Waste Connections Supports Cal Poly Research
The Global Waste Research Institute addresses the challenges created by waste and industrial byproducts.
Cal Poly recently confirmed a multi-year $700,000 commitment to the Global Waste Research Institute from Waste Connections, Inc., bringing the company’s total gift to $1 million.
The Global Waste Research Institute (GWRI) represents the first collaborative effort between a public university and industry to promote the development of sustainable waste and byproduct management technologies and advance current global practices in resource management.
The formation of the institute was first announced in late 2009, funded with a $300,000 start-up grant from Waste Connections. Under the stewardship of GWRI’s Director Nazli Yesiller, Ph.D., the institute has since been expanding its service and educational offerings in preparation for its launch.
“This generous gift to Cal Poly’s Global Waste Research Institute secures a visionary effort to build on the University’s Learn-By-Doing mission,” said Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong. “Waste management is an increasingly complex challenge, and these are precisely the kinds of 21st century problems that Cal Poly wants to help solve.
“The Institute will provide an educational and practicing platform not only for students and faculty but also for the professional community, regulators, and the general public to discover new technologies and sustainable practices for waste management. Solutions to these challenges will benefit the environment not only in California, but around the globe,” Armstrong added.
“GWRI’s goal is to act as the central hub to educate and engage faculty, students and interested parties to address the risk to human life and the environment posed by the world’s ever increasing amounts of wastes and industrial byproducts,” noted Yesiller.
The San Luis Obispo-based institute engages faculty and students in projects that investigate all aspects of wastes and byproducts from initial generation to final disposal.
Source: Cal-Poly