Before retiring in March of 2022, Susan Robinson led the sustainability and policy team at Waste Management (WM). In this role, she was responsible for WM’s sustainability policy, advocacy and reporting. Her 38 years in the industry included working in the public sector, nonprofit environmental work, consultancy and more than 30 years in the private sector. Robinson’s experience includes policy and advocacy, global commodity marketing, research and analysis of industry trends and 20 years managing municipal solid waste and recycling contracts.

For the past dozen years, Robinson was an active participant in the national recycling dialogue, speaking as a subject matter expert at conferences and testifying on behalf of the waste and recycling industry at both the state and national level. She has been active in trade associations, participating on numerous task forces and working groups to collaborate on industry-wide waste and recycling solutions. After retiring from WM, Robinson supports a diverse array of recycling and sustainability efforts through her work with trade organizations and private sector clients. She has participated on several boards, including the American Institute for Packaging and Environment (Ameripen), the Institute for Recycling Industries’ (ISRI) Paper Stock Industries (PSI), the Southeast Recycling Development Council (SERDC), the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) Foundation, the Washington State Recycling Association and ReFED’s Advisory Council. She is currently an appointed member of the U.S. EPA’s Advisory Committee and the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Committee on Costs and Approaches for Municipal Solid Waste Recycling Programs.

Robinson attended Stanford University and holds a Bachelor of Science in applied earth sciences from the University of Washington. Her master’s work in environmental studies was at The Evergreen State College. She holds a Sustainability Leadership Certificate from Stanford University.