The Town of Cochrane’s waste and recycling manager, Sharon Howland, has been named the president of the Recycling Council of Alberta for the 2012/2013 year.
This new role, which was appointed by her colleagues within the group, will see Howland as the spokesperson for the council. She took over the reins from Jason London, manager of compliance for the Beverage Container Management Board in Edmonton.
“It’s a great honour,” said Howland, who was first elected to the group’s executive in 2011. “I’ve been in a similar position with smaller groups, but never for such a large organization — we represent the recycling industry and municipalities throughout Alberta.”
In her first act as the face of the organization, Howland said she plans to follow the lead of her predecessor in an attempt to revive waste management and recycling policies in the province.
“Alberta has a long-term waste management strategy called Too Good To Waste,” she said. “Just like every government document of policy, it gets focused for a little while, and then attention drops and people focus on other things. Priorities shift. We advocate for this policy.”
As honoured as she is to tackle her new role, Howland said she is well aware of the difficulties that lay ahead.
“The big challenge is competing for attention with the big priorities like healthcare and education,” she added.
Howland said her new role will not interfere with any of her work with the town.
