CEO Column

Happy New Year! 2020 was certainly a year that we will never forget, and hopefully, will never repeat. The same, sadly, is true for the horrific events that took place in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, January 6^th.

However, I am increasingly optimistic about our industry and SWANA. The vaccines are coming. We continue pushing for the solid waste industry to be designated as “essential front-line” workers in various states and provinces, and a growing number of chapters have sent letters urging this designation to appropriate governmental officials. Our industry is being increasingly recognized for its work managing the increased residential waste and recyclables generated over the past nine months. Whether the hard-working men and women of this great industry are vaccinated in January, March or May, it will take place soon.

Once the vaccines are distributed to the general population, probably by summer, both the United States and Canada will (finally!) revert to the eagerly anticipated “New Normal.” What that looks like, and how it differs from the pre-pandemic days, remains to be seen. I am eager to get on an airplane and attend a SWANA chapter event.

While we await the vaccines, SWANA continues to offer a variety of terrific virtual conferences and educational opportunities. WASTECON^® will take place on January 26-28 and will consist of nine keynote speakers and panels. Unlike when you attended WASTECON^® in Phoenix or other years, you will not have to choose between compelling sessions and topics! You can attend all of them. Importantly, you can participate in them without incurring travel expenses or being away from home. So please register today.

On February 25, SWANA will hold its first ever stand-alone Safety Summit. This 3-hour event will provide a wide variety of resources, best practices, and information on how to improve your agency’s or company’s safety performance and reduce costly accidents and injuries. SWANA will release its 2020 safety report at the Safety Summit. If you care about safety, I urge you to register for it.

Speaking of safety, SWANA will be launching its new weekly safety newsletter in late February. This newsletter replaces Safety Monday as a regular source of useful safety information that can be provided to front-line workers in collection, recycling, disposal, and other locations. We will continue to focus attention and resources on safety, and welcome your involvement, input, and feedback on our new newsletter. If your company is interested in supporting the new safety newsletter, please contact me.

2021 will be a historic year for SWANA. It is the 60^th anniversary of the founding of this great association in southern California (as the Governmental Refuse Collection and Disposal Association). The formation of SWANA was prompted by the need to provide safety information and training, for which SWANA will continue to be the industry leader. During this Diamond Anniversary year, SWANA will be celebrating SWANA’s past and its people, who over the decades have helped lead SWANA to where it is today, and positioning our association for the next sixty years. There will be a series of communications about this special anniversary, culminating in a celebration at WASTECON^® in Orlando, Florida in early November.

We will be in Florida later this year – together – for WASTECON^® 2021. That sounds really good right now (it was 20 degrees Fahrenheit this morning) and is one of the many reasons I am optimistic about the coming year. You are a member of the largest and best waste and recycling association in both the United States and Canada – which continues to provide you with the education, information, networking opportunities, and other programs that you rely on to be a better solid waste professional. Your future, and ours, is bright. I look forward to seeing all of you in 2021.