Two Bellevue companies have won awards for their pollution prevention efforts. International Paper Co. and Safeway’s Bellevue Beverage Plant received Gold Awards for discharging wastewater with no violations in 2009.

The awards were presented by King County’s Industrial Waste Program.

Since 1969, the Industrial Waste Program has required many industries to pretreat wastewater before discharging it into the sewer to protect the county’s treatment facilities and its workers as well as the environment and public health. In addition to regulatory enforcement, the program serves as a resource to businesses by supporting their permit compliance efforts and educating them about pollution prevention, waste reduction and water conservation.