Mallory Szczepanski

Spring edition of WasteRecycling magazine

Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of a solid waste and recycling company chief executive officer (CEO) is like? How about how they got their start in the industry? Their rise to CEO? Their leadership style? How they address important issues like safety and labor? Where they think the industry is headed in the future?

Name that tune: "Hypodermics on the shore, China’s under martial law." Hopefully that didn’t start an earworm, but that line in Billy Joel’s "We Didn’t Start the Fire" refers to the "syringe tide," an environmental crisis in 1987-1988 where medical waste including needles washed up on the shores of New Jersey and nearby states. This event led to the enactment of the Medical Waste Tracking Act (MWTA), which required the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to oversee the tracking of medical waste in some states.

When considering a career path, the solid waste and recycling industry often does not come to mind, as it is sometimes viewed as hard manual work or "a dirty job." But if you ask those who work in the industry about their careers, they will tell you that the hard work pays off; they enjoy getting their hands dirty in the field; there is no other industry they would rather work in; the industry is one big family; once you start a career in the waste and recycling industry, you are in the industry for the long haul; and so on. So, how does one land a career in the industry?

Nearly 20 years ago, women started entering the solid waste and recycling industry at a more rapid pace—and this welcomed change didn’t go unnoticed. At WasteExpo 2003, North America’s largest waste, recycling and organics event, women walked the aisles, worked the booths, presented at education sessions and came together to brainstorm a special interest group called the Women’s Council.

To peel back one of the most important, deep-rooted layers of NWRA—state chapters—and highlight the landmark legislation process the state chapters have made to advance the mission of the waste and recycling industry, we’ve compiled a summary of the state chapters’ formations, some of their notable achievements over the years and their future goals.

From a young age, we are surrounded by stories—our grandparents tell us about "the good old days" and their hardships so that we never take anything for granted, our parents read us bedtime stories with hopes that we quickly drift off to sleep, our friends tell us stories that we pinky swear not to share with anyone else and our teachers share historical stories with us to further our education. As we get older, we carry these stories with us as they help us to better understand the world around us.

After multiple failed attempts and many years of planning, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) final Entry-level Driver Training (ELDT) rule will be implemented on February 7. So, as a driver or training provider, what must be done today to be prepared for the rule’s implementation?

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently announced a new emergency temporary standard (ETS) to protect more than 84 million workers from the spread of COVID-19 on the job. The ETS announcement sparked mixed reactions, with more than 34 legal challenges initiated by states, individual businesses, religious groups, unions and others.

Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) reporting can be a difficult and confusing task for companies that are beginning to collect and calculate this data, but according to Data Gumbo and ESG Lynk, blockchain-backed smart contracts can help streamline this process, create transparency, provide accuracy and save on both time and cost.

The waste and recycling industry faces a number of challenges on a daily basis, one of which being the threat of fires. These fires can spark from hazards such as pressurized tanks, chemicals, hot work activities, fertilizers, cigarette butts and, an emerging culprit, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. While this problem isn’t new, it’s an ongoing issue that can pose further risks to companies’ employees and facilities if fires aren’t detected and managed early.

Over the last few years, the global waste and recycling industry has seen an explosion of fire incidents in its facilities due to the wave of lithium-ion batteries entering waste and recycling streams. This ongoing problem is not only posing health and safety risks to employees, but it’s presenting business risks due to the costs associated with these fires and higher insurance premiums.

It has been a year since the global coronavirus pandemic caused the world to hit pause, and as we slowly make our way out of the lockdown, it’s crucial that waste and recycling businesses understand federal and state guidelines and restrictions as well as COVID-19 vaccine distribution for essential industry workers.

Adele L. Abrams, Esq., CMSP, firm president of the Law Office of Adele L. Abrams P.C., shared information on medical cannabis laws and workplace safety.

The campaign received NWRA’s 2020 Best Recycling Public Education Program Award.