SWANA announces 2023 Technical Division award winners

Communication, Education and Marketing Technical Division Awards:  

• Cristina Polsgrove - Distinguished Individual Achievement Award;  

• Orange County, Florida - Outstanding Awareness Campaign;  

• Outagamie County Recycling and Solid Waste, Appleton, Wisconsin- Outstanding Social Media Campaign; and  

• Recycling Partnership, Falls Church, Virginia - Game Changing Tools  

Collection and Transfer Technical Division Award:  

• Don Birnesser - Distinguished Individual Achievement Award  

Landfill Gas and Biogas Technical Division Awards:  

• Dennis Bollinger - Hall of Flame; and  

• Ramon Rivera - Hall of Flame 

Sustainable Materials Management Technical Division Awards:  

• Tim Raibley - Distinguished Individual Achievement Award;  

• Maryland Environmental Service and Partners, Millersville, Maryland - Organization Award; and 

• Muscatine Organic Recycling Center, Muscatine, Iowa - Organization Award Honorable Mention 

Waste Conversion and Energy Recovery Technical Division Award:  

• Covanta’s H-Power, Oahu, Hawaii  - Facility Excellence Award  

The Communication, Education and Marketing Technical Division’s Outstanding Awareness Campaign Award celebrates community efforts that drive measurable improvement toward increasing participation in reduction, reuse, recycling or other resource management programs. As a result, these efforts increase health and safety of resource management initiatives or reducing contamination to preserve the value of resources.  

The Outstanding Social Media Campaign Award honors excellence in executing an education and outreach campaign as demonstrated through engagement and reach on social media platforms. Campaign actions may include increasing awareness or inspiring actions which reduce waste and climate impacts, improve safety or otherwise uphold the mission and objectives of SWANA.  

The Game Changing Tools Award recognizes an organization that equips communities with funding, technology, data, media, legislative or community outreach materials needed to advance solid waste management to resource management. The tools also help support public health and safety of those working in the industry or ensure a just transition to the circular economy.   

The annual Distinguished Individual Achievement Award recognizes efforts on behalf of individual SWANA members for service to the Technical Division and support of SWANA’s mission to advance the practice of MSW management. It also honors overall long-term service to the solid waste management industry.