AFMC wins international waste management awards

  • Published
  • By Brian Brackens
  • Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs
The Air Force Materiel Command Asset Management Division recently earned the Richard I. Stessel Waste Management Award, making the AFMC team the first federal entity honored by the Air and Waste Management Association.

The association named the AFMC division a winner of the Stessel award for demonstrating its leadership in promoting waste management and environmental compliance throughout the command.

"The Stessel Award represents 20 years of AFMC environmental professionals supporting the command's mission by lowering costs, increasing efficiency and making the world a better place by reducing hazardous waste," said Lt. Col. Mark Madaus, chief of AFMC's Natural and Cultural Infrastructure Branch.

The Air and Waste Management Association is a non-profit international environmental management organization, which serves as a forum for industry professionals and annually presents awards to organizations that make a positive environmental impact.

The association also awarded Jim Ryckman, Aeronautical Systems Center environmental engineer and former AFMC Air Quality program manager, with the 2012 Richard Beatty Mellon Award for excellence in environmental stewardship and public educational outreach.

"The Mellon Award is a true testament of Jim Ryckman's commitment to the field," said Madaus. "He has invested so much time in education and outreach efforts and over the years has literally interacted with tens of thousands of people -- helping to grow the next generation of environmental leaders."

Peter Hess, chair of the Air and Waste Management awards committee said that the AFMC team was selected due to its commitment to managing and reducing waste.

"Air Force Materiel Command demonstrated excellence in developing and implementing an aggressive, credible program for waste management," he said. "The judging body was particularly impressed by the leadership of the program's developers and how the program was embraced by the command."

AFMC stood out among the international nominees for the award said Hess.

"The bar was set very high for candidates of the Stessel Award," he said. "The four international finalists for the award were all deserving to be winners, but AFMC's program had the broadest application and success."

Jeff Mundey, chief of AFMC's Asset Management Division, credits the award to the work of installations throughout the command.

"While the division got the award, the real credit has to go to all the installations, because that's where the rubber meets the road and that's where the real action has taken place," he said. "With guidance and funding, we've been able to support installations and put in place efforts to reduce our hazardous waste."

Dave Fort, AFMC energy program manager and former manager of the Hazardous Waste Management Program said the award is a reflection of the people working throughout the command.

"AFMC has some of the best waste managers in the Department of Defense," he said. "They know their bases, they know their processes, they know their programs. No one person won this award. It was a collective effort of hundreds of people and their commitment, which reflects the quality of people we have working in AFMC."