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SWANA & CRRA Launch Joint Zero Waste Certification Course



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 19, 2017

 
 

SWANA & CRRA Launch Joint Zero Waste Certification Course
After years of development and testing, Zero Waste Principles & Practices is now available

Silver Spring, MD – The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and the California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA) announce the launch of their new Zero Waste Principles & Practices certification course, developed by the two organizations along with Kessler Consulting (KCI) over the past two years.

This course will promote the integration of zero waste principles into existing management systems, practices, and policies, in order to move local systems toward developing and achieving community-specific Zero Waste goals.

“The partnership between SWANA and CRRA reflects our commitment to managing resources and understanding that there are better ways to address resource management than disposal,” said Sara Bixby, SWANA’s Deputy Executive Director. “Our current recycling, composting, and education programs must be part of our future Zero Waste systems; the challenge is to rethink existing programs in the context of Zero Waste and to add elements that move us further toward these goals.”

The Zero Waste Principles & Practices certification course will benefit municipal recycling and solid waste professionals, private and public sector policy makers, and sustainability advocates who are looking to write a Zero Waste plan or learn more about components to incorporate in their current program.

“Early on, CRRA's Board recognized the importance of bringing a structured educational program to the non-profit, public, and private sector engaged in developing and bringing zero waste plans to reality,” said Rob Hilton, CRRA’s President. “CRRA's early certification program was successful in training hundreds of professionals, many of whom are now in Zero Waste careers. This partnership with SWANA allows us to reach and learn from thousands of our colleagues and industry partners across North America, and it is my sincere hope that this sharing and learning evolves the concepts of Zero Waste from a movement to an established industry."

The Zero Waste Principles & Practices certification course contains 10 modules covering areas of public policy, programs, technology, and measurement, with lessons that include collection options, managing organics, contracts, and financing.

“Kessler Consulting was honored to have been selected to prepare the Zero Waste Principles & Practices certification course,” said Mitch Kessler, President of Kessler Consulting. “The collaborative effort among CRRA, SWANA and the KCI project team reflects a wide array of interests, expertise and passion for this topic and that carries through in the materials.“

The course will premiere at CRRA’s 41st Annual Conference and Tradeshow in San Diego, California from August 16-23, 2017, and is available as part of SWANA’s industry-renowned Certification Program through Training@Work, Training@HQ, and Chapter Partnering programs.

To learn more about the Zero Waste Principles & Practices certification course, click here.

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About SWANA:

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) is an organization of more than 9,000 public and private sector professionals committed to advancing from solid waste management to resource management through their shared emphasis on education, advocacy and research. For more than 50 years, SWANA has been the leading association in the solid waste management field. SWANA serves industry professionals through technical conferences, certifications, publications, and a large offering of technical training courses. For more information, visit swana.org.

About CRRA:

The California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA) is California’s statewide recycling association. It is the oldest and one of the largest non-profit recycling organizations in the United States. A 501(C)3 organization, CRRA is dedicated to achieving environmental sustainability in and beyond California through Zero Waste strategies including product stewardship, waste prevention, reuse, recycling and composting. CRRA provides its members with resources to advance local, regional and state wide waste reduction efforts which result in critical environmental and climate protection outcomes. CRRA’s members represent all aspects of California’s reduce-reuse-recycle-compost economy. Our members work for cities, counties, municipal districts, and businesses as well as hauling companies, material processors, non-profit organizations, state agencies, and allied professionals. For more information, visit ccra.org.

 Wendy Melis
Marketing Director
1-800-GO-SWANA (467-9262)
wmelis@swana.org

 Jenna Abbott
CRRA Executive Director
916-441-2772
Jenna@CRRA.com

 
 
 

About SWANA

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) is an organization of more than 10,000 public and private sector professionals committed to advancing from solid waste management to resource management through their shared emphasis on education, advocacy, and research. For more than 60 years, SWANA has been the leading association in the solid waste management field. SWANA serves industry professionals through technical conferences, certifications, publications, and a large offering of technical training courses.

Media Contact

Kristyn Oldendorf
Director of Public Policy
(240) 494-2237
marketing@swana.org