David Kaminski, Vice President of QED Environmental Systems Inc., has received the Distinguished Individual Achievement Award from the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) Landfill Gas and Biogas Technical Division in recognition of his transformative contribution to the industry. 聽As one of the industry鈥檚 most prestigious accolades, SWANA鈥檚 annual awards honor innovation, dedication and leadership in the water and resource management sector.
David has worked at QED, a global leader in environmental technology solutions, for the past 42 years. During this time, he has had a profound impact on both his organization and the wider industry. The devices and methods he has designed to advance landfill gas collection and groundwater sampling methods at landfills are innovations that continue to define best practice in the sector, and as a result, David has been awarded with five U.S. patents.
Throughout his career, David has authored a number of influential journal papers and technical standards, including the co-writing of a standard for low-flow sampling, American Society for Testing and Materials鈥� (ASTM) D6771. He also helped to set global industry standards as the chair of ASTM鈥檚 Ground Water Sample Collection Committee from 1990 to 2002.
David has also dedicated his career to sharing his knowledge and expertise, travelling around the world to present seminars and workshops. Since 2009, he has served as an instructor for the Princeton Groundwater Pollution Hydrology Course, supporting professionals and regulators on an international scale.
In 2020, David received Municipal Solid Waste Management Magazine鈥檚 Legacy Award, joining a select group of industry leaders whose work has shaped the future of the solid waste field.
The awards will be presented at SWANA鈥檚 new annual conference, RCon 2025, between 12 to 15 November in Columbus, Ohio. David will be recognized alongside seven other recipients, marking their unparalleled contributions to the industry. The award comes prior to David鈥檚 retirement in December of this year, making it a particularly relevant time to acknowledge his long and influential career.
David said: 鈥淚 am delighted to receive this award, and I feel very privileged to have been recognized for my work in such a way. It has come at a very special time, with my retirement next month. It is wonderful to reflect on my career in an industry that brings such necessary environmental change 鈥� I am so proud to have been a part of it, and I look forward to seeing the future strides that will be made by my talented colleagues. I would like to thank the Solid Waste Association of North America for this award, it is truly an honor to be recognized by my peers in the industry.鈥�