Held in Tempe, AZ in September, this year’s NAHMMA was an exciting, fun, and informative event that drew attendees from across the U.S.
By Kenneth Miller
Welcome to NAHMMA Corner! NAHMMA held its 38th Annual Conference in Tempe, AZ at the Tempe Mission Palms from September 17 – 22, and I want to share with you some of the excitement from the event where attendees were able to network, train, and transform.
NAHMMA’s annual conference draws attendees from across North America. Planning for the 2023 conference began before the 2022 conference had even wrapped up, with members from the Southwest Chapters local planning committee who had never attended the NAHMMA conference before attending the 2022 conference so they could set their expectations. On behalf of the NAHMMA Board of Directors, I cannot thank the Southwest Chapter local committee enough for ensuring all our attendees, speakers, vendors, and sponsors had a valuable and memorable conference experience.
Trainings
Once again, this year the conference kicked off as it always does with trainings on Sunday. This year’s training was highlighted by the 24-Hour HAZWOPER/VSQG training. There were also training sessions for:
• Identifications of Unknowns
• Chemistry for Non-Chemists
• DOT Hazardous Materials
• Disaster Debris Management for HHW Managers
• Explosive and Highly Reactive Chemicals
• 8-Hour HAZWOPER Refresher
• HHW Collection Facility Best Practices
One of our trainees commented, “‘Identifications of Unknowns’ training was very informative. As someone that doesn’t come from a chemistry background, this course really helped me out with understanding more of our industry and dealing with unknown chemicals being dropped off at the facility.” NAHMMA’s trainers, who volunteer their time and knowledge to bring these trainings to the attendees, really appreciate the chance to share their knowledge and I cannot thank them enough for giving their time to our organization.
Facility Tours and Membership Mixer
This year’s tour was scheduled for Monday and included a tour of three local Household Hazardous Materials collection facilities in Tempe, Mesa, and Gilbert. One attendee commented, “It was great to see three different facilities. It was interesting to see how each facility managed HHM. I was particularly impressed with the swap shops. The Mesa location was immaculate and gave us something to aspire to. The Household Hazardous Waste Facility Tours were a great opportunity for us to share best practices in action, providing an in-depth experience for participants.” The facility tours always spark new ideas for the attendees on ways they can transform the processes at their own facility to enhance service to their residents and other customers.
While the trainings and tours unofficially kick-off the conference, the membership mixer on Monday night is the first chance for most attendees to network with each other. It did not take long for our members to show us they had missed seeing each other.
Keynote and Conference Sessions
Tuesday morning, the conference officially kicked off with a mini-keynote by Cynthia Martinez (National Wildlife Refuge System), called “National Wildlife Refuge System: Working together for Wildlife and People”. The mini-Keynote was followed by the main Keynote from Heidi Sanborn (National Stewardship Action Council) called Transform: “Paving The Way for EPR for all Household Hazardous Waste”. Both keynotes received high praise from attendees and created a buzz that carried through the entire conference.
From there it was off to the races, both figuratively and literally. Our sessions committee put together an amazing program for our attendees, covering everything from a track on lithium batteries and the challenges they present to the industry, to a track on other items an HHM facility can collect to drive participation, which included e-scrap recycling, crayon recycling, and charity waste disposal sessions, sessions on environmental justice, operational resilience and so much more. The all-attendee open session on Wednesday morning, Mentorship Matchup, may have stolen the show though. During this session, attendees participated in speed networking where they switched tables every seven minutes and were given prompted questions to help them connect with other attendees. Session attendees commented, “The Networking Mentor Matchup Activity was a valuable and exciting addition to the conference. I appreciated the opportunity to learn and share with other members from across the organization. Loved this event and format! We absolutely must do this every year!’
HHW Olympics and Closing Networking Event
Of course, no NAHMMA conference would be complete without the annual HHW Awards and HHW Olympics. All NAHMMA members are encouraged to summit award nominations, with the Awards Committee reviewing all nominations. All attendees are also invited to create teams of four to compete in a series of HHM themed Olympic events including barrel rolling, the barrel dolly dash, and more. I can tell you the competition is fierce (some teams train months in advance), yet fun. There is always good-natured heckling and encouragement among the participants.
All the networking, trainings and transformative energy of our conference could not happen without all our conference vendors, sponsors, and attendees. All attendees had the opportunity to visit with the vendors and sponsors during the vendor reception and in between the trainings, the sessions, the keynotes, and the closing networking opportunity, the Goldfield Ghost Town Excursion.
So, where will the next Best Conference Ever be held next year? The Gulf Coast Chapter will be hosting next year’s conference in Austin, TX from September 22 – 27, 2024. Conference Chair Joanie Arrott would like to remind everyone that, “Austin has BBQ and live music, all we need is you! The Gulf Coast Chapter is thrilled to host the 2024 NAHMMA Conference. We hope you can join us for another engaging, informative, and fun event.”
On behalf of the NAHMMA Board of Directors I would like to thank our Southwest Chapter for hosting this year’s annual conference. I would also like to thank all the members of our conference planning committee: Hondo Judd, Daniel Henze, Rick Neiner, Dan King, Carmelita Nichols, Kelley Mazur, Frank Sanchez, Julie Mitchell, David Tavares, Chantz Tieman, Kelby Neal, Michelle Dunsford, Rick Gilbert, Matthew Stevens, Donald Hardee, Victoria Hodge, Matthew Trotto, Kevin Lynch, Michael Baez, Don Campbell, Frank Bonillas, Frank Sanchez, Matthew Morales, Janet Kawczynski, Elizabeth Wolf, Scott Logan, Richard Lobinske, Shelly Fuller, Catherine Eichner, Jim Quinn, and Ray Carveth. | WA
Kenneth Miller currently serves as on the NAHMMA Board of Directors as Board President. He is the current Solid Waste Agency Administrator at the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency (DMASWA). In addition to his involvement with NAHMMA, Ken is also a member of several other professional organizations, including SWANA, the Iowa Society of Solid Waste Operator (ISOSWO – Board Member), the Iowa Recycling Association (IRA), the United States Composting Council, and the Iowa Composting Council (Board Member). He can be reached at (563) 581-2874, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.NAHMMA.org