![[Solid Waste Resource Renewal Group]](http://njaes.rutgers.edu/_common/images/subheads/swrrg.gif "[Solid Waste Resource Renewal Group]"){kind=small}
Who Are We?
For over ten years, the Solid Waste Resource Renewal Group (SWRRG) at the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station had provided leadership and coordination in various innovative waste reduction and recycling focus areas, including food waste, computers, fluorescent light bulbs, mercury-containing devices, waste paint and green purchasing/environmentally preferable purchasing. Through the only New Jersey-wide food residuals recycling initiative, SWRRG has brought together waste generators, recyclers, and government to find optimal ways of diverting food waste away from methane production in landfills and into production of energy and soil amendments, which are vitally needed in the State and region. SWRRG has provided assistance to entrepreneurs and generators planning systems, done research, outreach and created website and other tools for all stakeholders. SWRRG has also done numerous waste audits and facility visits, and planned many events, as well as made many presentations in this area. We have produced a variety of reports and publications to inform both policymakers and stakeholders, including a report in 2004 to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), which was used as the basis for changes to the state’s Solid Waste Management Plan in 2006. Other current SWRRG focus areas include school recycling, including food waste recycling. Many New Jersey schools need assistance to come into compliance with recycling requirements, and school recycling programs present an excellent way to teach not only sustainable resource management, but for application of skills being taught in such classes as mathematics classes, social studies, science, and even writing classes. Another SWRRG interest is expansion of end of year and during the year reuse options for students and others at higher education institutions. SWRRG organized and conducted a Statewide Solid Waste Summit, held in Middlesex County in February 2001, which included speakers and representatives of all sectors affecting waste policy in the State: government, business and industry, solid waste and recycling communities, and academics. Participants identified the first priority for action as Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP). This led to two grant funded projects in this area, most recently an innovative grant funded project on green/environmentally preferable purchasing for human health.
Biography
Priscilla E. Hayes, Esq., Executive Director: Priscilla is the Executive Director of the Solid Waste Resource Renewal Group, which works primarily to promote conversion of the resources found in solid waste into innovative new products. Ms. Hayes co-founded the SWRRG with Dr. Adesoji Adelaja in 1997. Since its earliest days, the SWRRG has been working to create systems and facilities which can convert New Jersey’s food waste and other organic waste into vehicle fuel, other energy sources, and high quality soil amendments. All of these products will meet pressing policy needs for the state. Moreover, diversion of food/organic waste to these conversions can dramatically raise the state’s recycling rate, and allow it to comply with its own legislatively set goals. Ms. Hayes has become one of the primary experts on food and organics recycling in the state, and is the primary author of a major report to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Connecting Large Scale Generators And Markets Of Food Residuals: Study Of Success/Failure Factors For Food Residuals Recycling, completed in June 2004. Ms. Hayes was a team leader on a just-completed study for the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities; the study quantified biomass, including food and other organic wastes, which are available in the state and examined technologies to convert this biomass to energy or fuel.
Ellen Vastola, Assistant to Executive Director: Ellen received her B.S. in Biology- Marine Zoology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Throughout her career, Ms. Vastola has developed her organizational, public speaking/demonstration, interviewing, behavior modification, and training skills. Ellen worked previously at Rutgers as a lab technician and lab operations coordinator (General Biology course), then as a Health/Safety Specialist with the Rutgers Environmental Health and Safety Department (REHS). As a lab operations coordinator, she received a Merit Award for her project to create and manage the “morgue” for dissection materials. This included purchasing “environmentally friendly dissection animals” and creating waste disposal procedures, in accordance with university and state regulations. While at REHS, Ellen’s extensive training solidified her concern of the different and many waste streams created by the university and the general public. Ms. Vastola has been working for the Solid Waste Resource Renewal Group since March 2002. The SWRRG has called extensively on Ellen’s science, laboratory, safety, and right-to-know background. Ellen’s passion has been in understanding living organisms, the environment, and to educate others in this field.
Alumni
Michelle Gugger, Student Assistant: Michelle is a senior Rutgers student in the Environmental Policy, Institutions and Behavior major expecting to graduate in January. Working with the SWRRG since February, Michelle has performed research on food waste generators and assisted with waste audits in Princeton schools to promote food-recycling programs. This summer, Michelle worked for Forest Trends, a non-profit environmental advocacy group in Washington, DC, where she worked specifically with carbon offset programs and payment for ecological services. Other work experience includes an internship with New Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. In her spare time, Michelle participates with Beach Sweeps and Campus Climate Challenge (associated with New Jersey’s Public Interest Research Group) activities. Michelle hopes to continue her environmental action in a post-graduation career. She now is in Philadelphia working for the EPA.
Binti Thakkar, Student Assistant: Binti is a senior Biology student specializing in science education because, she says, that she “LOVES” kids. Binti has been involved with the SWRRG since fall 2007 and has developed a multidisciplinary educational curriculum focusing on resource use and reuse. In spring 2007, Binti assisted in organizing a statewide Global Warming March to Trenton to encourage the signing of the Global Warming Response Act, which was signed into law June 2007. Binti is presently researching environmental justice concerns in New Jersey’s urban school districts. Other work experience includes bookkeeping work for Charter School Business Management and the Mabel Smith Douglass library and tutoring/childcare for the PilotMe mentoring program and the Danielle Dean Daycare Temple. In her free time, Binti provides photography for the Green Print student newspaper, practices Capoeira, and trains for a half marathon. She will be attending graduate school of education at Rutgers working towards her master degree in education.
Cindy Wasser, Student Assistant: Cindy is a senior Rutgers student in the Environmental Policy, Institutions, and Behavior and Environmental Planning programs. She has been with SWRRG since fall 2007 and has worked on various research, education, and event-planning projects. Cindy is an officer of Rutgers University’s Environmental Council, an umbrella organization networking student clubs and academic departments to address large University environmental concerns. With the Council, she is planning the 2008 Rutgers Earth Day Summit. Recently, Cindy was selected to be the undergraduate representative for the Rutgers University Committee on Sustainability. In spring 2007, Cindy studied political science and development coursework at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, and assisted in the founding of Sibambisene (“working together”), a community service organization providing support to students in poor disadvantaged regions of SA’s KwaZulu-Natal region. Other past work experience includes environmental teaching for the Edison Wetlands Association, Somerset County Environmental Education Center, and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary; clerical work at Gillman & Gillman law firm, and advocacy for New Jersey’s Public Interest Research Group and PennEnvironment. In the future, Cindy hopes to work with county or state governments with rural development and farmland preservation issues.
David Buchman, Student Assistant: David is a transfer student to the Rutgers School of Engineering, working to finish his double major in Computer Engineering and Computer Science. He is currently working on restructuring and redesigning the SWRRG website, and helping to maintain and digitalize resources pertinent to the project. David has done past work in software design and computer programming for Google, Middlesex County College, as well as other independent clients. David is an entrepreneurial, determined, and motivated individual who hopes to one day soon employ his innovative design ideas in a collaborative effort to create a successful startup company. Some of David’s pastimes include, math and logic puzzles, musical analysis and composition, continued studies in Japanese language and literature, and volunteering on several high-profile open source software projects, such as Apache, Debian, and Perl.
Chen An Hsieh, Student Assistant: Chen is senior Biological Science student at Rutger specializing in microbiology and ecology, after having completed an associate’s degree in biological science at Middlesex County College. Past work experience includes being a general assistant for Aries Apparel Corporation. Chen aspires to work for a biology company or laboratory and “just live a peaceful life.”
Benjamin Lee, Student Assistant: Ben is senior Rutgers student majoring in Environmental Business and Economics who joined the SWRRG team recently to advance the marketing techniques implemented for the present county forum series and begin plans for an investment forum scheduled for early 2009. Past work experience includes being an assistant manager at Plainsboro UPS. Ben aspires to work himself up from a starting position at a large company.
Doug Hayes-Patterson, Student Assistant: A freshmen in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers. He expects to major in Archeology. Doug has previously worked for Building Innovative Storm Water Management practices for horse farms as part of research done by Dr. Chris Obrupta at the Department Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University.
