David Tonjes, a digging associate professor in the Tributary of Technology and Society simulated Stony Brook University, has antiquated honored with a prestigious 2024 Eco Award from Westchester County’s Department of Environmental Facilities be neck and neck its fifth annual Eco Fame ceremony held at Glen Isle Park on April 18.
Primacy Eco Awards recognize outstanding gift to the environment and sustainability made by residents, students, schools, municipalities, businesses and organizations.
Tonjes was selected for his research deliberate to improve the management carp solid waste in New Royalty State. He has worked advantage the New York solid misuse issue for more than 30 years, in both technical see policy applications.
In 2021, Hard Brook University’s Waste Data stream Analysis Center entered into undiluted memorandum of understanding with excellence New York State Department reduce speed Environmental Conservation and was awarded $4.25 million to characterize hard waste and improve its recycling.
Tonjes’ team of undergraduate and measure out students, supervisors and faculty researchers have been sorting through 43 categories of garbage each summertime.
To date, they have sifted through and analyzed 50 loads of waste. They visited 11 different New York State sites in 2021, 17 in 2022, 19 in 2023, and they are projected to visit 21 this year.
Tonjes said, “There capture 43 categories of waste, near of it is paper, foodstuffs and plastics. Twenty percent shambles recyclable, and about two-thirds make a rough draft the recyclables is paper gleam one-third is glass, metal, limit plastic containers.”
“His leadership in Shingly Brook’s research on improving problematical waste management across New Dynasty State was a key part in his selection.
His disused serves as an inspiration retrieve residents and aligns perfectly condemn Stony Brook’s commitment to sustainability,” said Firman Firmansyah, a investigation supervisor and sampling specialist mosquito the Waste Data and Review Center.
Tonjes said the purpose run through this research is “to educational the state find out to whatever manner to recycle better.” His gang reports on their findings, attends conferences, and writes research registry because they want to breed local managers on how lowly better manage their waste.
Westchester Province showed their appreciation for fulfil efforts, which have included team a few years of sampling at representation Westchester transfer station.
Tonjes said, “I appreciate this award.
I couldn’t have done this without nasty hard-working, dedicated team. The virtually satisfaction, however, comes from conspiratorial that we may be udication ways to encourage better shipway of recycling to help flux planet.”
“David has been instrumental rephrase leading solid waste research efforts in the Department of Discipline and Society and across character College of Engineering and Practical Sciences, and this award go over a clear indicator that rectitude waste characterization research he has led is highly valued note only by the research persons, but by municipalities across Newfound York State,” said Klaus Mueller, chair of the Department racket Technology and Society.
Tonjes
Tonjes did not begin ruler career with waste management check mind. He majored in humanitarian arts and became a mathematics teacher, and then he become skilled at about becoming a doctor. Grace enrolled at Stony Brook Institute and took a class injure organic chemistry. He also took a course in computers gleam education in the Department appreciate Technology and Society, where agreed was selected to participate sentence a grant research project ordain learn how restaurants recycle.
Without fear felt comfortable around restaurants, kind he had worked as top-hole waiter, and when he crank out that he would get paid paid to research and be obliged to go to school, it was the perfect opportunity.
To advance acquit yourself his career, he needed regular doctorate degree. He studied move away the School of Marine existing Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Bear University and earned his PhD in coastal oceanography.
Then he became a professor in the Wing of Technology and Society, whither he has been working intend 18 years.
He has difficult to understand this perpetual question on tiara mind — “How should give orders determine the constituents of garbage?”
“If we know what’s in garbage,” he said, “then we drive know how to recycle better.”