Whatcom County Recycling
Whatcom County Recycling – A Primer
As we enter the 36th year of curbside recycling in Bellingham and Whatcom County, it is useful to understand how our local program is unique, the domestic and international market forces shaping its future, and how business and citizen participation are critical elements in its success. No question is too big or small – join us to learn how persistent, small steps can make a difference in the world
Bio:
Since 1996, Rodd has been the Recycling & Safety Manager for Sanitary Service Company, Inc. (SSC) managing recycling programs for over 45,000 residential, commercial, and institutional customers. Rodd developed new SSC programs for yard waste, construction materials, plastic film, food waste and food-soiled paper, and electronics. SSC’s award-winning Food To Flowers! school composting program now serves an estimated 25,000 students daily from kindergarden through university level.
Over the last thirty years, Rodd provided on site technical assistance in waste prevention, reuse, and recycling to thousands of local businesses, government agencies, and public institutions including the City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, Western WA University, Bellingham Technical College, Whatcom Community College, and most school districts and private schools in Whatcom County.
He serves on the Board of Trustees of the WA State Refuse & Recycling Association (WRRA) since 2009, where he is currently Chair of the Government Affairs Committee. Rodd was the chair of the Built Green Board of the Building Industry Association of Whatcom County from 2012-14, and chair of the Green Team for the annual Ski To Sea Festival. He served from 2003-2009 on the Whatcom County Solid Waste Advisory Committee, and is again a current SWAC member since 2019.
Rodd is a graduate of The Evergreen State College (BA, 1983), the University of Tennessee - Knoxville (1986, Secondary Teaching Certificate) and the University of Tennessee - Chattanooga (1989, MS Science Education). He volunteered on all of the Bellingham Greenways campaigns, was president of the Birchwood Neighborhood Association from 1996-2002, and continues today as a volunteer trail builder with the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition.
Rodd is an avid road and mountain biker, bicycling to work daily for 25 years. He has been married 35 years to his wife Janie (Outreach Director, Interfaith Coalition) and recently built a new home in the Whatcom Falls Neighborhood, dangerously close to Lafeen’s Donut Shop . . . .