/
Print
Services
Residents
Business
Visitors
Government
City of Knoxville
Blogs
City Blog
Sustainability Champion: Pat...
Sustainability Champion: Patience Melnik
In celebration of Earth Month 2022, the City's Office of Sustainability is showcasing three exceptional employees who have been integral to our sustainability focus areas: energy, transportation, and waste.
Patience Melnik
Waste and Resources Manager, Public Service
4 years in current role & City
Patience Melnik manages solid waste services for the public, including trash and recycling. She oversees more than $10 million in contract and in-house services to collect and haul materials, process and store waste, and perform environmental cleanups -- all while providing customer service to the public and coordinating with contractors. She and Makenzie Read, the City’s Waste and Resources Coordinator, both provide education to the public.
MAKING CORE SERVICES MORE SUSTAINABLE
Patience firmly believes that responsible waste management is a huge part of reducing environmental and climate impact, and feels a professional obligation to make the City’s core waste services as sustainable as possible.
“Our landfill contractor is actually going above and beyond to trap methane gas from decaying waste and reusing it as fuel – which reduces emissions." She adds: "Our Household Hazardous Waste Center is incredible. They’re keeping dangerous materials out of the landfill and processing them safely, at no cost to residents of the whole county. The staff took the initiative to launch a free community ‘reuse shelf’ so residents can get the items they need and give a second life to usable items. It’s a great way to help residents reduce their waste footprint and avoid buying a whole new product when it’s not always needed.”
The Waste team also celebrated several recycling milestones this year: more than half of Knoxville households now have curbside recycling service; more than a third of recycling is done at drop-off centers; and a recent audit revealed that our recycling is significantly "cleaner" than other communities’.
“We found that our recycling stream has a contamination rate of 17 percent, compared to a national average of 25 percent," says Melnik. "We’re thrilled that the community is doing such a great job. Of course, we still found ‘wish-cycled’ items that weren’t actually recyclable, but this shows that more people are paying attention to what can and can’t be recycled."
She attributes Knoxville’s success to ongoing education efforts by the City and strong partnerships with organizations like Keep Knoxville Beautiful and Goodwill Industries.
PILOTING SOLUTIONS TO REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
In addition to reducing the environmental impact of our trash and recycling services, Patience is passionate about efforts to divert waste before it even reaches the landfill, where it produces powerful gases that drive climate change.
“I had been talking to community partners about a compost program for years, so we were ready to jump when the stars finally aligned,” she says.
In February 2022, the Waste and Resources team launched the Knoxville Compost Pilot Program. It’s a public-private partnership: the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation provided funding; City Possum Farm built the solar-powered composter, and Patience’s team collects organic waste and transports it to Battlefield Farm, where it is processed into compost that will be added to vegetable beds.
The pilot has seen extraordinary early success. In just six weeks since launch, over 80 people have dropped off more than 1,100 pounds of organic waste at the collection site in the Old City. Contamination has been very low, likely due to the in-depth educational quiz participants must complete in order to unlock the new green drop-off bins. And the bins have generated a lot of excitement from the public - Patience says she’s already been asked if the pilot will be expanded, and she’s preparing to scale up in case City leaders decide to grow the program.
“I’m most excited about seeing organic material from our community return to garden beds at Battlefield Farm, and for food to grow out of materials that would’ve otherwise turned into greenhouse gases in a landfill,” she says.
She’s looking forward to sharing more information at the free and public
Bread-to-Tap Food Waste Awareness event
on Saturday, April 9, at Crafty Bastard Brewery.
Posted by
ptravis
On 31 March, 2022 at 11:02 PM
Recent Posts
Popular Market Square Ice Rink Set Attendance Record in 2023; On Pace to Set New Record This Year
Bike/ped safety improvements on Henley Bridge benefit all road users
Bracing for Winter's Wrath: City Plans for Snowy Weather, Stocks Up, Is Ready!
Henley Bridge Lights Might Rival Rudolph's Red Nose
Augusta Quarry Update: New Bathrooms Built, Pathway Grading Close to Complete
KFD Memorial: Remembering and Honoring
#KnoxvilleJobWellDone: Deep Team of City Workers Expertly Managed Explosives Crisis
KUB Adds Public EV Chargers on S. Central Street
Repurposing on Purpose at the Sustainable Fabric Workshop
Finding Inspiration Up Close: ADA Sidewalk Improves Accessibility to Unique Cal Johnson Courts
Archives
December 2024 (4)
November 2024 (1)
October 2024 (5)
September 2024 (1)
August 2024 (2)
July 2024 (2)
June 2024 (1)
May 2024 (1)
April 2024 (4)
March 2024 (3)
February 2024 (3)
January 2024 (2)
Group Blogs
City Blog
KAT Blog
KPD News & Alerts
Magnolia Avenue Streetscapes Project
More...
Post Categories
City Events
City Services
Cumberland Ave.
Downtown
Government
KAT
Mayor Kincannon
Meetings
Neighborhoods
Outdoor & Recreation
Public Safety
Redevelopment
Road Work
South Waterfront
Sustainability
Content Alert Subscription
Blog Feeds
Podcast Feeds
Subscribe to Email Alerts