Fresh Perspective

Julia Redman

Logistics specialist at Casella Waste Systems

Julia Redman entered the recycling industry just over a year ago. Prior to beginning her journey with Rutland, Vermont-based Casella Waste Systems, Redman worked in customer service, logistics and shipping and receiving but says she found herself needing a challenge.

As a logistics specialist on the commodity marketing team for Casella’s recycling division, Redman works closely with a small team of individuals to sell processed material to prospective buyers.

“I really enjoy the day-to-day overseeing of operations, inventory, material movement, scheduling and all that fun stuff,” Redman says. “I get energy from working with people, and we’re able to attend trade shows to learn more about what’s happening in the market.”

In her first year, Redman has taken a crash course in the recycling industry, attending trade shows and taking classes to enhance her understanding of industry operations and trends. She admits, however, that asking questions and learning from experience have been especially beneficial.

“There was absolutely a learning curve,” she says. “I really concentrated on my notes and asking questions all the time. I wasn’t afraid to take any situation and run at it through the wall. Whenever a tough situation came up, I would try to handle it as best as I could. You learn from experience.”

In the following interview, Redman shares how her previous experience has helped her in the industry and new technologies being employed at Casella Waste Systems.

"I wasn’t afraid to take any situation and run at it through the wall.”

Recycling Today (RT): How do you see the skills you’ve garnered in your earlier career helping you in the recycling industry?

Julia Redman (JR): I’d say, my communication and my willingness to reach out and be a part of the conversation. I really enjoy this part of this role because I am talking to people all the time, and it’s about maintaining relationships. My customer service background is obviously important. I was a waitress years back, and having those people skills is going to be valuable moving forward. That’s what I hope to move forward with and be able to lend a hand wherever, whenever anyone needs me.

RT: Can you tell me about the trade shows and conferences you’ve attended?

JR: I was at [the Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries] conference back in April. It was all about recycled metals. It was my first trade show or conference, and I was blown away by the massive presence that this industry has around the world. There’s material movement and buyers, but there’s also processing capabilities that I had no idea about.

Not only am I learning about what these grades are, [I’m learning] what we’re doing with them and how we’re going to be able to process them in the most efficient way to add value to Casella and add value to our customers.

RT: Are there any new technologies that you hope to see the industry embrace more moving forward?

JR: When I first started, we went on a week-long tour of some of our facilities, and I was able to see firsthand some of the new technology. … There’s a robotic arm that’s installed in one of the single-stream sorting lines. … As the machine gets more calibrated, it’s learning more, and the end result is providing more accurate sorting and producing a better product. That technology is at three of our single-stream MRFs, so that’s going to continue to be added on and something that we’re going to utilize.