CORALVILLE — Susan Johnson of the Iowa DNR recently received the Outstanding Professional Achievement Award and the Outstanding Facility/Program Award from the Iowa Society of Solid Waste Operations at its annual conference in Coralville.
Through the DNR’s Special Waste Authorization Program, Johnson provides free, non-regulatory assistance to landfills, industry, businesses, agencies and more to help them better understand federal regulations and to safely dispose potentially hazardous materials. The Special Waste Authorization Program assists in providing safe and proper management for wastes which present a threat to human health or the environment that make disposal in a sanitary landfill difficult to manage.
Johnson accepted the awards at the Iowa Recycling and Solid Waste Management Conference Awards Luncheon in Coralville on Oct. 3.
"Sue has worked hard for many years as a partner with industry helping them solve their challenges,” said Alex Moon, DNR Land Quality Bureau Chief. “Although she works for a regulatory agency, industry stakeholders have never viewed her as a regulator. She is well deserving of this award."
Johnson’s work aims to help find safe disposal methods that meet all federal regulations while often saving organizations money by exploring alternative solutions. A focus on providing resources, including almost 30 fact sheets on various hazardous materials, helps simply regulations and rules. In addition, Johnson works with the Iowa Waste Exchange to find new reuse options for wastes that would otherwise be landfilled.
For more on the DNR’s Special Waste Authorization Program, visit https://www.iowadnr.gov/Environmental-Protection/Land-Quality/Solid-Waste/Special-Waste-Authorization.