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.
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:
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.”
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.
Sources confirm they've been mostly able to name their price on many recovered paper grades, particularly old corrugated containers, with one source calling the situation a "disaster."
Prices for bulk grades in the United States have taken a dive in the domestic and export markets as mills continue to divert tons, with some sources saying they essentially have been able to name their price, particularly for old corrugated containers (OCC).
The Northeast and Midwest regions were hit hard when it comes to OCC pricing, with Fastmarkets RISI’s Pulp & Paper Week for Aug. 5 showing a $20-per-ton decrease, while the Southeast saw a $25-per-ton drop. Mixed paper also sank, with many regions seeing decreases of up to $30 per ton.
Melanie Harman, executive vice president of sales at Recycling Management Resources, headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, says plainly, “Everybody’s hiding because it’s such a disaster in corrugated.”
Harman says about two months ago, the Southeast Asian market, particularly India, had bought lots of tons from the U.S., but before the tons could make it to their destinations, the orders were being canceled on the water. “A lot of international brokers and shippers with goods on the water had to displace, and when that happens, typically you’re discounting, you’re calling in favors,” she says.
In the months that have followed, Harman says displaced inventory from the export market has been coming back into the U.S., which hasn’t been able to absorb it all. “Now, it’s kind of the pick of the litter,” she says. “I can name my price. And by the way, I don’t even need it, so I’m turning it away.”
Harman says she suspects consumer habits have played a role in the state of the corrugated market today. The looming recession has curtailed spending to a degree, meaning fewer goods to ship. She adds that this has created what she describes as “one big overnight explosion.”
Many in the industry were blindsided by how quickly the market turned, but Harman says she doesn’t believe it’s going to change any time soon, despite the upcoming containerboard capacity expected to come online within the year as some of the projects are anticipating potential delays.
According to Cascades Inc.’s second-quarter 2022 earnings report, the Kingsey Falls, Quebec-based packaging producer says its Bear Island mill conversion in Ashland, Virginia, has been affected by the current inflationary environment, adding that higher costs combined with labor and material availability constraints have led to temporary delays in construction milestones.
The total cost of the project has increased to $470 million to $485 million. When the project first was announced in October 2020, the estimated cost was approximately $380 million, and the anticipated startup date was mid-December.
“Our team is working closely with contractors to mitigate any potential delay caused by these elements in order to meet the targeted mid-December 2022 start date,” Cascades President and CEO Mario Plourde said during the earnings call.
Sources contacted by Recycling Today suspect the Bear Island mill likely will start up early 2023.
OCC pricing is a far cry from that of high grades. Sorted office paper (SOP) saw an increase of $10 per ton across the board in the U.S. and up to $20 per ton more in the export market as demand continues to increase for tissue grades.
“When you have the printers consolidating, you’re just not getting that same output of recycled fiber and trim waste from the printers or from the office buildings,” Harman says. “I just feel like the SOP tissue problem was due to consolidation and production that was just turned off. Output is not there.”
Rob Grimm has been with the Florida company for six years.
After serving for six years as Waste Pro’s director of information systems, Rob Grimm has been promoted to chief information officer at the company.
Grimm has more than 15 years of experience in information technology (IT) and business solutions with a wide array of expertise in project management, data center design, life cycle management and business processes.
Before joining Waste Pro, Longwood, Florida, Grimm held director positions in information technology and marketing, aligning top-performing teams in the transportation and construction industries.
As director of information systems, Grimm managed a team of IT professionals focused on modernizing data centers, processing facilities and offices across Waste Pro's footprint.
In his new role, he will continue to lead Waste Pro's digital strategy, ensuring the adoption of infrastructure, security, business systems and telecommunications to meet employee and customer needs today and into the future. Business continuity and smooth operations will continue to be at the forefront of his team's efforts.
He also leads Waste Pro’s enterprise resource planning, or ERP, modernization project to deploy SAP S4/HANA.
“Under Rob’s leadership, this project will lead Waste Pro’s growth well beyond $1 billion,” Chief Financial Officer Cort Sabina says. “Rob and his team will take our systems well into the future with a new state-of-the-art system.”
In addition, the integrated system will increase efficiency and provide greater insight and enhancements for customers.
Joe Ursuy, a 24-year veteran in the financial services industry, will serve as executive vice president of national businesses for energy, renewables and waste at Comerica.
Comerica Inc., Dallas, has announced that Joe Ursuy has been named to the new role of executive vice president of national businesses for energy, renewables and waste. He will report to Executive Vice President and Head of National and Specialty Businesses Mike Ritchie.
Ursuy most recently served as senior vice president and director of environmental services, leading the Environmental Services Department (ESD) which he was instrumental in establishing among Comerica’s commercial bank divisions and industry services. While continuing to manage Comerica’s relationships in the recycling, renewable energy and waste industries, Ursuy also will oversee Comerica’s existing oil and natural gas production and midstream lines of business.
“Joe’s expertise assisting renewable energy, recycling and refuse companies has been instrumental in allowing us to deepen our relationships in many sectors within those industries across all our markets,” Ritchie says. “These businesses and the environments in which they operate are continuing to evolve, and Joe’s leadership and extensive knowledge bolster our customers’ ability to navigate through their challenges while helping them grow and succeed.”
Over the past 16 years, Comerica’s ESD has continued to expand its portfolio and the industries it serves.
A 24-year veteran in the financial services industry, Ursuy has been with Comerica since 1998. Prior to founding the Environmental Services Group in 2006, he held a variety of positions in Comerica’s Middle Market Banking Team.
Ursuy is a board member of the Environmental Research and Education Foundation, based in Raleigh, North Carlina, and he is a frequent guest speaker at industry events.
Other industry associations Ursuy cultivates Comerica’s relationship with include the National Waste & Recycling Association, The Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas and the Detachable Container Association. He also leads Comerica’s partnership with WasteExpo and hosts the annual Waste 360 Business Leadership Forum, designed to assist companies seeking business and financial strategies that go beyond daily operations.
Earlier this year, Comerica expanded the ESD with the introduction of the Renewable Energy Solutions Group, which is dedicated to expanding and supporting Comerica’s renewable energy business. The group’s continued expansion into renewables and growth in green business comprise part of Comerica’s commitment to sustainability while helping communities protect and preserve the environment. As of June 30, Comerica had issued $2 billion in green loans and commitments, marking a 42-percent since June 30, 2021. Additionally, Comerica was named to Newsweek's 2022 list of America's Most Responsible Companies, marking its third consecutive year on the list.
Nonferrous metals markets seem to have found stability as of mid-August.
Nonferrous markets have been experiencing extreme volatility since April but seem to have found more solid footing as of mid-August, sources say.
An executive with a scrap processing company based in the Midwest says markets have been more stable for the last three to four weeks as of mid-August, following sinking prices from mid-June through mid-July. Depending on the metal, prices are 22 percent to 38 percent lower now than they were in the first quarter of the year. The falling prices come after steady increases that were seen over the previous 16 to 18 months, he adds.
Despite the volatility that has characterized markets recently, the executive says the flow of scrap into his company’s yards has been “pretty decent,” as has demand.
An executive with a nonferrous metals processor based in the Northeast says supply and demand are balanced, though his company has not yet returned to the volumes it saw prior to the pandemic. “Segments of our book of business are missing, and it has been really challenging to replace them.”
Despite that, he says July was the company’s best month for shipments, though it didn’t feel like it at the time because demand was spotty overall.
While copper markets in particular have been volatile, the Northeast-based executive says scrap spreads relative to the COMEX copper price “have not really moved,” which is “incredibly unusual.” He adds, “Spreads usually open up as COMEX goes up, but through the ups and downs, they have remained consistent.” This tells him transactions are based on actual needs rather than in response to COMEX price movements.
Insufficient staffing and high turnover continue to be a problem for companies along the supply chain, the contact in the Northeast says. This is leading to quality issues. “A supplier whose material is normally pristine we now have to spend more time sorting through. This is one of the ways we’re seeing this manifest,” he says of the personnel issues.
The contact in the Midwest notes the effects inflation is having on his company, particularly when it comes to transportation. “Outbound freight is no longer a penny a pound,” he says, adding that it is probably closer to 2 cents to 2.5 cents on shipments within the Midwest. Drayage for overseas shipments increases that cost by 1 cent to 1.5 cents per pound.
He describes demand for No. 2 copper and other secondary red metals grades from Europe and Asia as being good, though he says these consumers are not competitive on No. 1 copper or bare bright. Getting bookings on containerships also has become less challenging.
Domestic demand for aluminum extruded grades from billet makers is strong, the executive based in the Midwest says, while demand from the secondary mills “certainly has gone down.” While material is moving, he says the spreads relative to the terminal market are beginning to widen and the Midwest premium has contracted.