Five Oaks & Springfield transfer station recognized for internship program
Operations produces award-winning effort
Springfield, Ill. – During a nine-week internship program, approximately 20 college students had a chance to work for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA). They worked in various within various departments, including air, land and water pollution control, as well as legal counsel. As part of the program, they also participated in field office sampling, on-site inspections, laboratory analysis and other aspects of everyday work at the IEPA.
This includes taking field trips to various facilities, including a tour of Waste Management’s Five Oaks Landfill and Springfield Transfer Station.
“It’s a huge honor that our facilities are continually chosen for these trips over our competitors each year,” said Dan Erni, WM engineer. “The field trips provide an opportunity for Waste Management to really explain our company values to interns and inspire them to pursue careers in environmental protection, while building our relationship with IEPA.”
In addition to Erni, other employees have been on-hand to give presentations as part of the tour, including Scott Sheets, Springfield route manager; Craig Summers, gas plant manager; and David Siegrist, gas technician.
“This sponsorship is a win-win for the company as our team has received numerous praises from the IEPA’s Director and her staff regarding our participation in this worthwhile program,” said Mike Watson, area vice president.
Many interns noted that the trip to Waste Management’s facilities were some of the highlights of the summer. One intern shared that he enjoyed hearing Erni talk about the importance of every pollution control facility’s design, construction, management and regulation.
For this effort, both the Five Oaks Landfill and Springfield Transfer Station received recognition for their sponsorship of the 2014 Governor’s Environmental Corps (GEC) Summer Internship Program. Erni accepted the award from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Director at the GEC luncheon.