CEO Column

By: David Biderman, SWANA CEO and Executive Director

I hope each and every one of you had a very pleasant and relaxing holiday season and got some well-deserved time off and away from the screens with friends and family.

Has there ever been a tougher time to work for a sanitation department, or a hauling or recycling company? Workers were tough to find, and the Omicron surge is causing increased staffing problems and delays. With supply chain issues continuing, it’s also a very difficult time to run a manufacturing company, particularly if you make collection vehicles. And with all of the economic and public health uncertainties, it isn’t exactly easy for the consulting firms that serve the waste and recycling industry.

So, take a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Stand up. Stretch.

Breathing and stretching won’t make these problems go away, but they will help you be better positioned to respond to them.

Last month, I had the privilege of participating in Kim Braun’s virtual retirement party. For those who don’t know Kim, she served on the International Board and in a variety of different leadership positions at SWANA during her career. She helped welcome me to SWANA when I came here in 2015 and was a huge cheerleader for SWANA during her storied solid waste career.

I was struck by the huge number of SWANA members who participated in the party, and who took the time to speak – far more eloquently than I – about the impact Kim had on them, their careers, and the communities she served. She was (and is) a leader and a role model. I am thrilled for Kim and was reminded about how valuable the relationships are that connect SWANA’s 10,000 members. When you are a SWANA member, you don’t have to walk alone. There is an army of experienced peers interested in helping you, whether its dealing with a difficult elected official, purchasing a truck, or navigating an environmental challenge.

Where are you going to find the information, resources, and advice that will help you respond to the challenges you and your company or agency face? I sincerely hope SWANA is one of your trusted sources of data, insight, and analysis. Over the past 2 years, we have written ARF reports on everything from recycling contamination to the long-term management of closed landfills, and issued other well-received reports on the labor shortage and the recycling markets recovery. We continue to track and analyze fatal incidents and other data to provide useful guidance via our weekly Safety Matters newsletter and our periodic Safety Alerts to the chapter-based Safety Ambassadors.

A lot of this information arrives via email, which is the primary form of communication between SWANA, its chapters, and its members. But email (and Zoom/Teams) is not enough. Those of you who attended WASTECON^® experienced the magic of being together as an industry, which felt particularly meaningful after not gathering in person for about 2 years. Something special happens when 1,000 solid waste professionals gather together for a convention/conference. Relationships are established, nurtured, and renewed. Business opportunities are discussed. Adult beverages are consumed. Not always in that order.

You have the opportunity to experience that special feeling -- at SOAR on March 21-24 in Kansas City, Missouri. SOAR stands for Sustainability, Operations, Action, Resources. SOAR is the new name for SWANApalooza and is intended to be the premier annual conference providing technical solutions for resource management. We were forced to cancel SWANApalooza in 2020 and SOAR in 2021, but it’s time for our Technical Divisions and others interested in the myriad of technical issues associated with the safe collection, processing, and disposal of solid waste and recyclables to gather again. SWANA staff and the Technical Division leadership have curated a superb lineup of speakers and sessions for you. Check out the program, and then register for SOAR. 

SWANA can’t change the trajectory of the pandemic. But we can – and hopefully do – make it easier for you to navigate the wide variety of challenges and curveballs coming your way. Take advantage of the network. Engage with your chapter and Technical Division. Come to SOAR (and bring a YP with you).