On the Move: Week of June 26 - June 30, 2023

Circular Action Alliance (CAA) has announced the addition of six Founding Member companies representing the retail, consumer goods and food and beverage industries, including The Clorox Company, Colgate-Palmolive, SC Johnson, Target, The Kraft Heinz Company, and Walmart.  

CAA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, recently became the first Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) approved to administer an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program for paper and packaging in the U.S. after being appointed by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment as the PRO in charge of implementing Colorado’s Producer Responsibility Program for Statewide Recycling Act.

The six companies will join CAA’s existing Founding Members: Ferrero; General Mills; Keurig Dr Pepper; L’Oréal; Mars, Incorporated; Nestlé USA; Niagara Bottling, LLC; PepsiCo; Procter & Gamble; The Coca-Cola Company; and Unilever United States. Together, the 17 Founding Members of CAA include several hundred brands utilizing a wide diversity of packaging materials covered under EPR laws.  

OC Waste & Recycling (OCWR) has received two 2023 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) for innovative initiatives including a regional community compost program for the Orange County, and a smart misting system at the Prima Deshecha Landfill (PDL) in San Juan Capistrano. Both honors acknowledge excellence in the County Resiliency category for Infrastructure, Energy and Sustainability.

The full-circle recycling program developed by OCWR starts with curbside residential collection of green and organic waste that is turned into high-quality compost and mulch. These products are then given back to the community as a free resource to enrich gardens and landscaping.

Since commencing the community composting and mulch program in October 2020, OCWR greeneries (Bee Canyon and Capistrano) co-located at the County landfills have diverted approximately 36,000 tons of green waste and manure from valuable landfill space. In addition, OCWR has given away over 3,300 tons of compost and mulch by working with County agencies, cities, non-profit organizations, businesses and residents through an online application. The program currently averages about 70 residential pick-ups per week with the number of requests increasing week over week.

Veolia North America is proud to announce that it has earned Intel’s EPIC Distinguished Supplier Award. Through its dedication to Excellence, Partnership, Inclusion, and Continuous (EPIC) quality improvement, Veolia North America has achieved a level of performance that consistently exceeds Intel’s expectations.

“As one of only 22 Distinguished Supplier Award recipients across the Intel global supply chain, Veolia North America stands out among suppliers in the semiconductor industry,” said Keyvan Esfarjani, chief global operations officer at Intel. “Their customer orientation and commitment to excellence is a testament to their dedication and serves as a global benchmark for others to follow.”

The Intel EPIC Distinguished Supplier Award recognizes a consistent level of strong performance across all performance criteria. Of the thousands of Intel suppliers around the world, only a few hundred qualify to participate in the EPIC Supplier Program. The EPIC Distinguished Award is the second-highest honor a supplier can achieve. In 2023, only 22 suppliers in the Intel supply chain network earned this award. 

Waste Pro proudly announces that Mike Viers has been promoted to Division Manager in Athens, Georgia.

Mike began his career in solid waste 24 years ago as a helper. He continued to learn the business, working his way up to Operations Manager in just five short years. In 2015, Waste Pro acquired the company Mike was working for, and he has been with Waste Pro ever since.

As Division Manager, Mike will manage all aspects of operations, budgeting, hiring, and training through the Athens division, including the newly acquired service area of Winder, Georgia. The division currently has approximately sixty-five employees who operate 35 trucks and serve 35,000 residential and commercial customers in a 15-county area.

Waste Pro also announces that Glenn Schweiger has been promoted to Assistant Division Manager in Milton, Florida.

Glenn, who has over 25 years in the solid waste industry, began his career at Waste Pro six years ago.  He started as a lead driver in Spanish Fort, worked his way up to Supervisor, and eventually moved to Milton when the opportunity came for him to advance again, this time role of Operations Manager. His years of experience in supervising, route management, and operations have been instrumental to his continued growth.