Medford, MA Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn Receives National Recycling Award for Leadership in Sustainability

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn was honored with a prestigious National Recycling Award by The National Recycling Coalition (NRC) at the 2024 National Recycling Congress in Cooperstown, New York, on Tuesday, November 19. The annual awards program recognizes exceptional individuals, programs, and organizations for their contributions to sustainability, innovation, and the advancement of recycling efforts across the country.

Mayor Lungo-Koehn was recognized as an Outstanding Elected Leader for her strong commitment to advancing Zero Waste initiatives in Medford. A key highlight of her leadership was the successful launch of a phased rollout of residential curbside composting for 19,000 households in July 2024. The program has garnered attention as a model of environmental stewardship, with Mayor Lungo-Koehn actively promoting the initiative through educational videos, participating in composting events and barrel giveaways with volunteers, as well as driving compost and outreach efforts on social media to drive community engagement and adoption.

“I’m honored to receive this recognition from the National Recycling Coalition,” said Mayor Lungo-Koehn. “This award reflects the hard work and dedication of our entire community in making Medford a leader in sustainability. Our curbside composting program is just one part of our broader commitment to reducing waste and building a cleaner, greener future for all residents. This incredible work would not be possible without the help of our staff, the Solid Waste Taskforce, our consultants at Strategy Zero Waste Solutions and volunteers.”

The National Recycling Coalition’s Awards Committee Chair, Ann Gibbs, praised the honorees for their innovation and leadership. “The awardees exemplify what it means to lead by example in sustainability,” said Gibbs. “These leaders and programs have set the bar for innovation, inspiring us all to do more.”

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantagemag.com