Three years after it opened for business, the Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District is an award winner.

The Disposal District has been selected the 2015 “Non-profit Recycler of the Year” by the Washington State Recycling Association.

“We send big congratulations on this well-deserved recognition of the exceptional work in recycling, to all the volunteers and staff who make our dump a success,” said Sandy Bishop, chairwoman of the Disposal District board of directors. “We also recognize Troy Lautenbach for nominating LSWDD and for his good work with WSRA and the San Juan transfer station.”

Lopez first tried to manage its own island-wide recycling effort in 1996, but failed. But Neil Hanson, a county solid waste department employee and widely known as a recycle/reuse guru, continued to educate the community over the years.

As a result, 16 years later the passion for recycling had only increased and when San Juan County announced in late 2010 it could no longer keep the island’s self-haul garbage and recycle drop box facility open, Lopez residents then leaped at the opportunity to fill the void.

Grass-roots efforts led to the creation of the Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District in 2012 and the continuation of the island’s beloved source-separated recycling center and exchange, the Take-It-or-Leave-It. District goals include: being good stewards of the land by responsibly disposing of our waste, maximizing recycling, and moving toward a zero-waste strategy.

The Lopez disposal district will be among those highlighted as part of the WSRA annual conference, May 17-20 in Spokane.

For more about the WSRA convention and awards, visit, www.wsra.net, or call 206-244-0311.