Maury County Solid Waste Director Mike Sweeney recognized
Maury County Solid Waste Director Mike Sweeney has been recognized by the Tennessee Solid Waste Directors Association as its Solid Waste Director of the Year.
Sweeney was has awarded the title for his outstanding solid waste programs, environmentally and economically sound solid waste management practices and a willingness to share his knowledge with his fellow directors across the State of Tennessee through various training programs.
“It is an honor just to be nominated, and a honor to win the award,” Sweeney told The Daily Herald.
Since 1998, Sweeney has served as the county’s solid waste director.
“I am glad to be a county servant,” Sweeney said. “We do the best we can do. I have enjoyed it for the whole time. I could not think of anything else that I would rather do. Sometimes it can be a pretty tough job. We try to let people know that their trash does not simply disappear when they put it on the site of the road.”
Sweeney works to make sure the department is operating at the highest standards and in accordance to the state’s regulations.
Maury County’s solid waste department employs 14 full-time and 45 part-time employees.
Before joining the department as its director, Sweeney retired from the Maury County’s tax assessor’s office.
Sweeney was one of the founders and original co-chairs of the Tennessee Solid Waste Directors Association when it formed in the early 2000′s.
“It was an idea that we kicked around for several years, just among friends, and we all decided it was a good thing to do,” Sweeney said.
The association was formed to help create a unified body for each of the state’s 87 solid waste directors that would communicate as a whole with the state.
It now stands Tennessee’s primary network for waste management officials, providing additional training and seminars.
The association is now fully recognized by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, which also administers training to the organization.