2020 was filled with challenges that no one saw coming. As the industry continues to adjust, there are some long-term effects that will affect the way organizations do business in the future.
Looking back on 2020, how did the pandemic change the waste and recycling industry overall?
David Biderman: 2020 saw the most significant changes to the waste and recycling industry nationwide since the Supreme Court struck down flow control in 1994 in the Carbone case. In just a few weeks during the Spring, millions of business establishments closed, and nearly 100 million Americans began working from home. This created large changes in waste generation, which forced waste and recycling companies and municipal agencies to adjust operations to manage it safely and effectively. From a business perspective, companies determined they did not need to have a large portion of their workforce working overtime. Some local governments were forced to suspend certain curbside services, including recycling and yard waste collection, but the majority of those suspensions have been lifted. For example, Baltimore’s suspension of curbside collection of recycling ended in mid-January.
A major short-term change was the reversal of the downward trend in commodity prices for recyclables. According to Stifel, the weighted recycling commodity basket was about $156 per ton in the first quarter of 2018, when China’s National Sword started to restrict exports, and had declined to $84.70 in early 2020. We saw an increase to over $100 per ton by the end of the year, as closed offices and schools on the supply side combined with increased e-commerce on the demand side drives prices for recycled fiber
upward.
John Paglia: Commercial took a major hit. I do not think anyone was prepared for it. It definitely affected all of our operations. Many of us who anticipated continued growth during 2019 for 2020 had assets arrive to serve the commercial sector, only to see them collect dust in the yard for longer than we would have liked. I am starting to see it come back a little bit, but most of it is still recovered growth, not new growth. While that differs from state to state, the consensus, in talking with people across the country, is that it is not as bad as it was, but there are still a lot of places that are still affected by government shutdown feeling a commercial slowdown. The pandemic also forced us to implement measures that will further improve our safety scores as an industry—things that go beyond just accidents and driving the trucks. For example, we all have instituted cleaning procedures and new measures to keep employees in a cleaner working environment. We are also sanitizing trucks daily and will continue to do so daily in perpetuity. We also focused on the individual themselves. We have given them access to telemedicine and life coaches. We pushed the priority of general health practices like good hygiene, proper nutrition and hydration, proper sleep, and how that can translate to a more focused and healthier individual to combat the challenges our industry presents daily on the human mind and body. These habits will help employees to be healthier, so they perform better and safer, and have more a focused and clearer vision about what they need to do. These steps will stay in place once the pandemic clears as well because we believe in its benefits long term. I think that we will start to see more long-term beneficial results with regards to safety records because our employees will be more engaged due to a cleaner, healthier and more involved working environment. Truck health is important, so we really focused on the men and women who operate these trucks daily as well.
Since the pandemic began, we have done a lot of cross training because the average ratio of callouts did increase tremendously. I still feel like every day is a still new challenge. Our industry was already struggling to attract and retain CDL drivers. The search and challenge to fill these positions is even more heightened. Not only do we have to worry about our employees, but it is also important that we train them well enough and provide material that they can take home to their families to also follow and abide by. At Florida Express Environmental, everyone is still required to wear masks. At one time it was new; I think we all will agree it is now the norm. This year, the CARES act in 2021 became optional for employers to pay for COVID sick leave, but we have continued to make this option mandatory internally to show good faith with all our employees, so they know that we genuinely care about them, and if they do get sick, that they are going to be compensated—lack of income while battling COVID-19 will be one less stress.
Marc Rogoff: Looking at the perspective of our public sector clients, who manage collection and recycling contracts, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in collection delays, reduction of recycling pickups, and contract distress. Many haulers requested changes in fee structures and pass through costs. We participated in several rate adjustment studies and rate hearings. These are the short-term impacts. Given the impact of the pandemic on long-term local government resources, I would venture to guess that many solid waste agencies may be forced to either reduce program, look for economies and potentially drop certain recycling programs. Those that continue using public sector resources for collection may be asked to look for public-private partnerships to reduce costs for local government.
Tom Griffith: The most significant change was with personnel, especially getting employees to follow COVID procedures, staffing due to workers being sick, developing, implementing and enforcing new procedures and keeping everyone socially distanced. Worker safety became a priority. With the country on ‘lock down’ and the majority of people working from home, waste streams changed to less commercial and more residential. Recycling was hardest hit with many programs being discontinued as money became tight and workers were sick or furloughed. MRF sites that had more automation and robotics came back online quicker. Sites that are not as automated are having a harder time with social distancing and meeting goals. They might never recover. The impact is that those who are serious about recovery/recycling will start to automate more to be more profitable. For landfills there was a ramping down of cell construction, capital expenditures and fleet purchases.
Will Flower: Like many industries, the waste and recycling industry was impacted by the pandemic. We saw big swings in commercial volumes as indoor dining at restaurants was curtailed and large office buildings were empty as a result of people working from home. At the same time, we saw residential waste volumes increase.
Recycling was also impacted and we experienced an increase in cardboard volume resulting from people shopping and ordering supplies online. The industry proved that day in and day out we provide an essential service. Overall, the entire industry did an outstanding job to make sure society’s waste was properly managed.
Over the last year, commercial took a back seat to residential waste, what steps were taken in order to address this shift most effectively?
Biderman: SWANA saw municipal agencies and haulers take a variety of steps to address the increase in residential waste that we have experienced during the pandemic. In some communities, they have added personnel and vehicles to handle the additional volume. In some locations, the cost of collection is increasing. As noted above, some municipal agencies, as well as some haulers, suspended certain programs to make sure that the trash continued to be collected on a regular basis. This was more likely to occur in cities that experienced the “perfect storm” of increased waste and staffing shortages as collection workers tested positive for COVID-19 or were forced to quarantine because someone in their home had tested positive. In some cities, about one quarter of collection workers were unavailable, making it challenging to provide all of the services. Some of these cities have hired contract employees or contractors to add resources in response to staffing shortages caused by COVID-19.
Paglia: We have done everything we can to make residential collection a priority day to day. We have prepared many contingency plans in case of increased employee absenteeism. We have communicated preventative emergency protocols on our website as well as communicated via e-mail and newsletters to our customers to be prepared for a worst-case scenario if their trash was not collected under their “normal” collection day and time. We have not had to enact an emergency collection plan yet, but we are prepared if staffing challenges force us to. We have had to be extremely cognizant of our operating cost during this time. We have tried our best to run as efficient as possible and having a well-maintained fleet has assisted in reducing one more challenge for us to not have to worry about. The effect that shutdowns and COVID-19 have had on the supply chain for parts and waste-related products is a challenge that should not be underestimated. Purchasing and renting equipment to handle the overage was not as available as things needed to be, so many haulers were forced to get creative and best use the assets they did have.
Griffith: Companies that are landfill-centric are doing well. Larger companies adapted by moving money, people and fleet to adjust. Some companies did away with recycling, pushing everything to landfills. Material density difference meant that operations had to adjust to maintain or meet required density on landfills. Inbound materials to MRFs were more contaminated due to people working from home and not caring how they disposed of waste and recyclables.
Flower: The waste flow from restaurants, schools, office buildings and businesses slowed during the pandemic. In response, we adjusted labor and rerouted to remain efficient. At the same time, residential waste volumes were up, which was expected as people were at home more than usual. Another interesting trend that we saw at the beginning of the pandemic was an increase in roll-off boxes at residential units. We found that people who were staying home spent a lot of time cleaning out their garages, basements, attics and closets, resulting in a demand for 10- and 20-cubic yard roll-off boxes. Bottom line is that we adjusted and scaled the various lines of business to remain as efficient as possible.
For the past couple of years, recycling has dealt with the impacts of China’s National Sword ruling. Now, the impact of the pandemic has affected it even more. In what ways will it change recycling?
Biderman: The pandemic has the potential to be a positive influence on recycling programs in the United States and Canada. There is increased demand for residential recyclables, prices have increased, and stakeholders are working together to strengthen the recycling systems in the United States and Canada. In addition, many Americans have become increasingly aware of the amount of waste and recyclables they generate due to the pandemic, and this provide an opportunity to reduce contamination and improve efficiencies at the MRF.
Paglia: Yes, I believe it will recover but it will force us to take a step back and reevaluate how we handle it full circle. Due to contamination and challenge of public education, single-stream collection is proven to not be the most effective choice of recycling residentially. This pandemic has continued to push the recycling stream away from commercial and into the homes with the boom of e-commerce business and many still working mobile and working from home, which I believe will be a continued trend. Therefore, when you evaluate these streams, most people are ordering online and having USPS, UPS, and Fed-Ex delivering to their doorstep. However, once the product is removed, you are left with cardboard, paper, and maybe some plastic bags that were filled with air. Rather than collect everything under the sun lets focus on the larger volume of material and collect and process that well. Rather than cancelling residential recycling contracts and shutting down recycling facilities, we could refocus and lower our processing cost and focus on cleaning up the materials at the curb rather than the processing facility. Our biggest goal should be not to take everything just because it is pressured to do so, we must evaluate what we can collect well —that will reduce the carbon footprint. What is the good in collecting a stream that will lead to contamination, only to have it then reloaded into a transfer trailer, which is then sent to a landfill just to be politicly correct? Recycling programs should be tailor fit to the markets and customers they are serving.
Griffith: With the pandemic, there were changes in: the waste stream, work force, marketing and pricing for product. This all changed at how we are looking at recovery/recycling. Many recycling programs were shutdown. For those who are not automated as much, there will be a slow recovery. The current ‘COVID’ business model has exposed the volatility of recycling in the U.S. In many municipalities, recycling was looked at as a necessary evil to be green. Many lost money rather than made money. Public education and having the best equipment to recover recyclable material are expensive. Half-hearted attempts failed and had to be terminated so that capital loss would slow down. First and foremost, municipalities and some lawmakers are starting to understand the need for subsidized recycling. Or, they need to support or create a better business case for recycling. Money needs to be spent to help end users become solvent and support much needed R&D for use of recyclables.
Flower: Recycling will remain part of the solution for managing waste. Since Operation Green Fence in 2014, there has been an effort to improve the quality of recycling commodities. In 2018, the evolutionary progression became revolutionary due to the China’s import restrictions. Across America, the economics of recycling changed resulting in the need to adjust municipal contracts and the formulas used to pay for recycling services. Inside the MRFs, there was a greater focus on inbound materials and huge capital investments to upgrade equipment. Today, recycling plants are focused on the production of quality recyclables. Legislation and smart regulation is needed to advance recycling. Done properly, Extended Producer Responsibilities laws and Minimum Content legislation can aid municipalities and strengthen the markets for recyclables.
Rogoff: I am a strong advocate for reduce, reuse and recycle. I think business will look for ways to accomplish the “circular economy”. Many have promoted recycling through reducing the overall weight of products. This will continue unabated, in my opinion. Overall, we need to develop local markets for these recyclables in America. We have relied on foreign markets for too long. This may require a change in the tax code as well as major investments in recycling technologies. Hopefully, with the new Administration some of these legislative changes will make their way through Congress through a “Build America” focus.
How has COVID affected those cities who have put bans on single-use plastics OR were planning on implementing them in the near future?
Biderman: A number of cities delayed implementation of single use plastic bans in response to the pandemic, but as the COVID-19 vaccines are distributed this year, I expect those delays to end. The concerns driving single use plastic bans, including marine litter, are only growing.
Flower: In 2020, we continued to see numerous bans on bags, straws, foam containers and single-use plastics. The best thing government can do is to actively promote and foster the development of markets for recyclables.
Griffith: Most municipalities had to change their thought process on ‘one-use plastics’ during this pandemic. Although not proven, there is still a fear of transmittal of the disease through re-use. One-use plastic laws or regulations have either been relaxed, held up or done away with altogether waiting for a possible later date of institution or approval. In the meantime, disposal of one-use plastics is creating their own concerns since the industry was not ready for the amount that is being generated or disposed of incorrectly.
Beyond COVID, what are the biggest issues that the industry is dealing with currently? What are some industry initiatives to keep an eye on for 2021?
Biderman: Before COVID-19, the three biggest issues facing the industry were: (1) recruiting and retaining front-line workers; (2) recycling; (3) PFAS in leachate from landfills. Although each issue continues to be important, conditions have changed substantially since early 2020. Prior to COVID-19, the U.S. unemployment rate was 3.5 percent. During 2020, unemployment peaked at 16.8 percent and was officially at 6.7 percent in November 2020, though there are millions of people who have dropped out of the workforce who are not being counted. Although economic conditions will likely improve in 2020, particularly in the second half, even the most optimistic economists believe it will be years before the unemployment rate is below four percent. This means there should be a healthy supply of potential workers for the industry.
The continuing impacts of National Sword, and the new restrictions on exports of discarded plastic under the Basel Convention, will be a recurring issue for the industry in 2021. EPA’s issuance of a National Recycling Strategy in the Spring in support of the National Recycling Goal announced in November 2020 offers a number of strategies and tactics that recycling stakeholders can work together on to improve recycling. Several new recycled containerboard mills are expected to be built in the United States over the next few years, which will provide new markets for recycled cardboard and paper.
Landfill owners should be closely monitoring PFAS developments at the state and federal levels. A number of states are issuing regulations imposing a patchwork of maximum contaminant levels and other restrictions that could make it more difficult for landfills to send leachate to wastewater treatment facilities. The EPA issued “interim guidance” on destroying and disposing certain PFAS and PFAS-containing materials in December 2020. The Biden Administration can be expected to consider more aggressive steps to address public health concerns associated with PFAS.
Paglia: If you had a challenge previous to COVID19, it was only increased in 2020. COVID is more than just a virus, it is a huge disrupter to the supply chain as we knew it. Forecasting for equipment is now a heightened challenge that is not to be overlooked. If you normally forecast your business to grow and you want to add “x” amount to your fleet or other equipment in the coming year, you must consider that vendors could take months to a year longer to prepare and deliver for orders, so you must learn how to adapt and forecast even further than previous years. While you need to look at things in the short-term to keep the operations going, you have to be able to sit down weekly and forecast your long-term goals more frequently as well. Electric trucks are being introduced and put into service which is encouraging to see. If they can get them to be efficient and really reduce the carbon footprint, fleets will run cleaner and more efficient as time goes on. I think we will continue to see automation be the preferred and majority offered service level when planning for residential growth into the future.
Griffith: There are several challenges. With businesses like restaurants and commercial companies being closed down, there is a tax loss. When it comes time to renewing contracts, municipalities are struggling to meet the current contract due to lack of funds. They are wanting to re-negotiate contracts. It was suggested, that politicians want to shut down everything, but that means no income or taxes to work with. As mentioned above, major players, due to COVID-induced lower profits have cut back on: cell construction, capital expenditures, fleet maintenance and purchase of new
vehicles especially electric vehicle purchases.
PFAS is still a rising concern in many municipalities, especially since they have been found in municipal drinking water. The release of the wastewater from treatments plants into rivers where many municipalities obtain their drinking water has drawn attention to the amount of PFAS particulates showing up. The EPA just came out with an “interim guidance” document for PFAS, but has been slow in developing regulations for PFAS mostly leaving it up to state, counties or cities to regulate. Several groups have stated that much more research is needed to understand PFAS, its effects on humans and safe disposal methods (not short-term but long-term). It has been stated that there are still many questions to answer before moving forward to regulations.
Automation, especially robotics in MRFs, is starting to make huge leaps due to safety, less human interaction, better quality of material, etc. With regards to contamination, there is a huge need for education and subsequent disposal programs. The cut back of recycling programs and more people ‘thinking green,’ is creating a public that looks at less packaging and questions ‘end-of-life management’ of materials. Many consumers are ‘stay-at-home-buying,’ with some looking at the type of packaging their products are being sent. Companies, when possible, are using more ‘mailers’ instead of traditional smaller boxes with protective films. They are starting to pay attention to less packaging and use of plastics
Rogoff: I am a strong advocate for electric vehicles. The technology is almost there for 2021. There is still an issue with long-range batteries for trash trucks. We see pilots underway by many local solid waste agencies. But I would predict that electric vehicles will rule the day within five years in the U.S. PFAS is another issue that we need to keep our eye on. EPA released a very bland report that provided preliminary guidance. More needs to be done to fill in the colors of this overall picture. I would expect major research efforts with a more forceful EPA under the new Administration.
Considering the recent change in presidential administration, how do you think this will affect the industry?
Biderman: Every new President impacts the industry, and the Biden Administration will be no exception. The most important thing it can do is expedite the distribution of vaccines, so the pandemic ends and the economy recovers. The disruption caused by the pandemic has been a huge shock to the entire industry. On the environmental front, the two primary issues that the Biden EPA will be tackling are Climate Change and Environmental Justice. Both issues certainly impact the industry, and in particular, disposal facilities. SWANA will continue to advocate for the industry with EPA and other federal agencies.
Griffith: The new administration admittedly is declaring they will be much ‘greener’ than the past administration. I expect more regulations on all plastics in the waste stream, PFAS, gas emissions, recycling and packaging just to mention a few. If, due to COVID, states/municipalities are asked to shut down once more, there will be another influx of job loss, lower revenues and subsequent closures of smaller waste businesses. Everyone is mentioning higher taxes (business/fuel/etc.) which means that cost will be passed on to the consumer at the gate or in other means. To me, the elephant in the room is whether the new administration will use ‘knowledgeable’ waste industry subject matter experts before making or acting on regulations that would impact the whole industry.
Flower: I think the changes in Washington will have a profound impact on the environmental industry. The most immediate change will be a reversal on the Trump-era policies on climate change. Changes in tax code is another area that will probably change. An increase in taxes could impact a company’s free cash flows thereby restricting capital spending. On the issue of environmental justice, companies will need to engage with and support the communities in which they operate.
Companies will need to recognize the right of all people to participate in public decisions and encourage open communications with the communities. And finally, on the recycling front, my hope is that a Biden administration will look at recycling and a critical business and work to adopt policies that strengthen domestic and international recycling markets.
There were a few major acquisitions in 2020 that took the spotlight. How do you think this will affect the industry, and do you believe that this is a trend that will continue in the future?
Paglia: Acquisitions are part of our industry since the inception of time and always will be. If they are as large as WM over ADV and GFL over WCA, sure they make headlines, but I believe due to the amount of time from WM over ADV being first announced, to the actual closure and completion of divestitures, everyone in the industry was happy for it to be complete, no matter what part of the industry you were in. It has created a lot of opportunity within the industry; this is no different than every day in the industry for anyone who is willing to do whatever it takes to make safety and customer service your number one priority. Vendors will have an opportunity if they can capitalize on new relationships, just like some may lose business due to relationships of the new management teams in place. Employees involved in any of the mergers are faced with the decision to stay with new leadership or jump ship and join someone else’s team. Once again, all of these are nothing new to our industry other than the actual size and magnitude of these acquisitions.
Flower: Changes in tax code could have an impact on M&A activity in 2021. In general, growth companies have strong acquisition pipelines and are always seeking opportunities. I think the number of big deals will slow in 2021, however, there will be no shortage of smaller, tuck-in type transactions that are immediately accretive a company’s earnings.
Griffith: With the current changes that the industry is going through due to the pandemic and, of course, the ‘instability’ of the industry in many areas, I believe that industry mergers and acquisitions will slow down or even come to a halt till recovery starts to take place. The other side of that is, the ‘instability’ of the industry, or that of smaller companies, leaves those companies ripe for acquisition or merger to a larger company during these times.
What is your take on the BLS safety report that came out at the end of 2020? Due to some unusual circumstances in 2020, such as COVID, do you believe/project that there will be a big difference in the numbers from 2019 to 2020?
Biderman: The BLS report reflects a slight improvement in 2019 compared to 2018, but keep in mind that 2018 saw the largest number of worker fatalities in the waste and recycling industry in at least a decade. There is still an unacceptable frequency of serious accidents, including fatalities, in the industry. It is way too early for anyone to be taking a victory lap celebrating the slight improvement. Many of these incidents are due to drivers and helpers not following safety best practices, including riding on the step when the truck is backing, or driving too quickly and losing control. There also are too many “struck by” incidents in which a collection worker is struck by another vehicle. Because the past year included the pandemic, which meant less commercial waste, more residential waste, and fewer other vehicles on the road, I expect 2020 data not to be particularly helpful for trend analysis, and will not be consistent with prior years. SWANA collects and analyzes data on fatal incidents involving the industry (both collection and post-collection), and our preliminary read on the past year reveals a decline in both worker and third-party (e.g., other drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists) fatalities. SWANA will be releasing its 2020 Safety Report at its February 25 Safety Summit. Although it is not a traditional occupational safety concern, SWANA is well aware that thousands of solid waste employees contracted COVID-19 during 2020, and dozens have died. It is my hope that this heightened awareness about occupational exposure to the virus translates into safer work practices by front-line workers in 2021 and beyond.
Paglia: I believe the dip in safety can be due to lack in training and communication. 2020 forced us to manage from afar in many situations that used to be a face-to-face meeting or handshake. This is now conducted with a lot less face- to-face action and the message may not be clearly communicated through all channels. One thing that we have focused on at Florida Express is to make sure that no matter how behind things feel in staffing, we still follow our core principles and training programs for all employees that have been around since we were founded over 45 years ago. We just get a little more creative than those days that’s for sure. We at times have had employees in on weekends or off route to do training with their trainer or supervisors. By not deviating from our core safety beliefs, we had an extremely safe year companywide. It did not come easy to obtain this success. We did whatever it took to get employees the same amount of training experience, so they were able to go out there solo behind equipment on the collection, landfill or recycling processing side of our business. All things come at a cost, but we felt this cost was worth absorbing. To our customers, they had/have no clue of these challenges as we do our best to hide them and perform in a professional manner. No one wants to hear an excuse, just be result driven. We do our best company wide to make sure everyone in our culture carries this professionalism in anything they are asked to do as part of the chain of our team.
Griffith: With the slow downs, shutdowns, social distancing, etc., to me a ‘dip’ would be expected. And, could be a reason for a significant change from 2019 to 2020. Safety incidents are down in many MRFs that are automated. In speaking with MRF general managers, there was an increased push for social distancing, education and workplace safety. There are two schools of thought on where the numbers will go for the next couple of years. The first is that once business comes back to ‘normal,’ we will see numbers start to go up again (although slowly). The second is that many workers were furloughed or let go. Once hauling, MRFs, composting, and to a lesser extent, landfills/transfer stations come back to full strength, new hires or less experienced workers might cause a surge back to or greater than where the safety incidents stood at the beginning of 2019.
What do you think that 2021 will hold for the industry? What is your outlook on the industry five years from now?
Biderman: 2021 will be a transitional year for the industry, and the timing and pace of that transition will be largely dependent on the speed in which vaccines are distributed and economic and social conditions in the United States and Canada return to normal, or the “new normal.” A substantial portion of commercial customers, such as schools, hotels and office buildings remain closed. This is impacting the industry and means less recyclables are available to paper mills.
The continuation of the pandemic is also impacting local governmental regulation of the industry, which affects business planning. For example, in New York City, the Department of Sanitation is unlikely to move forward with its Commercial Waste Zones plan establishing franchises until business conditions in the city, and particularly in Manhattan, are returning to normal. This will not happen until the majority of the U.S. is vaccinated.
I think in five years, the industry will be even more consolidated than it is in early 2021. The rapid growth of several companies over the past few years will continue, and I do not expect the pace of acquisitions to change. This will have positive and negative impacts on local governments and residents. Larger companies are better capitalized, have scale, and are better able to invest in innovations and improvements. But having fewer companies means less choice, which is bad for competition, and means increased waste collection and disposal costs for cities and counties, and for you and me.
Griffith: First two to three quarters of this year, it will be much the same as 2020. The industry will stay flat. With the current increase in COVID cases, and now with inoculations starting, there will be an influx of medical waste from all areas, including doctor’s offices, hospitals, funeral homes, etc. This might subside by the end of the year. As a result of this, MRFs/recovery facilities will be dealing with a drier more contaminated waste stream (less restaurant/business waste). Again, those facilities equipped with optical sorters/robotics will prosper with such waste streams. Many MRFs will have to analyze their ‘diversion rate,’ to see if what they are doing is sustainable. Some companies either will start or have started with different residential/commercial routing for ‘dry’/‘wet’ routes to help alleviate contamination.
Working from home will stay the same until almost the end of the year. Current rates of residential waste will stay the same or could possibly increase. Commercial and restaurant waste will come back slowly. Customer education programs are needed especially with more “stay at homes” contributing to the waste stream. There are many different thought processes on whether ‘education programs’ work. However, many municipalities or companies with less funds will have a hard time justifying a customer education program.
Outside of landfills, recovery (MRFs) and compost facilities are going to have to make their own opportunities analyzing what materials they will produce, which will dictate the type of systems they need and type of customers they want. Then find and analyze the ‘end user’ market. To that end, there are new trends in companies that are developing technology to use plastics/waste for fuel, road materials, building blocks, etc. There is still a strong feeling that the government should be supporting/subsidizing not only the waste industry, but also those people/companies that are researching new ‘end products’ from recyclables. However, that means, taxes/incentives, rulemaking, carbon tax credits, etc.
Training staff is changing due to covid restrictions. Initially, companies went to smaller group meetings more socially distanced with training being video centric. Unless there was testing involved before and after, this type of training does not meet requirements or reduce safety concerns. With the current situation, companies need to get more creative in their safety and training programs.
Operator training, especially with new machine delivery, changed to more ‘virtual’ training from many different vendors. For most companies, there has been layoffs, rehires, new hires and higher number of people retiring, which leads to the hiring of people who lack waste industry experience. These companies are looking for vendor training/training programs that enable them to sustain a safe work environment.
Rogoff: As I have said before, electric, electric, electric! If TESLA can develop a cost-effective Model 3, then our industry can manufacture economical electric solutions. They will reduce greenhouse gases, are safer and can minimize operational costs.
Paglia: I would like to see the industry return to business as usual—where we are not afraid to shake hands or have in-person events. I believe in being cautious, but I would like to see a return to a world where we are not shadowed or felt controlled by a looming pandemic. I hope with the introduction of the vaccine that it will help us all as well increase our overall health. Even once the pandemic is behind us, there is going to be a continued push for more automation and further trial and error with other power sources in collection and processing facilities with powered alternatives to vehicles, like electric and sorting line robotics. I would like to see recycling be controlled by each market and the hauler that serves it, rather than a blanket mandatory idea. I would like to see the waste industry, our bi-products, and recycling commodities once processed, continue to be repurposed domestically in even greater capacity. The more we can internalize, in times like the pandemic we become less reliant on other nations to help us.
Flower: The industry is strong. Companies have successfully managed through this pandemic by trimming the fat and focusing on efficiency. Those attributes will serve the sector well as we emerge from the pandemic and the economy gains speed. The policies of the Biden administration will have an impact on the economy so we will be carefully watching for policies that help or hinder the economy. | WA
THANK YOU TO OUR EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD PARTICIPANTS
David Biderman is the Executive Director and CEO of SWANA and has been a leader in the waste industry for more than 20 years. He has been with SWANA for nearly five years, and has helped it significantly grow its membership, visibility and leadership position concerning solid waste and recycling issues in the U.S., Canada and overseas. He serves on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC) and on several solid waste task forces in New York City. David joined SWANA in April 2015 after 18 years with the National Waste & Recycling Association, where he was their General Counsel, Vice President for Government Affairs, and Safety Director. He has testified before numerous federal, state and local agencies and councils, and has spoken about waste and recycling issues, policies, and trends at numerous international environmental conferences, including events in Asia, Latin America, and Europe.
Will Flower has more than 30 years of experience working in the field of solid waste management and environmental protection. His career started in 1983 when he began working for the Director’s Office of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency in Springfield, IL. He served as a Public Information Officer working in the Bureau of Air Pollution Control and the Emergency Response Unit. In 1990, Will began working for Waste Management, Inc. in the Midwest Region covering 13 states. In 1996, he was named Vice President of Communications and Community Relations for Waste Management and moved to New York City to work on a variety of projects including acquisitions, business development, community relations, municipal marketing and regulatory relations. In 1999, Will was hired by Republic Services as a manager of business development in New York City. Eventually, he managed operations in the Bronx, which included hauling operations and a large, 3,000 ton per day transfer station with significant long-haul logistics including trucking and rail. In 2000, he moved to Republic’s corporate office in Fort Lauderdale, FL where he served as the Vice President of Communications. Following Republic’s acquisition of Allied Waste Industries, Inc. in 2008, he was named Executive Vice President of Communications and in 2011 he was named the Senior Vice President of Communications. He retired from Republic Services in May 2012 after 13 years of service. Will frequently gives presentations at training and educational seminars discussing a variety of environmental and communication topics. He is also an active member of SWANA where he serves on the International Board of Directors. He is currently President of Green Stream Recycling in Brookhaven, NY, specializing in the processing of recyclable materials and the creation of high-quality recyclable materials for manufacturers.
Following in the footsteps of his Father, Uncle, and Grandfathers, John Paglia III is the 3rd generation of leadership for Florida Express Environmental. From an early age, John has been around every sector of the business. John’s earliest memories are from riding in a front loader in a car seat in the early 1990s under United Sanitation. While continuing his education through college, John remained an active part assisting wherever he was needed in United Sanitation, Sunstar Transport, Florida Express Shavings and Florida Express Environmental. After graduating from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Business Management in 2011, John joined Florida Express Environmental full time. Starting as a driver, John was raised with the attitude that before you can manage you need to be able to complete any task you assign an employee. After working hands-on in every sector of the business, by 2013 he became Florida Express Environmental’s General Manager. John is an active member of NWRA’s FILA group (Future Industry Leaders Alliance). In 2015 until the present, he has authored a monthly article termed “From the Experts” in Waste Advantage Magazine which is one of the largest publications in the waste and recycling industry. Articles are based upon safety, best management practices, leadership and motivation. He has a strong belief in servant leadership, having served on many leadership councils, including the FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), NCAA, and Charleston Southern University from 2007 to 2011. John and his wife have 3 boys, John IV, Rocco, and Roman, who are in line for the 4th generation of leadership at Florida Express Environmental.
Tom Griffith has worked in the waste industry for the past 22 years. Tom started as a heavy equipment operator in 1969 working with Coal companies in central Illinois. Tom continued to work for the coal mine after receiving his teaching degree and teaching school. In 1978, Tom was hired by Caterpillar Inc. as a ‘test operator’ for their Peoria Proving Grounds. During Tom’s tenure with Caterpillar, he was promoted to the Demonstration and Learning Center as a demonstrator/instructor for Cat’s heavy equipment. He was instrumental in helping develop and write Caterpillar’s first Certified Equipment Training program for all machines. Tom was promoted to Caterpillars Waste Group in 1998. Tom’s role was that of an application/product/marketing specialist. Tom developed waste training, helped with product design, worked with marketing groups, and traveled globally working with customer and dealers on product and waste industry best practices. Tom retired from Caterpillar after 41 years of service.
Retirement has taken Tom to South Carolina with his wife and two dogs. He currently works for Blue Ridge Services part-time helping them revise their machine and application training programs. In his off times, Tom enjoys time with his wife, grandkids, flying, photography and bicycle riding.
*Tom would like to sincerely thank all of the waste industry contacts that added to this 2020 Year in Review summary.
Marc J. Rogoff, PhD, is a Senior Consultant with Geosyntec Consultants in their Solid Waste Advisory Practice. Dr. Rogoff has more than 38 years of experience in solid waste management as a public agency manager and consultant. He has managed more than 350 consulting assignments across the U.S on all facets of solid waste management including, waste collection studies, facility feasibility assessments, facility site selection, property acquisition, environmental permitting, operation plan development, solid waste facility benchmarking; ordinance development, solid waste plans, financial assessments, rate studies/audits, development of construction procurement documents, bid and RFP evaluation, contract negotiation, and bond financings. Dr. Rogoff has directed engineer’s feasibility reports for nearly two dozen public works projects totaling more than $1.2 billion in project financings. He has interacted with bond rating agencies, financial advisors, insurance underwriters and investment bankers involved in these financings. His efforts have included the development of more than 100 detailed spreadsheet rate models establishing the financial feasibility of each project, long-term economic forecasts, and projected rate impact upon project users and customers. Dr. Rogoff has extensive experiences in completing financial studies and analyses of public works systems, including solid waste systems, water and wastewater utilities, park and recreation facilities, military base operations, and municipal streetlight programs. He has worked with a variety of clients to develop changes in solid waste collection operations to improve revenue funding and budgetary goals. He is active professionally with SWANA and APW. Dr Rogoff is a noted author of 200 plus technical articles in the solid waste and environmental trade press and eight solid waste textbooks.