About VRA

Letter From The President

Dear VRA Members and Associates,

As the incoming President of the Virginia Recycling Association, I am humbled to lead such a dynamic group of professionals in our industry. Continuing in the footsteps of our Immediate Past President Billy Basham, it is an honor to serve. Our Board of Directors and leadership team is comprised of talented professionals from very diverse backgrounds and experiences that has already proven to be a valued asset to all our members.

We continue to have a strong financial position in great part due to the effectiveness of our leadership teams (Past and present) and the support of our members. This year, we were able to provide our first scholarship award for a talented and rising young member of our community.

At the Virginia Recycling Association we have a diverse team of volunteer professionals with a wide variety of skill sets offering years of experience. From our younger members to seasoned leaders in our field, our team works well at evaluating the needs of our constituent organizations and addressing challenges. Further, we are working towards showcasing new technologies and initiatives in our field.

Our recent Conference at Virginia Tech was a fine example of just how well the team worked to put together a great conference that combined various tours wand interactions with facilities that are part of Virginia Tech with new and current technologies. There was ample time for interaction with sponsors and exhibitors and a lot of time for networking. Everyone who attended gained form their attendance.

Our team is innovating on so many fronts. We are continuing to develop new strategies to improve communications and effectiveness in our endeavor to make better and more efficient recycling programs and strategies.

Communications: Developing resources through a robust social media, email and blog posts, we are sharing information and current trends to our members. Our communications team does an excellent job of sharing new

Advocacy: This year, we submitted several recommendations to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality for the first time. By providing our inputs we are offering our insight and knowledge to policy makers in Richmond to improve the effectiveness of Recycling and Waste diversion/management. We are also encouraging our members to avail themselves to elected officials as subject matter experts in our field. We get more responsible and effective legislation when legislators have access to our brain trust and experience. We have also joined the National Recycling Council as an affiliate so we can be better connected with national and international initiatives, technologies and legislation.

Mentorship: Over the past year we have continued our development of mentoring initiatives matching new members with seasoned members. By networking in this effort, our newer members. Mentoring the next generations is the recipe for success in our profession.

Education: We have embarked on a very innovative Lunch and Learn program to bring educational opportunities and tours to our members throughout Virginia. From construction debris and mattress recycling to how to recycle toner cartridges, the tours and presentations are interesting and a great opportunity to network.

Over the past year we have four committees. This down from as many as six in the past. By combining several functions into these teams, it is more efficient for our meetings and offers our members more flexibility in participation. Any member of VRA can join and offer your talents to these teams.

•  • Finance
•  • Education/Training and Conference
•  • Communication and Membership
•  • Policy and Governance

For more information on what and how each committee does, please go to: https://vrarecycles.org/about-vra/committees/

Remember, we are a Member organization and our goal is to be the best resource for our members. We encourage our members, municipal, business and in the academic communities to look at our committees and offer your talents to further enhance our knowledge base and be a resource for our future.

Best wishes to one and all!

Sincerely,

Daniel A. Baxter

President Virginia Recycling Association