Recycling Awards

Recycling Awards

The NWRA Recycling Awards recognize companies, organizations or individuals who have made a significant impact in the waste and recycling industry. They are intended to celebrate achievements and commitment, as well as provide inspiration for others.

Nominations for 2024 will be open soon.

Award Categories

Sustainability Partnership Game Changer Award

This award is open to partnerships that include municipal and county governments, regulatory agencies, community organizations and the private industry that successfully partnered to implement game changing initiatives, policies or programs that advance sustainability in their community. Examples include, but are not limited to, increased recycling participation, targeted recycling or reuse campaigns, innovative organics collection and management efforts, carbon emissions reductions, repurposing closed landfills, or the preservation of biodiversity. Applicants must demonstrate how partnership and collaboration with another entity, or the general public, resulted in a meaningful and quantifiable sustainability outcome or breakthrough.

Excellence in Recycling Public Education Award

This award is open to public, private and non-governmental organizations that exemplify excellence in recycling or sustainability public education programs. Applicants should submit program materials and methodologies, as well as data that quantify the impact and success of the program.

Recycling Equipment Innovator of the Year Award

This award is open to recycling equipment designers and manufacturers that successfully challenge and advance recycling sector operations. It celebrates innovation in design and manufacturing that increases the effectiveness or efficiency of recycling equipment and operations. Applicants should provide data that validates improved outcomes as a result of their innovation.

Recycling Facility of the Year Award

This award is open to new or existing recycling facilities that are either NWRA members or public sector non-profits. It recognizes the facility that leads all other facilities in one or more key measurements, such as innovation, quantity of materials collected and/or processed, types of materials recovered, site improvements, or sustainability measures adopted. Applicants should provide metrics to affirm that their facility is the preeminent recycling facility.

Construction & Demolition Recycling Facility of the Year Award

This award is open to new or existing construction and demolition (C&D) recycling facilities that are either NWRA members or public sector non-profits that have embraced waste prevention and careful use or reuse of resources. It is intended to recognize a facility as a model for construction and demolition waste diversion, as well as for instilling a culture of waste prevention and responsibility among employees. Applicants would be asked to describe methodologies and provide data to quantify the impact of their efforts.

Organics Management Facility of the Year Award

This award is open to new or existing organics management facilities that are either NWRA members or public sector non-profits that has made a significant impact in diverting organics through their management facility. It is intended to celebrate achievements and commitment, as well as provide inspiration for others. Applicants should describe methodologies or programs, and provide data to quantify the impact and success of their work.

Nomination Fees

The nomination fee for our flagship award—Sustainability Partnership Game Changer—is $300/application. For all other awards, the nomination fee is $150/application.

Have questions?

Please contact Jonathan Taylor at jtaylor@wasterecycling.org with any questions you may have about the awards.