Dive Brief:

• The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and the California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA) announced a partnership to develop and offer a Zero Waste Principles and Practices course and certification program throughout the U.S. and Canada.
• The first classes will be offered in California and the Washington, D.C. area in mid-2016.
• The course is designed to provide tools to help draw aspects of existing zero waste practices and new efforts into community-specific programs.

Dive Insight:​

Zero waste is a goal for many communities in the U.S. and Canada through recycling and other efforts. For leaders who are pushing zero waste throughout the industry, this course will help give consumers and potential employees the information they need to properly participate in such initiatives.

"As we see Zero Waste and high diversion goals spreading to communities throughout North America, SWANA was an obvious partner to make sure the needs are met with a high-quality curriculum, rigorous certification standards, and to ultimately provide participants with a nationally-recognized certification that is meaningful to employers," said President of the CRRA Board of Directors Rob Hilton in the press release.

Michelle Leonard, incoming president of Silver Spring, MD-based SWANA, agreed, saying, "The fact that the two organizations are working together on it highlights the importance that both of us place on seeking advancement in how people consume resources and manage the byproducts – the waste – from that consumption."

SWANA, which represents 8,300 public and private-sector industry professionals, and the Sacramento, CA-based nonprofit CRRA, began discussing this program in mid-2014. The partnership is designed to provide a professional, comprehensive and standardized approach to zero waste education, an ambitious and important goal.