This informative session discusses the challenges young professionals face entering the waste conversion industry through personal experience and open discussions with SWANA young professionals. Waste incineration, anaerobic digestion, and other thermal conversion technologies are not typical subjects in the education system. Young professionals enter the industry facing a steep learning curve. Topics such as the generational gap, innovation, and available opportunities for young professionals will be discussed to bring up the elephant in the room: why you rarely see a young professional in or around facilities.

Questions for young professionals and senior-level engineers include:

1. How can we  improve the transfer of knowledge?
2. What happens to this information if more young professionals aren’t brought into the industry?
3. Why aren’t young professionals interested in waste conversion?
4. How can we help stop waste conversion from dying — not because of politics or regulations — but because of professional resources?

Attendees will hear and discussed the results from SWANA member surveys and meetings with members of SWANA’s Waste Conversion & Energy Recovery (WCER) Technical Division young professionals. The goal is to gain a general understanding of the roadblocks young professionals face, why the road blocks exist, and how to move forward. The future of waste conversion isn’t just in the hands of industry veterans; it’s in the minds of the next generation.

About the Speakers

Harrison Dewhurst
Mechanical EIT | HDR

Harrison Dewhurst, EIT, is a Mechanical Engineer specializing in waste-to-energy, serving as a consulting engineer for a diverse range of clients across North America. With hands-on experience at facilities throughout the U.S. and Canada, Harrison brings a broad and practical understanding of the industry’s technical and operational challenges. His work focuses on optimizing performance, ensuring regulatory and contractual compliance, and overseeing maintenance projects. Harrison holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Quinnipiac University and is graduating with is Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida in December. He is certified as an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) and actively contributes to the solid waste community through his involvement in the SWANA Florida Chapter’s Young Professionals group. Passionate about advancing the field and connecting with peers, Harrison aims to share insights that are both technically sound and grounded in real-world experience.

Abigail Fleming
Environmental Engineer | HDR

Abigail Fleming brings more than seven years of experience in solid waste engineering, focusing on waste-to-energy technologies, sustainable infrastructure and resource recovery initiatives across North America. Abigail supports operations and maintenance (O&M) contracts for multiple waste-to-energy facilities in Virginia, Maryland, New York, and Ontario, CA. She works closely with operators and stakeholders to ensure efficient facility performance, compliance, and long-term reliability. In addition to daily operations support, she has contributed to numerous facility condition assessments nationwide, helping clients plan and optimize their waste management infrastructure.