Waste Pro Inc. will hold a dedication ceremony for its new solar-powered waste management building on Feb. 25 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at 7921 E. 15th St. in Bradenton.
With corporate headquarters in
Longwood, the dedication ceremony in
Bradenton celebrates Waste Pro's "blue sky, green earth" philosophy and way of doing business.
Waste Pro was one of the first in the solid waste industry to use hybrid waste hauling trucks, and the first in Florida to have a solar-powered building, says Keith Banasiak, regional vice president.
Waste Pro partnered with
EcoTechnologies of Sarasota to assist with the implementation of the solar panel boxes that stick to the roof surface. The system is so sensitive to light that it's designed to produce with low light, like that from a full moon. Covering 5,000 square feet of roof area, the solar power plant will provide 120 kw hours of electricity per day and unconsumed energy will be sent back to the utility grid for credit.
"We look at other things," says Banasiak. ''We don't just pick up the garbage, pay the bills and go home. Where the economics make sense or it just makes sense to do the right thing, we're doing that."
In addition to the hybrid trucks and solar panels, Waste Pro is completing its green building certification from
Sarasota County. Working with Ecotechnologies, Waste Pro plans to review all of its locations to determine if there is an option to incorporate the solar panels in other markets.
Writer:
Nancy VaughnSource: Keith Banasiak, Waste Pro
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