SWANA executive director elected chair of ETTAC subcommittee

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), Silver Spring, Maryland, has announced David Biderman, the association's CEO, has been elected as chair of the Department of Commerce’s Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee’s (ETTAC) Waste Management and Circular Economy Subcommittee. 

“I am honored to have been selected by the other members of this important federal advisory committee to chair the new Waste Management and Circular Economy subcommittee,” Biderman says. “The nexus between proper waste management, the circular economy, climate change and marine litter is well-established, and ETTAC will provide timely and actionable advice to the Commerce Department that seeks to protect the environment, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and benefit American companies. The environmental challenges associated with solid waste are significant global issues, and SWANA is well-positioned to lead in this area.”

SWANA says it has expanded its international profile in recent years. SWANA hosted the International Solid Waste Association World Congress (ISWA) in September 2017 in Baltimore. From 2018 through 2020, SWANA developed a landfill training and capacity-building education program for Colombia and other Latin American countries. Biderman has also spoken at international solid waste conferences in Europe, Asia and Latin America and participated on several ISWA webinars.

According to a news release from SWANA, the association provided training to nearly 100 landfill managers and government officials and hosted a tour of Georgia disposal and recycling facilities for a delegation from Colombia and Chile. Additionally, SWANA is currently having discussions with a growing number of solid waste stakeholders in Latin American and the Caribbean concerning future projects. 

“David was instrumental in getting waste management tied to the circular economy when the committee was selecting the three subcommittees for the 2021-2022 ETTAC Charter,” says Dana Blumberg, vice president with SCS Engineers and a member of the ETTAC. “I nominated him to be the subcommittee chair because I think his leadership will assist the committee with specific and actionable recommendations to the Secretary of Commerce."