Reinnovating Waste Management: Findings from Georgia’s Waste Characterization Study

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division (GAEPD) has been awarded a grant through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) Grant for States and Territories Program. This grant supports the completion of a comprehensive Solid Waste and Post-Consumer Material Characterization Study and the development of a post-consumer materials management plan. This study and plan represent significant steps toward improving Georgia’s solid waste management system. By collecting comprehensive data on waste composition and developing targeted strategies for waste diversion and recovery, the state aims to enhance the efficiency of its post-consumer materials management. The successful implementation of this project will also demonstrate measurable progress toward EPA’s National Recycling and Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goals, positioning Georgia as a leader in economically driven waste management Innovation.

Central to this initiative is the study, which involves five strategically selected facilities across Georgia. Two of these facilities are partnered with the Athens-Clarke County (ACC) Solid Waste Department for studies at the ACC Municipal Solid Waste Landfill and Materials Recovery Facility. These facilities provide an urban perspective on waste management, assessing recycling efficiency and contamination rates in a dynamic mid-sized city with a strong emphasis on waste diversion and recycling.

This presentation will describe findings from the 2025 study efforts performed by Geosyntec Consultants in collaboration with ACC for the GAEPD. By addressing Georgia's unique waste and post-consumer material management challenges, this project turns challenges into solutions and advances the understanding of waste as a resource.

About the Speakers

 
Suki Janssen
Solid Waste Director | Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste Department 

Suki Janssen is the Director of the Athens-Clarke County (ACC) Solid Waste Department and has been with ACC for over twenty years. Biggest accomplish to-date was bringing a Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM) to Georgia. Prior to joining ACCGov, she was a Program Coordinator for the Keep Georgia Beautiful program within the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Office of Environmental Management. She was past Georgia Recycling Coalition President; current Northeast Georgia Regional Solid Waste Management Authority board member and Solid Waste Association of North America Georgia (SWANA) Chapter current International Advisory Council Member, Road-E-O Chairperson and Safety Committee Member. She is a SWANA certified Landfill Operator and Class Instructor since 2005 and SWANA Recycling Systems Manager certified since 2007 and Composting Programs Manager certified since 2013. She completed the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leaders (IGEL) program as is part of the Class of 20-21. She is a Georgia Master Gardener, Master Composter and Master Naturalist. She published a children’s book about nature’s best recycler, the vulture. The book is titled There Goes the Neighborhood and came out in February 2020. She is married to Chris Janssen a retired middle school math teacher in Oconee County and lives with two dogs and two snakes.

  
Ashley Ramsey
Project Geologist | Geosyntec Consultants, Inc

Ashley Ramsey is a Professional Geologist based in Kennesaw, GA, with eight years of consulting experience in solid and hazardous waste projects across the United States. Ashley has successfully led advisory, compliance, and remediation initiatives, conducting compliance audits, site assessments, and environmental monitoring. She has directed the development of multiple large-scale solid waste master plans and has managed existing conditions analyses, waste characterization studies, stakeholder and public engagement efforts, and operational evaluations of landfills, MRFs, and transfer stations. Ashley is an active member of SWANA and currently serves on SWANA’s Young Professional Steering Committee and Conference Planning Committee and is a graduate of the 2023 SWANA YPLA.

  
Anna Schnittker
Senior Staff Professional | Geosyntec Consultants, Inc