David Biderman, the CEO and executive director of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), has been appointed again to the U.S. Department of Commerce's Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC), representing the waste management and resource management segments of the U.S. environmental technology industry.
Biderman was initially appointed to the committee for a two-year term in 2016 and is excited to serve again. As part of ETTAC, Biderman provides important advice to government officials and others on developing and administering initiatives that expand U.S. exports of environmental technologies, goods, and services. He chaired ETTAC's Waste Management & Circular Economy subcommittee from 2021 to 22, which produced important recommendations concerning closing dumpsites, a proposed international plastic pollution prevention treaty, and other waste and recycling issues.
“I am honoured to be reappointed to this important governmental advisory committee and represent SWANA and the U.S. solid waste sector,” says Biderman. “The growing global challenges associated with climate change, marine litter, plastic pollution, and environmental protection demand action. U.S. companies have substantial expertise in these areas and can assist developing nations achieve their sustainability goals.”
Biderman's involvement in ETTAC has increased the interactions between government agencies, SWANA, and other solid waste and recycling companies. SWANA has expanded its international profile in recent years. In 2020, SWANA delivered a landfill training and capacity-building education program to nearly 100 landfill managers and governmental officials, primarily from Colombia. SWANA provided landfill and transfer station training in Belize in November 2022 and has written several reports for the Inter-American Development Bank. SWANA is currently discussing future projects with several solid waste stakeholders in Latin America and the Caribbean.
