Clark County is excited to announce the 2022 Green Business Workshop Series. This free, virtual event series consists of three one-hour presentations centered around waste reduction over the next three months. The three workshop topics are Washington State Sustainability Initiatives, Sustainable Waste Management, and Hazardous Materials Management and will take place on March 16, April 20, and May 11, respectively.

The first session, Washington State Sustainability Initiatives, will feature a presentation by representatives from the Washington State Department of Ecology on new statewide waste reduction laws and mandates, including Single-Use Serviceware Law, Single-Use Plastic Bag Ban, and the Use Food Well Washington Plan. The second session will be all about waste management, exploring where our materials go when we throw them "away." We will be discussing opportunities to decrease waste generation and manage materials sustainably. In the final session we will be again joined by a representative from the Department of Ecology, this time to focus on hazardous materials. The webinar will share information on managing hazardous waste in your business.

Our second session of the three-part Green Business Workshop Series is Nothing Goes "Away": Sustainable Waste Management. During this session, we will explore what it means to throw something "away," and what actually happens to our materials when they leave our sight and where they end up. We will also discuss the harm of contamination in waste streams and how it can be avoided. Finally, we will share ideas for practicing sustainable materials management and what it might look like to prevent waste from entering the trash or recycling stream all together. Join us to see behind the curtain of the recycling process, learn about common waste misconceptions, and walk away with actionable steps to generate less waste in your business.

The final Green Business Workshop Series session is all about managing hazardous waste. It can be difficult to know what is and isn't considered a hazardous material, and how to ensure your business is managing and disposing of it properly. In this session, Dee Williams, hazardous waste expert from the Washington State Department of Ecology, will be joining us to clarify these things and share tips for reducing the amount generated in your business. The session will be interactive, and we encourage attendees to ask questions and engage with the presenter.