NEW YORK, February 2, 2023 – Waste360 today announces the winners of the eighth annual 40 Under 40 awards program, which honors the next generation of leaders who are shaping the future of the waste and recycling industry.
“Congratulations to the 2023 class of Waste360 40 Under 40 award winners. Our industry is filled with tremendous innovation and talent. We were blown away by all of the impressive nominations and we are excited to celebrate the outstanding achievements of these winners at WasteExpo,” said Liz Bothwell, Head of Content & Marketing and Waste360 NothingWasted! Podcast Host.
The Waste360 40 Under 40 awards program recognizes inspiring and innovative professionals under the age of 40 whose work in waste, recycling and organics has made a significant contribution to the industry. The winners are involved in every part of the waste and recycling industry, including haulers, municipalities, composters, recycling professionals, policymakers and product suppliers.
The 2023 40 Under 40 Award Winners
- Gary Nihart, COO, Atlas Organics
- Mauricio Castelan, General Manager, Balcones Resources, Inc.
- Jessica Beasley, Area Sales Manager, Capital Waste Services
- Erin Banfield, Director, Municipal Services, Casella Waste Systems, Inc.
- Cameron Funk, Chief Sustainability Officer, CheckSammy
- Joshua Yates, Director of Public Works, City of Birmingham, AL
- Wilson Mora, Program Director, City of Chicago, Department of Streets & Sanitation
- Matt Wampler, CEO, ClearCOGS
- Eric Miller, Partner and Co-founder, Eagle River Capital LLC
- Dan Meccariello, Director of Operations, Generate Upcycle
- Sarah Gustitus-Graham, PhD, PE, Engineer, Geosyntec Consultants
- JT Howington, General Manager II, GFL Environmental Inc.
- Andrew Weins, President, Green Up Solutions LLC
- Tony Staubach, Food Waste Diversion Coordinator, Hamilton County R3Source
- Lenora Tollefson, Director of Operations, Keep Pearland Beautiful
- Ashleigh Garnes, General Manager, Meridian Waste
- Nick Van Eyck, Deputy Director of Engagement and Operations, Bureau of Commercial Waste, New York City Department of Sanitation
- Andrea Collins, Senior Specialist, Sustainable Food Systems, NRDC - Natural Resources Defense Council
- Charlotte Dreizen, Director, Sustainability & Environment, Plastics Industry Association
- Sam Dietrich, Chief Executive Officer, Prairie Robotics
- Victoria Jung, Director, Surface Care Packaging, Procter & Gamble
- Anthony Crescenti, General Manager, Recology
- Kemrey Kidd, National Sales Manager, Rehrig Pacific Company
- Bridgette Readlinger, General Manager, Republic Services
- Max Curry, Logistics, Second Servings of Houston
- Dustin Montey, Assistant Manager, SMSC Organics Recycling Facility
- Elizabeth Rhue, VP Global Environmental, Sustainability, & Technical Services, Sonoco Products Company
- John McNamara, Managing Director, Stifel
- Gerald Belanger, CEO, Superior Medical Waste Disposal
- Emily Tipaldo, Executive Director, U.S. Plastics Pact
- Kikei Wong, Manager, Athens Services
- Kevin Green, District Manager, Waste Connections
- Kiel Pennington, Division Vice President, Waste Connections
- Samantha Barreiro, Regional Human Resources Manager, Waste Pro
- Brittany Taylor, Regional Sales Manager, Wastequip
- Will Carroll, President, Will's Waste, LLC
- Allia Saydjari, Senior Director of Sustainability, WIN Waste Innovations
- James Bianchi, Plant Manager, WIN Waste Innovations
- Corey Littlejohn, Area Collections Manager, WM
- Monica Rowand, Senior Associate, WM
Waste360 Innovator and Changemaker Awards
Yaniv Scherson, Chief Operating Officer, Anaergia has been honored with the Waste360 Innovator Award, which recognizes innovators and forward thinkers who often use technology to better the industry. Scherson assisted in completing Anaergia’s initial public offering and is continuing to rapidly grow the company with a focus on building and operating large-scale anaerobic digestion facilities, such as the Rialto Bioenergy Facility, the largest organic waste recycling facility, which serves Los Angeles, CA under the most sweeping organic waste diversion mandate in North America.
Graham Rihn, Founder and CEO, RoadRunner Recycling has been honored with the Waste360 Changemaker Award, which recognizes leaders who are creating real, meaningful, positive change for the waste, recycling and organics industry. Rihn saw an opportunity to help expand recycling across North America with RoadRunner Recycling. The company has seen tremendous growth and now serves 20 markets across North America, including raising $130+ million in capital. Rihn also spearheaded the acquisition of Compology, a leading technology company in waste metering, which will catapult the company to meet their ESG goals for 2030.
A panel of expert judges from Waste360 evaluated the nominations and consulted with an external advisor to select the finalists and winners.
The winners will be honored during an awards ceremony at WasteExpo, North America's leading solid waste, recycling and organics industry event, May 1-4, 2022 in New Orleans, LA. For more information on WasteExpo, please visit WasteExpo.com or follow WasteExpo on Twitter at @Waste_Expo.
View past classes of Waste360 40 Under 40 awards winners:
The Waste360 40 Under 40 awards program is sponsored by GFL Environmental.
About WasteExpo
WasteExpo is the leading event in North America for waste, recycling and organics professionals from the private and public sector. WasteExpo offers an interactive conference program that dives deep into vital industry topics such as recycling, landfills, fleet management, collections, organics, safety, food waste and recovery, and more. WasteExpo also boasts a robust Exhibit Hall showcasing hundreds of exhibitors and the latest industry solutions. WasteExpo is co-located with the Waste360 Investor Summit, the Waste360 Healthcare Waste Conference, the Waste360 Business Leadership Forum and Waste360 Sustainability Talks.
About the Waste360 Group
The Waste360 Group harnesses the power of its many properties to serve the solid waste and recycling industry. The industry widely consumes this content in the form of websites, live events, online learning and digital opportunities and includes: Waste360.com, WasteExpo, The Global Waste Management Symposium and topical and timely eNewsletters including Waste360 Daily Wire. Waste360’s NothingWasted! Podcast features the rockstars of the waste, recycling and organics industry weekly for the latest news and insights on people behind the industry. For more information, visit www.waste360.com.
About Informa Markets
Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. We provide marketplace participants around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, targeted digital services and actionable data solutions. We connect buyers and sellers across more than a dozen global verticals, including Pharmaceuticals, Food, Medical Technology and Infrastructure. As the world's leading market-making company, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com.
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Media Contact
Liz Bothwell
Head of Content & Marketing, Waste360 NothingWasted! Podcast Host
WasteExpo