Date: February 20, 2025
As a sustainability partner, Envita Solutions leads the total waste management industry by championing responsible waste solutions and tackling the most pressing environmental challenges. A key part of this mission is sharing expertise to inspire meaningful change. Arielle Bernard, Strategic Manager for Organics recently joined Waste Today Magazine’s New Voices podcast to discuss her career journey, the evolving landscape of food waste recycling, and how Envita Solutions is addressing industry challenges to build a more sustainable future.
Arielle’s path into waste management began with a degree in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Barbara. While she didn’t initially envision a career in waste, an opportunity with Waste Management set her on a trajectory that eventually led to Envita Solutions. Arielle helped grow the business development for Waste Management’s food waste recycling programs in the Mid-Atlantic region which provided her with deep industry insights and prepared her to take on a larger role in organics with Envita.
“My favorite part of my job is working with customers on harder-to-manage waste streams,” said Bernard. “You think food waste and you think, a consumer-packaged product, but we’re working on all kinds of different raw ingredients, bulk ingredients, and different containers. So, it’s always fun trying to figure out what the challenge is, where to take it, and who can manage it appropriately.”
Like any industry, waste management comes with its challenges. Arielle highlighted a key challenge: the geographic gap between where waste is generated and where recycling outlets are available. Transporting materials to the right facilities can be complex, requiring businesses to balance sustainability goals with logistical and cost considerations.
“Depending on where the manufacturers are in the country, it’s sometimes a bit more difficult to transport material to a facility, and you have to gauge the benefits of recycling versus the transportation of getting it there,” said Bernard.
By leveraging a robust supplier network across North America, Envita can optimize waste diversion strategies, ensuring materials are processed through the most efficient and sustainable solutions. Since joining Envita, Arielle has been focused on continuing to build and strengthen that supplier network.
She’s also had the opportunity to audit new facilities and explore innovative food waste processing methods, such as anaerobic digestion, composting, and converting waste into animal feed. Right now, some regions are more focused on food waste than others but that only leaves room for growth.
“The East Coast and the West Coast are a bit more advanced in terms of having legislation in place and more of the facilities located there,” said Bernard. “But in the Midwest, there’s a lot of manufacturing, so I would love to say that there’s more coming in the Midwest and the Southern regions.
To hear the full conversation and gain more insights into food waste recycling, listen to Arielle’s interview on New Voices here.