Michael E. White Named Interim Director of The Waste Reduction and Management Institute (WRMI) at Stony Brook University

STONY BROOK-November 21, 2024-Stony Brook University has named Michael E. White the interim director of The Waste Reduction and Management Institute (WRMI), which resides in the university's School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) and is overseen by Dean Paul Shepson.

White is presently a SoMAS adjunct faculty lecturer and works as a consultant on special projects with Winters Bros. Waste Systems of Long Island, LLC, which was recently acquired by Waste Management of New York. Prior to coming to Winters Bros., Michael was director of government affairs for Tunnel Hill Partners LLC. He is an attorney and has concentrated his law practice in the areas of environmental law, solid waste, municipal law, land use, natural resources and freight rail transportation. Michael is the president and owner of LI Strategies, Inc., an environmental planning consulting firm.

As Interim Director, White will oversee the WRMI and its faculty and staff to address the increasingly complex waste issues on Long Island. The region faces challenges such as some of the highest per capita waste generation in the United States, insufficient on-Island waste disposal capacity, and the need to improve recycling rates.

WRMl's goal is to reduce the impact of waste generation and management practices on society through research, assessment, education, and policy analysis and recommendations. Efforts look to reduce the amount of waste generated through the promotion of waste prevention strategies, educational programs, increased recycling, the development of creative beneficial uses for waste materials, along with environmentally sound transportation and disposal of waste.

"Stony Brook greatly values its role in the Long Island communities it serves, and WRMI is a critical resource to help address the serious challenges posed by waste generation across our region. We are thrilled to welcome Michael White in his new role and look forward to his expert leadership to advance WRMI's goals through innovative research, actionable recommendations and effective advocacy," said Richard L. McCormick, interim president, Stony Brook University.

"I am delighted that WRMI and Stony Brook will have the expert leadership of Michael White, as we do our best to educate and inspire the next generation of leaders to better tackle our considerable waste management challenges on Long Island. We hope that rather than lead in per capita waste generation, we will soon lead in development of creative solutions to our environmental challenges," said Dean Shepson.

"I am excited to take on this role. The WRMI is creating an action plan to address challenges related to Long Island waste to energy facilities, management of ash from those facilities, construction and demolition debris management and transportation of waste off Long Island. Key drivers of our crisis are ever-increasing amounts of waste generated, not enough recycling, and lack of waste disposal capacity. Importantly, we are collaborating our efforts through the institute with County Executive Romaine and the Long Island Supervisors' Association led by Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer. Technical working groups have been created and are composed of people from the University, government, the waste industry, consultants in the industry and the environmental community," said White.

Recent activities happening at WRMI include the institute being awarded a Regional Solid Waste Management Planning Grant, in the amount $250,000, which runs to August 2025. The goal of the grant is to assess solid waste management practices on Long Island and formulate a comprehensive plan that prescribes immediate, short term and long-term achievable goals and optimal and practical strategies and action items to achieve these goals. White serves as the Principal Investigator. This grant was provided by New York State (NYS) through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

The Waste Reduction and Management Institute (WRMI) was created by the New York State Legislature in 1985, made up of a number of engaged faculty and staff across the Stony Brook campus, and hopes to grow to enable greater impact. An Advisory Board, comprised of experts from government, environmental organizations, and private industry, will be reestablished so that the Institute will benefit from the expertise of others in the fields of waste management and public policy.

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Additional quotes

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine

"I congratulate Michael White on being appointed as interim director and applaud Stony Brook University's commitment to innovate and implement best waste management practices on Long Island," said Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine. "In Suffolk County, we are working with our stakeholders and town supervisors to explore further opportunities to transport waste off the island while addressing the environmental and economic challenges our communities continue to face."

Kevin Law, Chair of the Stony Brook University Council

"Michael White is a terrific choice to run the WRMI and I commend President McCormick and Dean Shepson for appointing him to this important position. I am confident Michael will continue the legacy of Larry Swanson who helped educate Long Islanders about the need to recycle and who taught municipal leaders the necessity to work collaboratively to address the regional challenge of solid waste management. "

Town of Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer

"I've known and worked with Michael for almost four decades and I can't think of anyone more suited to taking on the challenges of directing Stony Brook University's Waste Reduction and Management Institute. Michael has years of hands-on administrative and legal experience with both Long Island municipal officials and industry leaders in Long Island's complex waste management programs. As a seasoned attorney, I've seen firsthand how Michael works to find common ground bringing parties together and finding solutions to complicated environmental and solid waste issues. Michael was instrumental in helping Babylon form and implement its ground-breaking Commercial Garbage District, which almost 30 years later still is an environmental asset that features the lowest cost commercial waste processing and disposal on Long Island. I have no doubt that Michael will excel in this position."

Matt Cohen from the Long Island Association

"Waste management is an issue on Long Island impacting our environment but also our economy, and Michael White is a well-respected champion for the region who understands the complexity of this challenge and has positioned Stony Brook University to continue its leadership while partnering with municipalities and other key stakeholders to identify innovative and practical solutions."

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About Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University is New York's flagship university and No. 1 public university. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. With more than 26,000 students, more than 3,000 faculty members, more than 220,000 alumni, a premier academic healthcare system and 18 NCAA Division I athletic programs, Stony Brook is a research-intensive distinguished center of innovation dedicated to addressing the world's biggest challenges. The university embraces its mission to provide comprehensive undergraduate, graduate and professional education of the highest quality, and is ranked as the #58 overall university and #26 among public universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges listing. Fostering a commitment to academic research and intellectual endeavors, Stony Brook's membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU) places it among the top 71 research institutions in North America. The university's distinguished faculty have earned esteemed awards such as the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Indianapolis Prize for animal conservation, Abel Prize, Fields Medal and the Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics. Stony Brook has the responsibility of co-managing Brookhaven National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy - one of only eight universities with a role in running a national laboratory. In 2023, Stony Brook was named the anchor institution for The New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island in New York City. Providing economic growth for neighboring communities and the wider geographic region, the university totals an impressive $8.93 billion in increased economic output on Long Island. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stonybrooku/ and X@stonybrooku.

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