John Trotti

As its sponsor, MSW Management takes great pleasure in announcing SWANA's 2003 Excellence Awards and presenting articles featuring the gold medal winners of the composting and solid waste management systems, as well as the gold, silver, and bronze medal winners in the landfill division. In reviewing the submissions, more than ever was I struck by the realization that while each contestant has its unique features, all are of such high quality, I'm truly thankful I'm not the one who has to make the selections. All the entrants are solid gold winners as far as I'm concerned.

I was in the middle of writing this column when we received the news that Marianne Horinko, assistant administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER), had been named by President Bush to serve as EPA's acting administrator. What makes this of something more than passing interest to me is that I was in the process of conferring my own just-conceived excellence award on OSWER for what I consider the most enlightened approach to environmental stewardship exhibited by the feds in more than a decade. Particularly, I have been impressed by the speed and effectiveness with which the office has decoupled from the proscriptive bent of its predecessors, opting, it seems, to replace entrenched agenda with effective action by encouraging innovation by invoking an atmosphere of challenge - "OK, show us" - and support in the form of grant funding. Even more amazing, in my opinion, is that this change has gone forward at a time when much of the office's resources and efforts have been taken up by its emergency response duties - or maybe there's a connection here.

"Perhaps," I mused in my original draft, "what Horinko has accomplished in OSWER will find its way down other hallways at EPA." How prophetic a notion - you'll just have to take my word for it - as now it appears we'll have a chance to see just how committed Horinko is to her OSWER approach, how effective she will be in promoting it in other offices, and how receptive others in the agency will be in adopting it.

In any event, along with congratulations on her appointment, we are pleased to award Marianne Horinko our personal excellence award and hope to be able to renew it a year from now. At the same time, we wish to extend our best wishes to Barry Breen, who succeeds Horinko as acting assistant administrator of OSWER, in the hope that he will continue along much the same path as his predecessor.

Adding Spurs to Innovation

You might remember that our Elements 2004 issue featured SWANA's white paper, "Pushing the Envelope on Waste Reduction and Recovery," citing it as a "working document" intended to be the focal point of discussion on how best to meet our waste management obligations in the future. In order for it to fulfill this role, we posted the article in its entirety at www.forester.net/mw_elements04_reduction.html with a form at the bottom of the Web page soliciting comments on the paper in fulfillment of its "working" aspect.

Now in our current issue, we present a feature we believe to be of equal importance, titled "Recycling the Hierarchy," that discusses the legacy of EPA's present hierarchy, develops a case for change, and then presents the elements of a new environmental platform. As was the case with SWANA's white paper, this article is posted on our Web site (www.forester.net/mw_0309_hierarchy.html), again offering a form at the bottom for your comments. You will then be able to review these comments in the MSW Management Electronic Supplement.

Our Electronic Supplement

Every other month we publish our Electronic Supplement as an addendum to our regular publication, offering articles and information better suited to the electronic format. An example of this is a 73-page "Bibliography on Gypsum Drywall" (http://forester.net/msw_esupplement/drywall0210.pdf), prepared by John Reindl, Dane County, WI, recycling manager, that is an invaluable resource to those who deal with such materials. Just as important is the ability to track and present responses to such issues as those raised in "Pushing the Envelope" and "Recycling the Hierarchy."

Initially we planned to send the Electronic Supplement to all MSW Management subscribers but, because of spam concerns, have had to limit its distribution to those who request it. This means a little extra effort on your part, but we think you'll find it worth it. To register, all you need do is send an e-mail to circulation@forester.net with the words "Register me for MSW Emails" in the subject line, or you can go to our Web site at www.mswmanagement.com, click "Register," and follow the directions. We promise we will not sell your e-mail address to any other party.

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MSW - November/December 2003