YP SPOTLIGHT: Catelyn Scholwinski

The SWANA Young Professionals (YP) group continues to grow and expand across the country. SWANA YP members have been busy this past year speaking at SWANA events, leading teams, mentoring students and making strides in every aspect of the industry. Let’s get to know some of these upcoming industry leaders!

Meet Catelyn Scholwinski, Recycling Coordinator - City of New Braunfels, TX

Are you usually expected to have all the answers? Well, that’s exactly the responsibility Catelyn Scholwinski has in her community as Recycling Coordinator for the City of New Braunfels, Texas. Over the past nine years, she has inspired inquiring minds to reduce their environmental impact, practice waste reduction, and support local sustainability initiatives. An enthusiastic educator, Catelyn annually delivers customized, award-winning curriculum that challenge and engage more than 800 students to be better stewards of the waste they generate. A dedicated researcher and grant writer, Catelyn supports her municipality in an administrative capacity by exploring and advocating for potential growth opportunities, spearheading the City’s recent Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan for the Solid Waste and Recycling Division. During her tenure, Catelyn has initiated special recycling collection programs for electronics and expanded polystyrene to increase diversion.

Catelyn is a native Texan that grew up without recycling at home but came to appreciate it as an adult. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity University with double majors in urban studies and sociology. Vancouver, Canada is where she learned the value of waste as a resource and it motivated her to complete a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Sustainable Community Development from Simon Fraser University.

Her passion for preparing the next generation of leaders is also evident in her volunteer involvement with SWANA. Catelyn serves as the Young Professionals (YP) Representative for the Lone Star Chapter, where she has helped bring more YP-focused conference events, webinars, and networking opportunities to Texas YPs. Catelyn is SWANA Certified as a Technical Associate of Recycling Systems and is also Vice Director of SWANA’s Sustainable Materials Management Technical Division.

When asked about her experience as a SWANA YP member, she shares, “SWANA has been an invaluable resource for learning and making contacts, and I strive to help other YPs have that same experience,” she explains. “I am able to do my job better because of the information sharing SWANA facilitates, many aspects of which I would have never had access to otherwise.”

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