The biggest privately-held independent trash and recycling company in Florida, Waste Pro Inc., is becoming the first to power a headquarters building through solar energy.
The firm will hold a dedication celebration of its solar-powered building on Thursday, Feb. 25, with guests including key legislators and community leaders. The event will run from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Waste Pro, 7921 15th Street East, Bradenton. The Waste Pro headquarters are across from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport and the Sarasota Convention Center.
“We’re not your usual ‘trash’ company,” says Keith Banasiak, Regional Vice President of Waste Pro. “We’ve made a concerted effort to make a positive impact on the community, and a solar-powered building is one of our initiatives in the Sarasota-Manatee area.”
For the project, Waste Pro partnered with a local company, Ecotechnologies of Sarasota. According to Mr. Banasiak, the firm applied an extremely advanced system: a compact system of flat panels which Mr. Banasiak says is “about as thick as 20 sheets of notebook paper.”
Unlike traditional solar panel boxes, these photovoltaic modules are flexible and fully adhere to the roof surface. It is the only photovoltaic product that passed Miami-Dade notice of acceptance with wind tunnel testing for up to 148 mph wind. The innovative system is extremely light sensitive and designed to produce energy even in low light, including a full moon.
The 25 kW solar power plant covers 5,000 sq. ft. of roof area and will provide 120 kW hours of electricity per day, enough to cover most of the building’s needs. Energy not consumed will be sent back to the utility grid for credit.
“We are the first garbage company with solar-supplemented energy because we wanted to take a positive approach for our environment and community,” says Mr. Banasiak. “It was a large investment for our company but the return on investment will occur in only 18 to 24 months.” That return is thanks to a Florida solar rebate, a federal energy tax credit, and annual depreciation.
Waste Pro is presently working to have the solar-powered building itself certified as ‘green’ and the company has already implemented a “Blue Sky-Green Earth” policy with other initiatives for ‘green’ management. Waste Pro is one of the first garbage companies in the country to use hybrid waste hauling trucks. The trucks also include an advanced oil purification system that cuts oil changes to save oil and reduce the firm’s carbon footprint.
Waste Pro USA, Inc. (Waste Pro) is a Florida corporation headquartered in Longwood, Florida. The company offers services in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina and Mississippi. through city and county, military and federal government contracts, providing solid waste and recycling services to more than 800,000 residences and 32,000 businesses.