Held in Austin, TX in September, this year鈥檚 NAHMMA was an exciting, fun, and informative event that drew attendees from across the U.S.
By Kenneth Miller
Welcome to the NAHMMA Corner! NAHMMA heldits 39th Annual Conference in Austin, TX at the Renaissance Arboretum from September 22 鈥� 27. I invite you to continue reading to learn more about the exciting event where attendees were able to network, train, and transform.
Photos courtesy of NAHMMA.
Who attends NAHMMA鈥檚 annual conference? The conference draws attendees from across North America. Each year, planning begins about two years out with site selection. This year, many members from the Gulf Coast Chapter local planning committee were a part of the last Austin conference, so they understood the expectations. On behalf of the NAHMMA Board of Directors, I cannot thank the Gulf Coast Chapter local committee enough for ensuring all our attendees, speakers, vendors, and sponsors had a valuable and memorable conference experience.
Trainings
Each year the conference kicks off with trainings on Sunday. This year鈥檚 training was highlighted by the 24-Hour HAZWOPER/VSQG training. There were also training sessions for:
鈥� Identifications of Unknowns
鈥� Disaster Debris Management for HHW Managers
鈥� Chemistry for Non-Chemists
鈥� DOT Haz-Mat Awareness
鈥� HHW Collection Facility Best Practices
鈥� Explosive and Highly Reactive Chemicals
One of our trainees commented that the 鈥淓xplosive and Highly Reactive Chemicals鈥� training was 鈥渆ye-opening鈥�. The breadth of chemicals our facility accepts, and the potential for them to react with each other, poses many risks. Trainings such as this really helps me prepare, and prepare my staff, to stay vigilant. In addition, the threat posed by li-ion batteries and battery containing devices was discussed.鈥� NAHMMA鈥檚 trainers, who volunteer their time and knowledge to bring these trainings to the attendees, really appreciate the chance to share their knowledge and I cannot thank them enough for giving their time to our organization.
Facility Tours and Membership Mixer
This year鈥檚 tour was scheduled for Monday and included a tour of the City of Austin Compost Facility, the Austin Goodwill Warehouse, and the City of Austin Resource Recovery Facility. Attendees commented that: 鈥淚t was great to see several diversion options for items, which without these facilities, would likely end up in the trash. It is also interesting to see how another HHM facility managed their inflow. The paint reuse was also nice to see. The tour guides, Donald, Andy, and Richard, who each took a different section of the City of Austin Facility, were very passionate about their facility.鈥� The facility tours always give attendees ideas that they use to transform processes at their own facilities, enhancing the services that they provide their residents and other customers.
While the trainings and tours unofficially kick-off the conference, the membership mixer on Monday night is the first chance for most attendees to network with each other. It never takes long for our members to catch up with fellow colleagues.
Keynote and Conference Sessions
Tuesday morning, the conference officially kicked off with a Keynote from Jay Banner (Professor, University of Texas). He highlighted the effects of climate change on the environment in Texas. During the keynote, he also covered his public outreach programs, which include the Hot Science – Cool Talks series. This outreach series was the recipient of the silent auction proceeds from the silent auction held Tuesday night.
With the keynote concluded, it was off to the races, both figuratively and literally. Our sessions鈥� committee put together a diverse program for our attendees. The sessions covered:
鈥� Lithium batteries and the challenges they present to the industry,
鈥� A track on latex paint recycling, which included a panel with representatives from three major paint recyclers,
鈥� Advocacy and outreach,
鈥� E-scrap recycling
鈥� Extended Producer Responsibility,
鈥� Writing a Quality Request for Proposals and more!
Wednesday morning opened with the annual meeting of membership, followed by the second edition of Speed Networking, which once again stole the show. During this session, attendees switched tables every seven minutes and were given prompted questions to help them connect with other attendees. Session attendees commented that, 鈥淭he Speed Networking activity was a great way to connect with new colleagues and grow my professional network and meet some new friends. The opportunity to learn and share with others from across North America was invaluable. Please bring this back every year!鈥�
Prestige Awards
Each year at the NAHMMA conference, the association recognizes individuals and programs with the association鈥檚 prestige awards. Throughout the year, NAHMMA members are encouraged to summit award nominations in several categories. This year, the award winners included:
鈥� Jennifer Holiday, Cheryl Burton-Fentress, Jerry White, and Kelby Neal, Outstanding Service to the Industry
Dubuque/Jackson County Habitat for Humanity Restore, GDB International and the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency, Public Private Partnership
鈥� Donald Hardee, Tenacity Award
鈥� Richard Lobinske, President鈥檚 Award
HHM Olympics and Closing Networking Event
The annual HHM Olympics provide a fun filled way to end the official conference. All attendees are invited to create teams of four to compete in a series of HHM themed Olympic events including barrel rolling, the barrel dolly dash, and more. I can tell you the competition is fierce (some teams train months in advance) yet fun. There is always good-natured heckling and encouragement among the participants.
All the networking, training, and transformative energy of our conference could not happen without our conference vendors, sponsors, and attendees. Attendees had the opportunity to visit with the vendors and sponsors during the vendor reception, in between the trainings, sessions, and the offsite networking opportunity at Punch Bowl Social.
Where can you and your staff join us next year to Network, Train, and Transform? Our Heartland Chapter will be hosting next year鈥檚 conference in Chicago, IL from September 21 鈥� 25, 2025. As the NAHMMA President, and Heartland Chapter member I would like to remind everyone that, 鈥淐hicago is centrally located and has several exciting facilities to visit, along with great food and a beautiful lakefront you can explore in your downtime! The Heartland Chapter is excited to host the 2025 Conference where you can join us for another engaging, informative, and fun event.鈥�
On behalf of the NAHMMA Board of Directors, I would like to thank our Gulf Coast Chapter for hosting this year鈥檚 conference. I would also like to thank all the members of our conference planning committee: Joanie Arrott, Carmelita Nichols, Kelley Mazur, Donald Hardee, Victoria Hodge, Kelby Neal, Shelly Suller, Nicole Callahan, Cheryl Burton-Fentress, Andy Dawson, Jack Ranney, Larry Sweetser, and James Tips. | WA
Kenneth Miller currently serves as on the NAHMMA Board of Directors as Board President. He is the current Solid Waste Agency Administrator at the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency (DMASWA). In addition to his involvement with NAHMMA, Ken is also a member several other professional organizations, including SWANA, the Iowa Society of Solid Waste Operator (ISOSWO 鈥� Board Member), the Iowa Recycling Association (IRA), the United States Composting Council, and the Iowa Composting Council. Connect with him on LinkedIn or e-mail him at [email protected] or visit .