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Team sorts, reuses and recycles materials
Nearly every time an Avista crew goes into the field to fix a power line or natural gas pipeline, there are materials left over from the job. That material might not be usable again or it could just be outdated – but more than likely it’s not trash.
That’s where Avista’s Investment Recovery team steps in. When our crews return from the field, they drop off their materials for sorting. Investment Recovery decides what can be reused, recycled or salvaged. In 2011 alone, Avista recycled nearly two million pounds of material and metals including items like aluminum, copper and iron. That’s a whole lot of materials that don’t end up in landfills.
“One of the main reasons Investment Recovery exists is be good stewards of the environment,” said April Spacek, Manager of Materials Management. “It’s well worth it to Avista to put a strong effort in this area to help return value to the business and avoid generating large volumes of trash.”
Once material is returned, it’s sorted by employees from ARC of Spokane who take great pride in their work. It’s a win-win for environmental stewardship, while providing jobs for developmentally disabled members of our community.
Each morning the Investment Recovery warehouse is buzzing with a tremendous amount of activity as workers breakdown materials with hammers, screwdrivers, vises and other implements.
The reusable material is inspected or repaired, then returned to the Avista warehouse for the next job. Recycled materials are packaged and picked up by a local recycling outfit.
“Doing our part for the environment is just the right thing to do, ” said Investment Recovery Coordinator Barry Pasicznyk. “We’ve been doing this work at Avista for quite some time now and it’s a great thing.”
Take a look at the video above to see the sights and sounds of Investment Recovery.