Scott Earl, President and CEO of Clifton Park, NY-based County Waste LLC has funded the first named internship for the Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF). EREF鈥檚 Internal Research Program (IRP) was developed as part of the foundation鈥檚 efforts to expand its mission to advance knowledge and education for sustainable solid waste management. The recipient of The County Waste Internship is Brianna Holland, a native of Goldsboro, NC and alumna of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, NC. Brianna is currently a junior at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC where she is pursuing a B.S. in Environmental Engineering and serves as treasurer of the student chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA). 鈥淣amed internships are given to an outstanding undergraduate student with excellent performance history and a demonstrated interest in solid waste management,鈥� said Bryan Staley, Ph.D., P.E., EREF President and CEO. 鈥淏rianna is a natural fit for this internship that Mr. Earl, a 33 year veteran of the waste industry, so generously funded.鈥�
Brianna is working on a project to estimate waste generation and management trends across the US. The project, one of the first of its kind, has aggregated processing data for landfill, incineration, composting, and recycling facilities. The results provide more accurate estimates of waste generation, recovery and disposal, which can be used for various purposes, including assessing trends, for market analysis, policy development, and planning. Brianna鈥檚 primary role is focused on understanding the tonnage and operations dynamics of recycling facilities across multiple states. She also works to aggregate data on the extent to which composting and waste incineration are used to manage municipal solid waste (MSW). Next, she will work on a project exploring the on-site recovery and recycling processes in various commercial and non-commercial sectors. The work will investigate how the amount and types of materials recovered varies by sector, and identify differences in the processes and equipment utilized in each. The primary objectives of EREF鈥檚 IRP are to aggregate and analyze solid waste data, policies and trends. This is achieved while providing research experience to talented college students who assist with data collection and analysis. So far, 12 students have participated in IRP internships. The IRP has demonstrated success in fostering interest in the industry and bringing talented students into solid waste-related careers. To date, three-quarters of EREF interns have gone into solid waste, sustainability or related careers.
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