Steven Averett, Content Director, Waste Group

September 1, 2011

2 Min Read
From the Can: Collecting Ourselves

Sept. 11. In some ways it seems ages ago, an event now primarily confined to staid PBS documentaries and moments of silence at sporting events. But simply endeavor to think about where you were that morning and it’s easy to call back the horror, the grief and the uncertainty of that day and those that followed.

It took a long time for us to recover the sense of normalcy that we are once again blessed to be able to take for granted. One of the first steps toward finding our way back was to do what people have always done in the wake of disaster: clean up. And it was sanitation workers, street sweepers, landfill managers, hazardous waste processors, steel recyclers and the rest of our brethren who led the charge.

In “Day of Debris,” author Allan Gerlat (more on him below) talks to many of the waste service workers who took on that fraught mess, beginning that very morning. Much ink has been spilled about the firefighters, police and other first responders on Sept. 11, and rightfully so, but these workers, who confronted many of the same perils and bear many of the same emotional scars, also have stories worth hearing.

On a happier note, I am thrilled to announce that Allan Gerlat has now joined us full time as News Editor for Waste Age, waste360.com, WasteExpo and the rest of Penton’s waste properties. Allan was the editor of Waste & Recycling News for 16 years and in recent months has served as one of our primary contributing writers. I can’t tell you how excited I am to have him on our team. If you know his work (and if you follow this industry, it’s almost certain you do), then you how much stronger Waste Age is with him onboard. Please help me welcome him!

Steven Averett, Editor

Please e-mail [email protected] to pass along feedback or suggestions.

About the Author(s)

Steven Averett

Content Director, Waste Group, Waste360

Steven Averett joined the Waste Age staff in February 2006. Since then he has helped the magazine expand its coverage and garner a range of awards from FOLIO, the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) and the Magazine Association of the Southeast (MAGS). He recently won a Gold Award from ASBPE for humor writing.

Before joining Waste Age, Steven spent three years as the staff writer for Industrial Engineer magazine, where he won a gold GAMMA Award from MAGS for Best Feature. He has written and edited material covering a wide range of topics, including video games, film, manufacturing, and aeronautics.

Steven is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where he earned a BA in English.

Stay in the Know - Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Join a network of more than 90,000 waste and recycling industry professionals. Get the latest news and insights straight to your inbox. Free.

You May Also Like