Waste Management CEO David Steiner at a recent Resource Recycling Conference in New Orleans on how cost-effectiveness is changing the company’s strategies for recycling operations. Steiner addressed that there are many challenges associated with recycling and the company will explore different options to sustain the future of the industry.
“I just noticed service workers weren’t as celebrated as the FDNY or the NYPD … Without them, we wouldn’t be able to live in this amazing city. So it’s about shining a light on them and celebrating the work that they do.”
— Designer Heron Preston to The New York Times regarding his fashion collection honoring the NYC Department of Sanitation. Preston’s collection is part of an effort to recognize the work of sanitation workers and spread the “zero waste to landfills by 2030” initiative, all driven by a new nonprofit called the Foundation for New York’s Strongest.
“This to me was probably the most public display of the administration’s ability to not be able to work with people including the court.”
— Flint, MI Councilman Scott Kincaid to MLive regarding Mayor Karen Weaver’s decision to appeal Judge Farah’s Aug. 11 ruling to use Republic Services for collection on a temporary basis. Waste collection has been a source of contention in Flint since July when the Flint City Council voted against hiring Rizzo Environmental Services as a hauler.
“The whole industry changes because packaging changes, because print media changes, and we all have to be nimble and evolve.”
— Keefe Harrison, executive director of The Recycling Partnership, to Waste Dive regarding the future of the paper recycling industry. Harrison notes that while the digital age may present some obstacles for paper recyclers, there are many opportunities to capture more paper and utilize it as a valuable commodity.
“Legislation will shine a light on the importance of recycling and serve as a guide for citizens as we work toward a brighter future for our environment.”
— BioHiTech Global CEO Frank Celli in a recent opinion piece that responds to a Waste Management study on the costs and benefits of recycling. Celli notes that while some suggest moving away from weight-based goals for recycling, BioHiTech sees high potential in using such data analytics for effective operations.
“We’re not trying to make money off the fines; we really are trying to make sure that we are educating residents — that’s the key.”
— Tiffany Edmonds of the San Antonio Solid Waste Management Department to KSAT regarding the influx of violation notices that the city has handed out to customers for improper recycling. Since the notification program began in July, the city has handed out 2,400 warnings and about 84 fines.
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