Passion runs deep in the waste industry; you don’t have to look too far to find it and the passionate individuals working day in and day out make a difference. From seasoned veterans down to first day employees and even students who are working to push sustainability and help the ongoing waste diversion effort. Some people in the waste industry always knew they wanted to be here and were destined for it, but for some, like Allia Saydjari, they never thought they’d be here but that doesn’t make them any less passionate. In fact, Saydjari may be one of the most passionate people I’ve talked to in the industry and of all our 40 Under 40 Award Winners.

Allia Saydjari, Senior Director of Sustainability at WIN Waste Innovations, like many, never thought she would be in the waste industry. Now, she’s spent her entire career in the waste industry and that is the place she will stay.

“It's the one place I've found in our world to affect the most change. And I am astounded by the reach of the impact of the waste industry. It’s such an interesting place to be because we're as downstream as you could possibly get,” says Saydjari. “I quickly found my passion. It's never the industry I thought I was going to be in, but now that I'm here, I'm not going anywhere, and I've found a deep love and appreciation for this industry.”

Saydjari also leads a SWAT team, of sorts, at WIN Waste Innovations. The cleverly named Strategic Workflow Assessment Team (SWAT) takes the initiative to systematically build out operating processes for different areas of the business, leading the way for internal process optimization. During the first wave of this program, Saydjari says the team went out into the field, trained the frontline staff and drivers at the hauling sites across WIN Waste, and digitalized the company’s routing.

When asked how she felt about winning a 40 Under 40 Award, Saydjari said that she was extremely honored.

“I feel extremely honored that my organization and my peers would recognize me in this way.” Saydjari said. “I’m obviously very passionate about this industry and I pour all of my energy into this industry and try, just like everybody, to make a difference and make a positive impact on the world. [I] feel a little guilty because, as with everything in the waste industry, it’s not only my contributions, it’s the collaborative effort of the team, and I’m incredibly proud of the team here and all of the work that they do towards contributing to a more sustainable world.”