SWANA, EREF sign MOU to advance waste and resource management education, research

The Silver Spring, Maryland-based Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and the Raleigh, North Carolina-based Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to advance research, education and awareness in the solid waste and resource management sector.

The MOU, which formalizes collaboration between the two organizations, was signed during a ceremony at the Global Waste Management Symposium held Feb. 22-25, 2026, in Indian Wells, California. The agreement combines SWANA’s broad professional membership with EREF’s focus on research to expand the impact and reach of research findings, educational programming and industry engagement.

“This agreement builds on a long-standing collaboration between our organizations,” SWANA CEO Amy Lestition Burke says. “It provides a framework to strengthen our work, supporting knowledge-sharing and professional development for industry professionals. Importantly, it also ensures that public sector perspectives are represented in research discussions, helping to align scientific inquiry with the real-world challenges faced by municipalities and the communities they serve.”

Areas of collaboration may include developing educational resources and advancing research, reciprocal participation in events and coordination on opportunities of mutual interest that strengthen industry understanding and best practices, the organizations say. EREF also will add public sector representation to its research council by selecting a municipality to serve, based on recommendations from SWANA. 

“Both of our organizations share a strong commitment to advancing science, education and informed decision-making,” Bryan Staley, Ph.D., president and CEO of EREF, says. “This MOU reflects our shared priorities and strengthens the bridge between rigorous research and real-world application, creating new opportunities to connect unbiased data with the professionals and communities who rely on it every day.”