2005
For the second year, NYSAR3 honored three of the many recycling professionals who deserve recognition. From the nominations received from the membership, the committee designated the following awards:
2005 Lifetime Achievement Award – Suzanne LaLonde retired from OCRRA as Director of Recycling and Waste Reduction. LaLonde’s long list of achievements include developing an award-winning county recycling program with multi-residence, business and hotel components, serving on state-wide committees and being a tireless ambassador and cheerleader. Under her leadership, OCCRA won Governor’s Awards for Waste Reduction and Recycling in 1997 and 2001, a unique achievement.
After retirement LaLonde continued to serve the recycling community, serving as program committee chair for the NYS Federation of Solid Waste Associations conference.
2005 Recycler of the Year – Mark Naef, Naef Recycling. A vocal advocate for recycling at home and around New York state, Mark Naef has worked in recycling through RRT, Daystar Recycling and now Naef Recycling. His efforts have served numerous communities through paper marketing and Materials Recovery Facility services. His MRF currently serves communities around upstate NY as far-flung as Delaware and Jefferson counties, as well as his home county of Onondaga. Naef has worked to develop the Go Green Initiative, provided scholarships to high school seniors and served on the NYSAR3 board.
2005 Honorable Mention – Gerry Knoll, Village of Hamburg and Erie County’s Northeast Southtowns Solid Waste Management Board. Knoll has provided leadership in his home community as well as for Erie County and New York State from the days before recycling was a household event. The Village of Hamburg program is a model for comprehensive solid waste recycling, including curbside collection of residential materials, composting, and collection of household hazardous waste and electronics. Under his direction, Hamburg’s programs received two awards from the Erie County Environmental Management Council in 2003.
