SWANA Celebrates Earth Day 2021

Continues push for resource management

Silver Spring, MD – The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) celebrates the 51^st anniversary of Earth Day by helping communities advance from solid waste management to resource management.

SWANA continues to provide guidance to municipal and private sector waste and recycling operations to help them address ongoing challenges facing local recycling programs, all while protecting workers and the public during the pandemic. There are many ways to celebrate Earth Day and help the planet, while staying safe during this time.

“Everyone in the solid waste industry plays a role in reducing the environmental burden on communities and the planet,” stated David Biderman, SWANA’s Executive Director and CEO. “While improving recycling systems should continue to be a priority, reducing waste generation will reduce pressure on overburdened dumpsites and landfills, particularly in developing countries. SWANA calls on manufacturers and others to work with governmental entities at every level to reduce the amount of waste that is generated, and to recycle more of it.”

“Every day, the professionals in the solid waste industry work to protect our earth, from education on waste reduction and proper recycling, to collection in alternatively fueled vehicles, to proper waste disposal in highly engineered disposal facilities,” said Brenda Haney, SWANA President and Solid Waste Director for the City of Lubbock, TX. “This is an industry full of proud, ingenious, and creative individuals moving us forward.”

SWANA estimates that the United States spends about $200 million each year to process non-recyclable material at recycling facilities that ends up in a landfill or other disposal site. Over the next five years, the United States could waste an estimated $1 billion to process recycling that is really garbage.

SWANA encourages the public to stop “wish-cycling” to prevent contamination. One easy change to help the environment this Earth Day is to check local recycling programs to learn what recycling materials are accepted.

SWANA will be hosting a Sustainable Materials Management Summit on Tuesday, June 15. This half-day, virtual event will bring together recycling, organics recovery, and resource management professionals. Industry leaders will discuss new US EPA Recycling Goals, organics infrastructure, and how the public sector can move the needle on recycling.

Learn more about SWANA’s initiatives by visiting SWANA’s website at SWANA.org.