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\nJoe Torma\, General Manager of Green Star\, will open with a brief history of recycling in FNSB and then continue with more detailed information about what is recycled now\, how it received\, what processing happens\, and where it goes from the Central Recycling Facility. Matt Pearson\, FNSB Recycling Manager\, will follow with more specifics about why we are limited to materials we can currently accept\, the landfill diversions goals of FNSB\, the rate at which our landfill is being consumed\, and more details about why supporting the Central Recycling Facility which is in the FNSB CIP can help extend the life of our current landfill\, and set us up to utilize our next landfill only on materials which need to be buried\, not things which can be repurposed. \;
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\nMatt Pearson was born and raised in Fairbanks. \; HIs childhood was filled with outdoor activities\, including camping\, fishing\, hunting\, skiing and snowboarding. \; Matt loves gardening and spending time with his family and exploring the state. \; After briefly living in Madison\, Wisconsin\, he moved to the Island of Hawaii and worked in the hotel industry working in every position from housekeeping to front office manager. \; In 2005 Matt joined a company that contracted for the local county government and began work as a site manager for a brush diversion project that mulched green waste with an industrial grinder to make a soil amendment for farmers. \; In 2013\, Matt moved to Maui to be the Assistant Plant Manager for the same company where they processed Greenwaste and Biosolids into a class A compost for agriculture and landscaping. In 2016 He moved back to Fairbanks and spent time working as a baker before joining the Solid Waste Division at the Landfill in 2018. \; In the late summer of 2021\, when the position of Recycling Manager became vacant\, he applied and became the Fairbanks North Star Borough Recycling Manager and has held that position and is in his 4^th \;year overseeing the FNSB Central Recycling Facility.
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Joe is an Air Force brat who has been in Fairbanks since leaving Dallas\, TX in 2021. \; He immediately fell in love with the people\, the culture\, and the amazing state of Alaska. \; Joe began volunteering with Green Star shortly after arriving in Fairbanks. \;Joe has held a variety of positions in industry including leadership and management roles in sales\, marketing\, business development\, fund raising and executive recruiting. \; Joe also owned a professional photography company for a decade before moving to Alaska. \; Joe has a passion for getting things done\, continuous improvement and crafting win-win solutions to complex problems. \;When Joe is not working or talking to his kids or grandkids he likes fishing\, hunting\, playing guitar and learning about technology.