Arlington, Va. – The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) announced its 2020 Drivers of the Year and Operator of the Year winners. The awards recognize drivers and operators from member companies who put safety as their top priority.

“Our members and their employees are dedicated to keeping our communities clean and safe on a daily basis. It is important that we recognize the drivers and operators who make safety a priority. I congratulate them on their achievement,” said NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith.

The 2020 Drivers of the Year awards are for drivers who operate their trucks in a safe and responsible manner, have outstanding performance records and whose contributions have enhanced the overall safety and image of the solid waste industry.

The 2020 Operator of the Year award is for employees working in post-collection for a materials recovery facility, landfill, or transfer station who safely operate heavy equipment, including bulldozers, front-end loaders and compactors.

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.

2020 Drivers of the Year:

National Commercial: Thomas Garcia, Republic Services, Inc.

National Residential: Edwin Vega, WCA Waste Corporation

National Industrial: Timothy Fields, Republic Services, Inc.

Regional Industrial: Duane Sandlin, Rumpke Waste & Recycling

Regional Residential: George Humlie, Recology

Local Member: Paul Merry, All Waste, Inc.

Public: Juan Esparza, City of Denver

2020 Operator of the Year:

Ronald Dunn, Republic Services, Inc.

ABOUT NWRA

The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) represents the private sector waste and recycling services industry. Association members conduct business in all 50 states and include companies that manage waste, recycling and medical waste, equipment manufacturers and distributors, and a variety of other service providers. For more information about NWRA, please visit www.wasterecycling.org.

Contact:

Brandon Wright

National Waste and Recycling Association

[email protected]

202-364-3706