SWANA Updates Key Technical Policies
April 28, 2026 — Silver Spring, MD
The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) released three updated Technical Policies on key industry topics: the Development of Regulations Related to Solid Waste Management; the Safe Recycling of Electronic Waste; and Conversion Technologies, Resource Recovery, and Energy Recovery as Part of Integrated Solid Waste Management.
“Technical Policies are developed by SWANA members to ensure everything we do, from policy positions to advocacy efforts, is aligned with the practical needs of our members,” shared SWANA CEO Amy Lestition Burke, MA, FASAE, CAE. “We appreciate the work of our SWANA members who shared their expertise and time to guide updated, sound policies that will be an asset as SWANA continues to bring together perspectives and stakeholders from across the industry to move beyond waste to resource management.”
The SWANA Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Technical Division Advocacy Committee and the SWANA Waste Conversion & Energy Recovery (WCER) Technical Division served important roles in the policy review and updating process. The SWANA Policy Committee led the review process and the SWANA board of Directors approved the updated policies on April 19, 2026.
Technical Policies represent the positions SWANA takes on the various technical aspects associated with waste and resource management, serving as a basis for SWANA advocacy and as a resource for SWANA members and other industry professionals.
The three new policies, updated to reflect modern practices and safety approaches, include:
T-3.2 The Development of Regulations Related to Solid Waste Management
This policy provides an overview of what state/provincial governments in the US and Canada should focus on when developing, implementing, enforcing, and reviewing solid waste management regulations. It states that “SWANA supports the need for strong and clear regulations that lead to optimal solid waste management systems and that protect human health and the environment” and describes the range of activities that are needed to make up a robust waste and resource management program.
T-6.3 Safe Recycling of Electronic Waste
This policy explains that SWANA supports responsible recycling of electronics and the approach to the responsible provision of electronics recycling. It stresses that ensuring responsible management of electronic waste is important for many reasons, including the prevention of fires caused by lithium-ion and other batteries in electronics.
The policy states that SWANA supports integrated solid waste management systems that prioritize waste reduction and recycling and describes the critical process to evaluate and apply multiple complementary solutions where they are environmentally responsible and economically viable. It explains that SWANA supports resource recovery, conversion technologies, and waste to energy as integral components of an integrated solid waste management system, provided they meet certain criteria, as described in the policy.
"These were important updates as we reflect on the role of various policies and technologies in modern waste and resource management,” shared Kristyn Oldendorf, SWANA senior director of public policy and communications. “The updates to the policy on electronics recycling are especially timely, as we are experiencing an industry crisis with fires caused by embedded lithium-ion batteries. Going forward, we will reference these technical policies when providing SWANA comments and advocacy.”
The full library of SWANA Technical Policies can be found at https://swana.org/key-initiatives/swana-advocacy-and-policy/technical-policies.