Women in Waste Webinar Recap

On March 8th, 2022, Clean Earth held a Women in Waste Panel & Regulatory Update Webinar to celebrate International Women’s Day. The webinar featured a panel of waste industry experts from Clean Earth, including leaders from the Women of Harsco program, as well as expert representation from the Company’s customer, Petco.

• Shannon Crawford |Environmental Manager, Women of Harsco Resource Chair
• Kaila Ilyes | Technical Sales Supervisor, Women of Harsco Team Lead
• Ashley Campbell | Compliance & Regulatory Affairs Specialist
• Amy Ebersole-Martinez | Manager, Environmental Compliance at Petco

The webinar covered the following:

• Current industry diversity trends
• Women of Harsco program overview
• Regulatory update
• Roundtable discussion

Current industry diversity trends

Women in the Workplace

Historically, women entered the workforce in the 1960’s as part of the feminist movement. Over the past few decades, women’s representation has improved in the corporate workplace and progressed towards C-suite positions. Women’s contributions have brought knowledge, experience, and diversity to the waste industry.

Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, women’s representation improved across all levels of the corporate pipeline in 2020. At Harsco during this time, the retention rate of women increased year-over-year from 2019 to 2020.

Harsco has committed to promote diversity, equality, and inclusion, with a specific goal of enhancing diversity and gender representation on the Board and Senior Management Team.

Petco Trends Perspective

Petco’s approach to diversity and inclusion aim to ensure a diverse talent pool for future opportunities. 60% of Petco partners are women, which is then segmented to get a better sense of inclusion; the company looks at women of color, women in tech, women in operations, and women in the field vs corporate.

Women of Harsco

The Women of Harsco is an employee resource group founded in 2021 by Clean Earth.

The group is driven to promote the advancement of women at the Company through personal and professional development, mentorship, and empowerment. The group has issued a successful mentorship program with over 70 participants, as well as a resource library and speaker series.

Petco’s Partner Resource Group

Petco also has a resource group for women – Women at Petco. This program strives to empower women to achieve their best selves by fostering relationships and community. This resource group is one of seven that Petco has.

Regulatory Update

Hazardous Waste Generator Improvement Rule

This rule amends hazardous waste regulations by allowing for flexibility in how hazardous waste is handled; it is predicted to be adopted in California and Washington D.C. shortly, to follow Oregon, Texas and Vermont which all recently put the rule into effect.

Aerosol as Universal Waste Rule

This rule allows aerosol cans to be managed as universal waste as opposed to hazardous waste. Recent states that have adopted this rule include Colorado, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Vermont. Washington D.C. is predicted to adopt the rule shortly.

Pharma Rule

This rule allows for the adoption or exemption of nicotine over-the-counter waste. This rule is predicted to be adopted in Washington D.C., Mississippi, Tennessee, and Wyoming shortly. It has recently been adopted in Oregon, Texas, and Vermont.

Petco Regulatory Perspective

In 2020 COVID-19 caused a decrease in inspections – there has since been an uptick, specifically in hazardous waste. States that saw this uptick in 2021 include Florida, Washington, Kansas, Georgia, Missouri, New York, and California.

Roundtable

What are the current limitations for women in the waste industry?

Amy Ebersole-Martinez:

“Historically, waste is a very male-dominated industry, in which women have entered over time. Women have had to gain trust and earn respect through proving their knowledge. As leadership becomes more educated and programs are repurposed to include women, the industry is likely to see more positive changes.”

How can colleagues support women in the workplace?

Shannon Crawford:

“Building relationships and keeping open communication is critical to supporting women in the workplace. Women colleagues are often better at advocating for each other than for themselves and can use the team mentality to their advantage. In building a community, and valuing mentorship and personal relationships, women can find their voice.”

What is your advice for advancing careers in waste, specifically through networking and mentorship?

Kaila Ilyes:

“Advancement happens when you are continually asking questions; you want to learn and strive to reach a goal. Determination over anything will lead to success. Take the next step and push yourself.”

Ashley Campbell:

“Especially at an entry level, it’s important to confide in a mentor or veteran employee. Gain knowledge on how women are represented and supported in your company and take advantage of corporate events and trainings.”

Do you see women in waste as more interested in sustainability and the environment than men?

Shannon Crawford:

“Women do seem to be more interested in sustainability, which correlates with data that shows women in the waste industry are more likely to go into recycling and refurbishing than the landfill sector.”

What steps have you taken to increase employee retention, in women?

Kaila Ilyes:

“With employee retention regarding women, it comes down to hearing out the women involved and making sure their voices are heard. Overtime this can lead to growth, foster a welcoming environment, and create a collective group.”

What is advice for advocating for yourself in a male dominated industry?

Shannon Crawford:

“It’s important to realize that advocating for yourself doesn’t come naturally – it’s something to develop. To work at this, you can consult a mentor and talk through specific situations. Advocacy can develop into strong leadership and impactful changes.”

Click Here to listen to the recorded webinar.

Webinar sources:

https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/womens-databook/2020/home.htm

https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace

https://www.iswa.org/women-of-waste-new/?v=7516fd43adaa

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