NWRA disappointed in CDC’s recommendation for COVID vaccine access for waste workers

The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) expressed its disappointment Dec. 23 in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation to include waste and recycling workers in Phase 1c, as opposed to Phase 1b, of access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

The association said that as states move to formalize vaccine distribution plans, NWRA will advocate that others follow the lead of Michigan and Arizona, which have included waste and recycling workers in Phase 1b.

“NWRA urges more states to follow the lead of Michigan and Arizona in prioritizing this critical industry that is essential to preventing the spread of disease and illness in society. The delivery of these services impacts all healthcare, residential, commercial and industrial properties on a daily basis, necessitating them to receive prioritization,” NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith says. “Modern society cannot function without an efficient waste removal operation.”

NWRA notes it has consistently advocated for the waste and recycling industry to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, as its workers have remained working on the front lines during the pandemic.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Administration classified waste collection workers as “essential” under five different “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” categories. Waste and recycling workers were also placed on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s COVID-19 vaccine priority list.