The board of directors for the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), Silver Spring, Maryland, has approved the association’s next five-year strategic plan. Called “Forward, Together,” the plan seeks to increase the labor pool for the waste and recycling industry, improve safety for solid waste collection workers and increase the financial viability of the association.
The board reaffirmed the association’s core purpose to advance the responsible management of solid waste as a resource. The board also recommitted to the 2016-2020 mission statement that emphasized progress by focusing on education, advocacy, safety and research.
“The prior strategic plan set the stage for the remarkable changes and growth SWANA has experienced over the past seven years, including the commitment to focus on waste as a resource,” says SWANA President Tim Flanagan. “The new strategic plan builds on those elements to keep SWANA focused and relevant, as the entire industry moves toward doing more with recovered material, so we put less in the ground.”
The plan was developed with the participation of about 90 SWANA members and staff who applied strategic foresight techniques to identify changes affecting the industry and to develop strategic goals, objectives and strategies to address future needs. The drivers were:
shifting worker priorities;
increasing impacts from climate change;
expanding use for technology, artificial intelligence and automation;
expanding value for resources and the circular economy; and
changing norms for meetings and connections.
SWANA’s new strategic plan identifies four goals to focus the association’s work in the coming years:
1. Get off the top 10 list of most dangerous jobs.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, waste collection workers have the 6th highest workplace fatality rate of any occupation in the country. SWANA wants solid waste collection and disposal employees to be 11th or lower on the list of most dangerous jobs measured for 2026 and reported on the U.S. Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and similar Canadian national or provincial/territorial reporting.
SWANA says it will provide resources for employers and work with agencies and partners to support and encourage safer workplaces. It plans to do this through multiple objectives, including developing safety engagement and outreach programs for solid waste facilities and employees that can be widely distributed and encouraged. It also plans to participate in developing temperature standards for employees working in the industry among other initiatives.
“Safety must be implemented and owned by every worker and every employer in this industry every day,” said SWANA Executive Director and CEO David Biderman. “Getting off the top 10 list takes a commitment from all of us.”
2. Become climate champions.
Participants in the development of the plan focused SWANA on an outcome that reframes resource management as a critical national infrastructure while elevating efforts to address the effects of extreme weather and consumer items that can damage trucks and facilities as well as harm workers.
The plan also directs SWANA to create an organics management emphasis, both in collaboration with partners and through the provision of updated training materials. Developing an association position on extended producer responsibility is also one of several strategies identified to help implement this goal.
3. Reframe perception of the industry as employers of choice.
The association plans to increase engagement and increase interest in the waste and recycling industry as a career option for students interested in sustainability. The association’s strategies emphasize opportunities to reframe perceptions of the industry through young professional leadership training through collaboration to recruit and train individuals into skilled trade positions. It also plans to improve conditions for everyone by leading in diversity, equity and inclusion.
4. Continue to strengthen SWANA’s infrastructure and financial viability.
SWANA says it grew in size, financial viability and relevance by implementing its previous plan. The Forward, Together plan identifies opportunities to update and strengthen association infrastructure while focusing on changing member needs. Helping members connect with others around more local and/or topic-driven issues will grow membership and strengthen the organization.
SWANA will also focus on professional growth for volunteer leaders and revisit the idea of what it means “to meet” as it emerges from the mostly virtual meetings of the COVID period.
A full version of the strategic plan is available here.
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