Industry News

Personnel

SWANA names new executive director

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), Silver Spring, Maryland, has hired Amy Lestition Burke as executive director and CEO. She began the job Nov. 9, replacing David Biderman, who departed from SWANA March 12.

Richard Yep served as interim executive director of the association starting April 6.

Lestition Burke previously served as the executive director of two associations—Special Libraries Association and Association, Media & Publishing Network. Immediately prior to joining SWANA, she served as vice president, industry solutions, for the Consumer Brands Association, working with partners on a variety of issues, including sustainability. 

SWANA says its new executive director and CEO has a track record of expanding partnerships and increasing revenue. She understands how to work with boards of directors on policy, strategy and governance and is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace.

“It is an honor to lead SWANA and represent an industry that impacts communities every day,” Lestition Burke says. “I’m committed to working closely with SWANA’s board of directors, advisory board, committees, volunteers, members, chapters, partners, stakeholders and staff team to build on, accelerate and lead its transformation from solid waste management to resource management.”

As executive director and CEO, Lestition Burke oversees SWANA’s strategic direction, builds partnerships and membership and fosters innovation within the organization.

The association says she will work closely with the SWANA board of directors, staff and members to advance its mission: promoting sustainable and environmentally responsible solid waste management practices.

“We are excited to welcome Amy as SWANA’s executive director/CEO,” SWANA Board President Art Mercer says of Lestition Burke’s appointment in a Oct. 4 news release. “Amy’s combined experience serving as an executive director/CEO for several associations and her understanding of industry sustainability initiatives will provide new leadership to SWANA and further strengthen our association and its position in solid waste and resource management.” 

Lestition Burke holds a master’s degree in international affairs from The George Washington University. She is a fellow of the American Society of Association Executives and a Certified Association Executive. Additionally, Lestition Burke holds a certificate in DEI in the Workplace from the University of Southern Florida and has held many volunteer leadership positions serving the association community.

“SWANA eagerly looks forward to Amy’s leadership and the opportunities it will bring to the association as we advance the solid waste and resource management profession,” Mercer adds.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Meridian Waste Tennessee acquires roll-off company

Meridian Waste Tennessee LLC, an integrated, nonhazardous solid waste services company, has acquired Patterson TnWaste Hauling in Knoxville. The purchase densifies and expands its roll-off hauling footprint throughout the greater Knoxville area and fortifies disposal volumes received at its two construction and demolition (C&D) landfills in the marketplace, Poplar View Landfill and Riverside Landfill. The purchase closed Oct. 1.

Purchased assets include 21 collection vehicles and approximately 800 containers. Patterson TnWaste Hauling’s employees with commercial driver’s licenses will transition to Meridian Waste, while Patterson TnWaste will continue its dump truck operations, transporting dirt, gravel and landscaping materials, exclusive of solid waste.

“The acquisition of Patterson TnWaste Hauling will create significant operational synergies within the Knoxville marketplace, enhancing our financial performance and building an excellent team of drivers and service personnel to keep our community building in a clean and efficient manner,” says Larry Seivers, Meridian district manager in Tennessee. “I have personally known the Patterson family for 25 of the 28 years they have been providing trucking operations in the community. I’m proud they chose Meridian Waste to partner with and entrust us with their drivers and customers. I believe that our values and commitment to quality service are aligned, and together we will provide an exceptional customer experience for existing and new customers.”

Meridian Waste, Meridian Waste Tennessee LLC’s parent company, is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Funding

EPA program could boost recycled-content materials

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the availability of $100 million in grants to support construction material and product makers that can demonstrate they offer low-carbon-footprint options.

Businesses that manufacture, remanufacture and refurbish construction materials are eligible to apply for grant money. Manufacturers of recycled-content steel and other building materials increasingly have begun to track and publicize their reduced carbon emissions.

“Billions of tons of concrete, asphalt, steel, glass and other construction materials and products are required to build, maintain and operate our country’s buildings and infrastructure,” the EPA says. “These new grants will [advance] America’s industrial capacity to supply the goods and materials of the future and grow good jobs for American workers,” the agency adds.

The EPA says building materials account for 11 percent of annual global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Its new Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Construction Materials program will help manufacturers disclose environmental impacts across the life of a product and inform institutional purchasers who prioritize lower embodied carbon construction materials, according to the agency.

“To reduce GHG emissions in construction materials and products, we must be able to track and understand where they are,” says Michal Freedhoff, EPA assistant administrator. “These new grants [available] through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda will help ensure manufacturers have access to the assistance they need to disclose and reduce emissions.”

Funding amounts for individual grants and cooperative agreements likely will range from $250,000 to $10 million, according to the EPA.

“[The Sept. 28] funding announcement from EPA is like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche of industrial sector emissions reductions in the U.S.,” Sen. Chuck Schumer says. “By shining a light on leading low- and no-carbon products, providing direct incentives to deeply decarbonize industrial facilities and creating a market for these products, the Inflation Reduction Act is driving down emissions in one of the hardest to abate sectors while supporting U.S. jobs and industry.”

The Environmental Product Declarations generated through the grant program will make it easier for state and local governments—and other institutional buyers—to ensure the construction projects they fund are using low-carbon construction materials, EPA says.

Aggregates

Caltrans finishes $8.7M California highway repair project

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has announced the completion of the Freeman III Project, an $8.7 million project that repaired 15 lane miles of pavement stretching from Red Rock Canyon Road to the Freeman Gulch Bridge on State Route 14.

The project was fully funded by S.B. 1, or the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.

As reported by the Mojave Desert News, a California City, California-based newspaper, the project’s contractor, Brea, California-based Griffith Co., used a sustainable partial depth recycling (PDR) technique, which supports Caltrans’ goal of leading climate action by recycling existing pavement.

During the PDR process, crews dug out current road material in localized sections and recycled it, combining the material with hot mix asphalt (HMA). The HMA was then reapplied to the excavated areas. Crews then laid a 2 ½-inch layer of rubberized HMA on top to restore the high-quality ride and serviceability of the existing roadway.

The project also upgraded traffic signs, added rumble strips and placed shoulder backing, the Mojave Desert News reports.

“Safety is always Caltrans’ highest priority,” says Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. “The restoration and enhancements on State Route 14 will improve safety through increased ride quality, smoother road-to-shoulder transitions and heightened driver attention while utilizing environmentally friendly techniques that honor our commitment to mitigating the effects of climate change.”

S.B. 1 provides $5 billion annually in transportation funds to state and local agencies, allowing road projects to progress more quickly, Caltrans says.