Solid Waste Advisory Committee
SWAC Members tour the South Transfer Station January 24, 2025..
From top left: Yongkang (YK) Zhou, Melanie Coerver, Casey Colley (SPU Staff), Joe Camero, Lisa Watkins, Chelsey Evans, Paige Madden. Bottom: Tareq Fayyad.
The Purpose of SWAC
Seattle Public Utilities' Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) is an advisory body mandated by RCW 70A.205.110 to provide recommendations and informed advice to the Utility regarding solid waste management issues.
Description
SWAC members work with SPU’s Solid Waste Division to provide recommendations, feedback, and share community insights on programs, policies, and outreach objectives around recycling, compost, garbage, and waste prevention. SWAC members review and comment upon programs, policies, and ordinances concerning solid waste handling and disposal prior to adoption and serve as active stakeholders in long-range solid waste planning efforts.
SWAC members contribute expertise from diverse communities and organizations, with varied professional and life experiences. SPU values partnering with SWAC members to uphold the City of Seattle’s City Values, including racial and social justice.
SWAC members work with SPU’s Solid Waste team to provide recommendations, feedback, and share community insights into programs, policies, and outreach objectives around recycling, compost, garbage, and waste prevention. SWAC members also assist in the review of programs and policies concerning solid waste handling and disposal. In addition, members review and comments upon proposed plans, rules, policies, or ordinances prior to their adoption. SWAC members bring expertise from their communities and organizations, with different professional and life experiences, to ensure SPU can make Seattle the best place to live for everyone. SWAC members also actively partner to uphold our commitments to Our City Values and Social Justice.
- Represent community and organizational interests in making solid waste recommendations
- Write letters and statements to support SPU’s goals, such as moving toward Zero Waste
- Comment on the Solid Waste Comprehensive Plan and Annual Waste Prevention & Recycling Report
- Review solid waste programs and policies for customer impact
- Work collaboratively with other members of differing viewpoints
- Attend meetings every other month and participate in group conversations on solid waste topics
- The ability to influence SPU decision making around Solid Waste services, policies, and plans
- Advocate for one’s specific community interests and share perspective
- Learn and hear perspectives of different community members and the impact of city services
- Have an active role in local government with a diverse group of community members
Each spring and/or as members term off SWAC, we will hold an open recruitment process to fill vacant seats. More information about the recruitment process is outlined in the SWAC Charter. In order to apply for SWAC you must live or work in the city of Seattle. Other qualifications might include:
- Interest in SPU’s solid waste services, policies, and programs
- Ability to represent community interests in recommendations
- Experience collaborating with teams
- Desire to improve government services through lived (e.g., BIPOC, low/fixed income) and/or professional expertise.
Yes, and we welcome you to do so. Guests are encouraged to attend meetings to listen to members conversation and there may be opportunities to participate in discuss as well. Our meetings are held in person at the Seattle Municipal Tower, which you can attend with prior notice. To be added to our notification list, please email SPU_SWAC@seattle.gov.
Committee Members
Terms & Charter
Committee members are appointed for a two-year term, with approval by the SPU General Manager. Members can serve up to four years before reapplying. More details on terms and committee operation are available in the SWAC Charter.
Joe Camero, WM, Vice Chair
Term: 2023-2025
Joe lives in Pioneer Square and is a Public Sector Manager for WM (formerly Waste Management). He manages the solid waste collections contract between the City of Seattle and WM. An award-winning Public Relations manager, Joe previously worked for WM in Oakland, Cox Communications, and The California Endowment. He received his bachelor’s in communications from San Diego State University. You may bump into Joe around town either taking photos of the city or volunteering at a local nonprofit including the Pioneer Square Residents’ Council and the Filipino Community of Seattle.
Alissa Campbell, Recology
Term: 2024-2026
Alissa Campbell currently serves as the Government Affairs Manager for Recology. She is excited about the opportunity to connect with and learn from SWAC and share insights from the broad and diverse range of SPU customers she has served while conducting solid waste outreach in Seattle over the past three years. Alissa is a member of Seattle's Duwamish Valley Resilience District Advisory Group, the Washington Organic Recycling Council (WORC), and the Washington State Recycling Association (WSRA)
Melanie Coerver, Individual Representative
Term: 2024-2026
With over two decades of experience in the environmental sector, including leading climate and sustainability efforts at SDOT, teaching environmental policy at a Beijing university, and currently as a manager at Boeing, where she works to reduce the company's Scope 1 GHG emissions, Melanie Coerver is well positioned to contribute to the professional expertise and interests represented on SWAC. Melanie is excited about the opportunity to partner with SPU and SWAC in support of equitable, data-driven solutions. Melanie is a founding member and President of the Beacon Food Forest and a member of the Cheasty Greenbelt Project Advisory team.
Chelsey Evans
Term: 2022-2026
Chelsey leads circularity and marketplace sustainability for Etsy, Inc., where she creates strategies for e-commerce packaging sustainability and recyclability. She also advises on more sustainable materials for sellers, including recycled and upcycled content, and consults on regulation such as extended producer responsibility. Chelsey previously led sustainability at Nordstrom, where she developed the company's 2025 environmental goals and launched the award-winning BEAUTYCYCLE program. Closer to home in West Seattle, she volunteers with the Delridge Farmers Market. Chelsey holds a Master of International Business from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.
Tareq Fayyad, Trillium Sustainability
Term: 2024-2026
Tareq Fayyad is an environmental educator and consultant at Trillium Sustainability, where he supports clients in achieving their sustainability goals. As a graduate of the MC/SS program and a member of the BIPOC community, Tareq is eager to help bridge gaps between community needs and SPU's solid waste programs and services. Tareq currently volunteers at Kubota Garden Foundation, Friends of the Waterfront Park, Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetland, Tilth Alliance, Green Seattle Partnership, and the Rainier Beach Community Club.
Erin Gagnon, DTG
Term: 2022-2026
Erin Gagnon is the Chief of Transformation for DTG, an integrated recycling service for commercial, industrial, and construction clients. Prior to working at DTG, Erin spent time as a General Manager at Ridwell and a Government Affairs and Community Relations Manager at Recology. She has spent over 6 years in the sustainability field after graduating from Saint Martin's University with a Bachelors in Business Administration. She is passionate about buying everything second hand, baking homemade treats, and spending time outdoors.
Aleema Gray, Individual Representative, Chair
Term: 2023-2025
Aleema Gray oversees Amazon's long-term waste reduction roadmap for Worldwide Sustainability, including companywide waste diversion and waste prevention programs. She is responsible for establishing the standards and methods used to measure and predict waste across all company divisions, as well as implementing companywide processes, tools, and strategies to accomplish waste-related objectives. Her focus on making sustainability resonate with individual people has led to systematic changes in recycling and procurement programs across Amazon's last-mile fulfillment network.
Prior to Amazon, she had a decades-long international career of management and leadership roles in the digital and tech industries. She has also served in numerous professional volunteer and advisory projects focused on social impact and sustainability. She holds bachelor's degrees in both economics and anthropology from Binghamton University, and a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD. She also received an Executive Certificate in Circular Economy and Sustainability Strategies from the University of Cambridge.
Paige Madden, Individual Representative
Term: 2024-2026
With an interest in systemic solutions to Seattle's waste challenges, a unique perspective informed by her tenure as an AmeriCorps volunteer, experience in the food service industry, and a professional background in architecture and construction, Paige would contribute valuable perspectives to SWAC’s discourse. In addition, as a member of Seattle's vibrant arts scene, Paige is eager to contribute creative solutions and support two-way communication between SPU and the communities she represents.
Caitlin Singer, Individual Representative, Secretary
Term: 2023-2025
Caitlin is the Sustainability Manager at Georgetown Brewing and a West Seattle resident. She leads projects related to solid waste, resource efficiency and recovery, and renewable energy. She holds a BS in Biology and a MS in Environmental Social Psychology. Prior to her work at Georgetown, she was farming in Skagit and Whatcom counties. She is passionate about helping Seattle cultivate a more circular economy. Her hobbies include gardening, tending to the homestead, and has recently picked up cycling.
Lisa Watkins, Individual Representative
Term: 2024-2026
Lisa Watkins is an environmental scientist working as Washington Sea Grant's Community Science Specialist. She holds a PhD focused on plastic pollution and participatory science methods from Cornell University and serves on NOAA's steering committee for the Washington Marine Debris Action Plan. With experience as founder of a bicycle rehabilitation program, a trained facilitator supporting city-scale Zero Waste efforts, and regular user of SPU services, Lisa is proud to use her experience to benefit the community as a member of SWAC.
Karia Wong, Chinese Information and Service Center
Term: 2024-2026
As the Family Resource Director at the Chinese Information & Service Center, Karia is eager to support SPU's community-centered, zero-waste vision by working with SWAC to advocate for more cultural and linguistic resources for Seattle's non-English and limited English-speaking communities. With deep ties to the communities she serves, Karia's enthusiasm for proactive, solution-oriented community outreach will be an asset as SWAC tackles topics ranging from waste prevention to extended producer responsibility.
Yongkang (YK) Zhou, Chinatown-International Business Improvement District
Term: 2022-2026
Yongkang works as the Clean & Green Program Manager for the Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA), a non-profit organization in the C-ID. He holds a B.S. in Public Health from the University of Washington. He has extensive roots and relationships with many of the stakeholders and organizations within the C-ID and is keen on ensuring that the C-ID is well represented in the advisory of solid waste & sustainability efforts. He has been assisting SPU with sanitation efforts within the community and manages the CIDBIA's sanitation contractors. Yongkang aims to provide valuable insight and perspective to SWAC.
Meetings
SWAC is a standing committee that convenes an average of 10-12 times per year. SWAC members commit approximately four to five hours per month to SWAC business, including attending meetings, participating in discussions, and providing feedback on a range of solid waste topics. Members may be asked to serve on subcommittees, attend field trips, or participate in other activities related to SWAC’s scope of work.
SWAC meetings are open to the public. To attend a SWAC meeting as a guest, contact SPU_SWAC@seattle.gov.
Meeting Notes
All files PDF format. Previous years' meeting notes can be found in the meeting archive.