GREDELL Engineering Resources, Inc. (GER) staff attended the 51st Annual Missouri Waste Control Coalition (MWCC) conference, July 21-23, 2024. Being the 51st annual conference, the theme was “Year (Area) 51, Entering A New Era of the Unknown”. MWCC organizes and holds this “must attend” Environmental Conference. The conference has run continuously since 1972, making it one of the oldest environmental conferences in the nation and brings almost 500 coalition members representing the public, environmental regulators and waste industry professionals together for learning, networking and updates on the latest solid waste topics.
GER had an exhibit booth, provided a door prize, sponsored the raffle, sponsored Tuesday’s breakfast and “meet and greet”, moderated two sessions, and presented at three sessions. GER employees attending the conference were Tom Gredell, John Browning, Mike Carlson, Ken Ewers, Jacob Fitzpatrick, Wayne Elliott and Christine Houts.
Wayne Elliott, E.I., GER Environmental Engineer, presented a session titled, “Unidentified Recyclable Objects”. This session discussed recycling opportunities for the public, what materials can be effectively recycled, and hurdles that tend to hinder recycling efforts. Wayne hit the ground running with GER in 2022, and assists our clients with geotechnical, civil engineering and hydraulic aspects of solid waste projects.
Jacob Fitzpatrick, E.I., GER Environmental Engineer and Ken Ewers, R.G., GER Senior Geologist, presented a session titled, “Exposing the Secrets to Shooting Range Closures and Waste Reduction”, sharing a glimpse into the new era of shooting range waste reduction and beneficial reuse. This session discussed GER’s experience with shooting range closures, recommendations for reducing waste, and increasing profitability at operating ranges. Jacob rejoined GER in 2022 after two internships during college. Jacob assists on projects involving shooting ranges, CCR, landfills, transfer stations, and wastewater. Ken has been at GER since 2014 and manages our groundwater services, statistical analyses, shooting range renovations, and compliance for environmental projects.
Tom Gredell, P.E., GER Principal Engineer, facilitated a panel discussion, “The Four R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Really? – Zero Waste”. Panelists included: Mike Duvall, retired waste management expert, Ashley Krug, City of Springfield and Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Waste Management Program Section Chiefs Mike Parris (Compliance) and Dave Drilling, P.E. (Engineering). The panelists discussed a variety of topics related to impediments to recycling, improving public participation in recycling, and ways to pursue the elusive goal of Zero Waste.
