Nashville Department of Waste Services Director Tracey Thurman Recognized with National SWANA Award

The Nashville Department of Waste Services (NWS) announced today that Director Tracey Thurman has been selected to receive the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) Professional Achievement - Public Sector Award. The award is given annually to one public sector member in recognition of valuable and distinguished contributions to SWANA, their employing organization, and the general public.

Director Thurman is being recognized for her lengthy career built on the foundations of public service, committed leadership, and a deep dedication to the professionals who keep waste and recycling services running every day. Length of service and sustained contributions to the industry are key considerations in the selection. SWANA will formally recognize Director Thurman with this honor during an Awards Celebration at RCon in St. Louis on September 30.

"After being involved with SWANA and working in the industry for more than a decade, it is an honor to receive the Professional Achievement in the Public Sector Award," said Director Thurman. "I'm proud to be a part of this industry where we have an opportunity to make a difference every day. I share this honor with the Nashville Waste Services team, recognizing our collective efforts in delivering on service to our residents who expect and deserve the best in recycling opportunities and reliable collection services."

Under her leadership, NWS has modernized service delivery for the 21st-largest city in the country, transitioned to fully digital routing operations, and built Metro's newest standalone department from the ground up. Earlier this year, Thurman led Nashville's largest collection-schedule transition in more than a decade, a major operational upgrade designed to improve services for residents across Metro Nashville and Davidson County. The reroute successfully shifted 97,000 households to new service days and supported more than 146,000 households overall. Thurman has also overseen several major operational and financial improvements at NWS, including $5.5 million in savings from insourcing more than 50,000 collection routes, the launch of Nashville's first foam densifier program that processes bulky foam packaging into reusable material, and led the first upgrades to the East Convenience Center in 25 years, improving traffic flow, safety, and customer experience.

For more information about SWANA's 2026 award recipients, visit the SWANA website at https://swana.org/community/awards-scholarships/2026-award-recipients.