Steve Christman’s environmental science career launched 30 years ago in Indiana, making him one of the state’s first greenies. During his career, he has operated a landfill and a materials recovery facility, created environmental programs and served on a number of eco-conscious boards before becoming Executive Director of the Northeast Indiana Solid Waste Management District (NISWMD).
NISWMD is a multi-county entity charged by the state to reduce the solid waste stream in the area by enacting waste-reduction strategies such as recycling and composting. As Christman points out, solid waste production has a direct correlation with the health of the economy, so the last few years have shown a dramatic drop-off in volume.
“Municipal solid waste management is not a garbage problem,” Christman says. “Solid waste management is a materials-handling problem. It’s a matter of being able to pick material up and put it down, and do something with it in between — as efficient as possible with the least amount of cost.”
Visit the Northeast Indiana Solid Waste Management District website.