At GBB, our expert consultants share a strong passion for solid waste management and working towards a more sustainable future. GBB's newsletter, The GBB Circular, is intended to contribute to the industry dialog, sharing ideas, observations, and words of wisdom. | |
GBB is Carbon Neutral for 2021 & 2022!
As part of our ESG efforts, GBB set out to become carbon neutral earlier this year. This process requires limiting emissions and procuring carbon credits from voluntary markets to offset the unavoidable emissions in cases where they cannot be limited. The GBB team has a continued goal to undertake meaningful activities to reduce the firm's footprint and, when it cannot be reduced, scrutinize carbon offset options to ensure the impact of the offset is material...
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Harvey W. Gershman Scholarship – Helping the Next Generation of Industry Leaders | |
The Harvey W. Gershman Scholarship, named after GBB’s co-founder and life member of the Solid Waste Association of North American (SWANA), is managed by SWANA as part of its annual Grant H. Flint International Scholarship program. The $5,000 annual scholarship, funded by a generous donation from Harvey as part of his long-standing desire to mentor and empower young talents, is awarded to full-time university students pursuing a degree in studies applicable to solid waste or resource management, intending to seek employment in the industry, and being either SWANA Student Members or children/grandchildren of a SWANA Member.
Undergraduate students enrolled at Northeastern University, Harvey’s Alma Mater, and interested in solid waste careers are prioritized for the award, but all students are encouraged to apply.
Congrats to the recipients of the scholarship!
2021 – Victoria Chanez
Environmental Engineering student at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. She since graduated and is currently a Municipal Engineer at Strand Associates, Inc.
2022 - Cameron Nevel
Environmental Engineering student at Northeastern University in Boston.
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New Study finds 465K tons of Kent County waste able to be sustainably processed and recycled.
Kent County, MI, recently issued a press release summarizing a waste characterization study performed by GBB that found that the County has enough divertible waste to support the creation of its Sustainable Business Park.
“The Waste Characterization Study was intensive and involved picking through Kent County residents’ trash over two weeks. From it, we were able to learn just how much waste can be processed in a much more sustainable way versus continuing to dump it in a landfill. There are materials in the waste stream that have value, so long that they can be successfully recovered from the waste stream and made available for reprocessing.” -- Jennifer Porter, GBB Senior VP.
View the details and the study in the press release.
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Scaling Up Composting to Cut Costs: Cities Grapple with Residential Food Waste Collection | |
Residential compost collection programs provide the tremendous benefit of diverting food waste from the waste stream, but they are quite expensive upfront until a threshold is reached where economies of scale can be taken advantage of, with:
• A greater volume of food waste collected
per truck shift, resulting in a reduced total
number of trucks needed as organics are
removed from the general waste stream.
• An increased volume of food scraps
helping cities negotiate lower costs for
organics processing.
Even with the risks and limitations, many cities are moving forward with scaling up residential organics collection with over 150 municipalities that have implemented residential food waste collection programs. This GBB Circular blog entry discusses the challenges, dilemmas and opportunities faced by cities throughout the country.
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GBB Promotes Four Key Solid Waste Management Consultants |  | |
In the past few months, four GBB sustainability and solid waste management consultants were promoted:
• Jennifer Porter – from Vice President to
Senior Vice President,
• Eugenia Manwelyan –from Senior
Consultant to Project Manager,
• Ricky Phillips –from Consultant II to
Senior Consultant, and
• Danielle Moyer –Consultant I to
Consultant II.
“It is with pride that we are promoting Jennifer, Eugenia, Ricky, and Danielle, who have proved that they deserve, and have the abilities, to take on additional responsibilities both within our organization and as part of our clients’ projects. Through the past few years, during challenging times, they consistently exceeded expectations, successfully took ownership of their assignments, and helped GBB achieve its mission of helping clients solve solid waste management issues by providing innovative, responsible, sustainable, and economical strategies and solutions for the benefit of communities and the environment.”
-Steve Simmons, GBB President
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In August 2022, GBB moved to its new headquarters!
The new office Provides the flexibility required by our now fully remote workforce and is better suited for occasional meetings with colleagues and clients. Please update your address books with our new location:
8300 Boone Boulevard, Suite 500
Vienna, VA 22182
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Upcoming Events
Since the summer of 2021, GBBers have been back in-person at conferences and tradeshows, networking with peers and sharing/learning about the latest in the industry. Visit the conference/tradeshow section of our Website for an updated list of conferences that GBB will attend in the near future.
In December, GBB will be attending WASTECON in San Diego. Please make sure to visit our booth; we look forward to seeing you there!
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“Increasing Authentic Public Participation in New York State Solid Waste Management Planning: Industry Best Practices & Kent County, MI Sustainable Business Park Development Case Study” | |
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Jennifer Porter, GBB Vice President & Sustainability Officer, and
Theresa Evans, GBB Senior Consultant
In late May, at the New York Federation of Solid Waste & Recycling Conference, Theresa Evans and Jennifer Porter (pictured to the right), along with Byrum & Fisk Senior Strategist Steve Faber, presented a case study of the innovative Kent County, MI Sustainable Business Park initiative with an interesting twist: a focus on the crucial public participation and community engagement aspects of the project:
• Stakeholders and community engagement strategy
• How to replicate in other communities
• Keys to success
PDF of the Presentation
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Recent Municipal Assignments
We appreciate the opportunity to assist these public sector clients:
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• Needs Study, Planning, and Procurement of
Materials Recovery Facility
Baldwin County, AL (as a subcontractor to LaBella
Associates)
• Integrated Waste Management Comprehensive
Review & Fee Study
Calaveras County, CA
• Disposal Options Review and Development of
Operating Scenarios/Recommendations
Campbell County, VA
•Solid Waste System Review and Planning
Dauphin County, PA
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• Financial Modeling Assistance
Delaware County Solid Waste Authority, PA
• Research and Analysis for Large Household Item /
Bulky Waste Collection
Metro Portland, OR
• Collection Services Procurement
Prince George’s County, MD / Maryland Environmental
Service
• Solid Waste Management Plan Update
Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District, UT
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