SWANA provides up to five scholarships totaling $25,000 a year to high school, undergraduate and graduate students interested in areas of study related to solid waste and resource management. Your contribution to the Scholarship Fund provides funding to these deserving students as we support their studies and encourage their interest in topics that may lead them to become industry professionals.

The Young Professionals Initiative was created to engage current and potential members who are 35 and under in SWANA activities and leadership. Among other programs, the Young Professionals organize SWANA’s annual International Solid Waste Design Competition in which undergraduate and graduate level student teams compete to solve a “real world” problem faced by solid waste professionals. Promising team members may also be offered tuition assistance of up to $2,500 each to work on a separate research project related to the prevention, processing and management of solid waste. The Solid Waste Design Competition is backed by the generous contributions of donors like yourselves and also by the Hickman Endowment and Internship Program, which was formed to provide opportunities to draw students toward careers in Solid Waste Management.