’ along

Photo courtesy of Air Alliance Houston