Association news

NWRA announces 2021 Drivers and Operator of the Year

The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), Arlington, Virginia, recently announced its 2021 Drivers of the Year and Operator of the Year winners. The awards recognize the drivers and an operator from member companies who put safety as their top priority.

“Safety is a core value at NWRA and for our members. Our members and their employees are dedicated to keeping our communities clean and safe daily,” says NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith. “Therefore, it is important that we recognize the drivers and operators who make safety a priority. I congratulate them on their achievement.”

The Operator of the Year award is for employees working in post-collection for a MRF, landfill or transfer station who safely operate heavy equipment, including bulldozers, loaders and compactors.

The Driver of the Year awards are for those drivers who operate their trucks safely and responsibly, have outstanding performance records and whose contributions have enhanced the overall safety and image of the solid waste industry.

The finalists were determined by a computerized scoring system. Independent judges selected the winners based on letters of recommendation and, for drivers, the difficulty of the route. During judging, operators were also judged on the difficulty of their equipment to operate.

The 2021 Driver of the Year awardees:

• National Commercial – Dedre McKinley, Republic Services Inc.;
• National Industrial – Redgnel Forrest, Republic Services Inc.;
• National Residential – James Davis, Republic Services Inc.;
• Regional Commercial – John Weiss, Rumpke Consolidated Companies;
• Regional Industrial – Lawrence Jackson, Recology;
• Regional Residential – Aaron Meier, Recology;
• Local Member – Dana Hale, WIN Waste Innovations; and,
• Public Sector – Ryan Jones, Wasatch Front Waste and Recycling.

The 2021 Operator of the Year awardee:

• Victoria Barragan, Republic Services Inc.