The National Waste and Recycling Association announced its 2018 Drivers of the Year and Operator of the Year winners. The awards recognize the drivers and an operator from member companies who put safety as their top priority.

Safety is a core value at NWRA and for our members. Our members and their employees are dedicated to keeping our communities clean and safe on a daily basis. Therefore, it is important that we recognize the drivers and operators who make safety a priority. I congratulate them on their achievement,” said NWRA President and CEO, Darrell Smith.

The Operator of the Year award is for employees working in post-collection for a MRF (materials recovery facility), landfill, or transfer station who operate safely heavy equipment, including bulldozers, front-end loaders, and compactors.

The Driver of the Year awards are for those drivers who operate their trucks in a safe and responsible manner, have outstanding performance records, and whose contributions have enhanced the overall safety and image of the solid waste industry.

The finalists were determined by a computerized scoring system. Independent judges selected the winners based on letters of recommendation and, for drivers, the difficulty of the route. During judging, operators were also judged on difficulty of their equipment to operate.

The award winners will be officially recognized at WasteExpo 2018 during the Awards Breakfast on Tuesday, April 24.

The 2018 Driver of the Year Awardees:

Large Commercial – Mike Lawrence, Waste Connections, Inc.

Large Industrial – Toribio Gonzalez, Republic Services, Inc.

Large Residential – Charles Thorpe, Republic Services, Inc.

Regional Commercial – Mark Tumulty, Rumpke Waste & Recycling

Regional Industrial – Calvin Smith, WCA Waste Corporation

Regional Residential – Dean Koch, Recology

Medium – Joseph Lallier, All Waste, Inc.

Small – Bryan Rasmussen, Interwest Paper Pro Recycling Group

Public Sector – Roger Bronner, City of San Diego

The 2018 Operator of the Year Awardee:

Scott Russell, E.L. Harvey & Sons


For more information, visit www.wasterecycling.org.

Sponsor