SUBSCRIBE                   PREVIOUS ISSUES​

Spotlight                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

​​​​​Waste Management with Commander Matthew Deptola

USPHS Commander Matthew Deptola is the branch chief for the Waste and Resource Recovery Branch (WRRB) within the OD/ORF Division of Environmental Protection. Among many other tasks, he is responsible for managing the waste contracts at both the NIH Bethesda Campus and satellite locations within the nearby area. Overall, he and his team are responsible for ensuring that NIH meets its compliance obligations for managing wastes while encouraging NIH to consider best management practices for waste reduction and recycling.

“We cover chemical waste, low level radioactive waste, medical pathological waste (MPW), solid waste, [and] recycling operations as well.” CDR Matt Deptola says, “We’ve got two contracts… just for size, they are getting closer to about $6 million a year per contract.”

Alongside managing an extensive network of waste management systems at the NIH Bethesda campus, CDR Matt Deptola and his team have been able to revamp and introduce several waste management programs and resources over the past four years. These include the NIH Chemical Waste Tag, the NIH Waste Disposal Guide and the Styrofoam Takeback Program, just to name a few. In addition, the team has implemented a web of Power BI datasets that provide additional insight into many aspects of waste management for NIH labs such as cost, waste diversion and compliance issues.

“[The] staff works hard! They can put out some extremely good products. Me sitting here; it's not without the staff making it happen.” He smiles, “I think the biggest accomplishment was giving the staff the freedom to run with different ideas.”

CDR Matt Deptola believes ingenuity and experimentation are necessary to improve with both sustainability and efficiency. While recycling is important, he emphasizes how crucial reduction and reuse are to the process as well. Using a ‘first in, first out’ approach to reduce redundant purchases and participating in the Chemical Redistribution Program are two ways he encourages reduction and reuse, but there are many more. The “Waste & Recycling” pages featured on the NEMS website​ are robust resources all employees can use to get a better understanding of waste at the NIH and how to do their part in properly managing it.

Looking towards the future, CDR Matt Deptola is curious and optimistic. He believes that staying ahead of market changes, especially those around plastic, could prove very useful for the logistics side of waste management. He also believes emergent technologies will allow us to change the dynamics of the waste system, potentially turning what was once destined for a landfill into something recyclable. Overall, however, he believes that the future of waste management lies in our own creativity.

“I put that to the community: continuing to bring up new ideas, new processes and championing is the only way, collectively, we're going to get to a point where we can continue to progress, reduce and have a sustainable situation.”

For the full transcript, click here.

​Featured Article                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

​How Does Recycling Work? ​ ​For years, we have been taught that recycling is an easy and straightforward way to help the environment. However, we seldom talk about what happens behind the scenes after the material is taken from our laboratories and offices. The answer to this question depends on what you recycle and where.​​​​ ​​ ​​LEA​RN MORE​​​​​

​​Take Action                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

America Recycles Day ​ ​America Recycles Day is quickly approaching on Wednesday, November 15! Recycling represents a conscious effort to lessen your environmental impact​ through waste reduction and resource conservation. Read the full article for a few ideas on how to contribute to this year's event!​​ ​ LEARN MORE​​

NEMS Training                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Did you know? ​​All recyclables should be clean and empty to avoid contamination issues that could result in entire loads being disposed as trash. Take a moment to dump food contents in the trash before recycling food and drink containers. To learn more about recycling​​​​​​​​, please visit the NEMS Training webpage to view a short (20 minute) NIH environmental awareness training video.