Employee Spotlight
Ask Erica Chew what a typical week looks like as Certified Waste Solutions' Director of Sustainable Waste Solutions, and she'll tell you there isn't one.
One day she's mapping out a waste program roadmap. The next she's documenting cradle-to-grave waste flow for a zero waste certification, sitting through an ISO 14001 audit, working with architects on compaction equipment for a new build, or testing AI applications for the industry. And yes, some weeks still involve digging through mounds of trash.
“Most people probably have some memory of me that involves dumpster diving.”
It's a fitting description for someone whose career in waste started almost by accident, decades before she ever had a job title for it.
Erica traces her interest in the industry back to childhood walks with her mom and sister, where picking up cans and bottles along the trail was simply part of the routine. She jokes now that it was likely her mom's way of keeping them busy, but she also thinks of it fondly as early grooming for a career in waste.
That early habit eventually turned into a career in 2004 when Erica joined FRG Waste Resources as an Assistant Account Manager. She credits the company's leadership with creating an environment of opportunity and career growth, one where the team learned to celebrate individual strengths and leverage each member's contributions to deliver synergy across their service offerings.
Several years later, FRG joined the Certified Waste Solutions family, giving Erica an opportunity to broaden both her expertise and the range of sustainability services she helps deliver today.
Ask Erica what separates Certified Waste Solutions from traditional waste management companies, and her answer is simple: understand the waste before it ever reaches the dumpster.
“It is very important to understand the full waste flow. Without that knowledge, the program can only be managed once the waste makes it to the dumpster, which is a very reactive approach.”
Every project begins with listening. At its core, Erica says the team is made up of problem solvers who look for the many possible solutions to a sustainability challenge, staying thorough in the fact-finding so the solution is, well, sustainable.
Sustainability at Certified Waste Solutions isn't confined to one department. It touches sales, operations, logistics, customer service, and nearly every function across the organization, and Erica sees those cross-functional teams as essential to the business, since the model requires collaboration between each department.
It's an approach that reflects one of Certified Waste Solutions' core strengths: building sustainability programs around how a client's operation actually works rather than forcing operations into a one-size-fits-all solution.
When asked about the project she's most proud of, Erica doesn't point to a single customer or achievement. Instead, she points to her clients.
“I am most fulfilled by the client teams that provide me deep transparency into their businesses so I can understand the intricacies that affect their decision making, the cultures that create their business, and the financial aspects that are central to their growth strategy. It is their successes that I am most proud of.”
That client-first perspective has shaped how she views the future of sustainability. She sees the path ahead focused on looking upstream at waste generation, challenging the industry's mindset to find ways to avoid waste through process change and innovation.
Erica is energized by where Certified Waste Solutions is headed, especially as the team continues to grow. She says the growth broadens her exposure to different program models and industries, and creates more career paths for employees along the way.
For those considering a career in sustainability or waste management, her advice is simple: ask questions. She points out that degree programs exist today that didn't when she was in school, so there are more ways into the field than ever, and she encourages people to reach out to those already established in the industry, who tend to be quite passionate about talking trash.
Outside of work, Erica has a surprising civic streak. She's one of the rare people who actually looks forward to jury duty.
“I get so excited every time I get a summons in the mail,” she says. “I've been on three juries out of the last five summons.”
And when it comes to misconceptions about the waste industry, she has one favorite to debunk.
“The biggest misconception is that we are all in the mafia,” she jokes. “Clearly we can't ALL be in the mafia.”
If Erica had to sum up her entire approach to sustainability and waste, it comes down to this:
“If waste is generated everywhere in a business, the program addressing it has to reach everywhere too.”
It's a philosophy that's guided her throughout more than two decades in the industry and one that continues to shape how Certified Waste Solutions helps organizations build smarter, more effective sustainability programs.
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Certified Waste Solutions is growing, and Erica's advice for anyone considering a career in the industry is simple: ask questions. Curious what that career path could look like?
Explore Careers at Certified or call (888) 284-9037