Melissa Filiaggi​ is a Division Chief of Operations at Maryland Environmental Service, managing large solid waste processing systems including a materials recovery facility, an organics composting facility, leachate pretreatment facility and other programs. In addition to operations, she oversees the marketing of compost and recovered commodities, leads long-term planning efforts and project development. Ms. Filiaggi​ has a master’s and bachelor’s degree in biology from Towson University where she studied frogs in the Peruvian Amazon. Ms. Filiaggi​ was selected as a 40 Under 40 award recipient in 2019 and is a board member of the Maryland Recycling Network.

Session Code: 6A

Track: Operations

Session Name: Institutional Composting

Session Time: Thursday, February 8, 2:00 – 3:30 PM

Presentation Title: Organics Collection Takes Off- Designing and Implementing Organics Collection at Airports

Presentation Description: In 2019, Maryland Environmental Service partnered with the Maryland Aviation Administration to design and implement an organics collection program for restaurants at the Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Beginning with a pilot program consisting of eight restaurants, the program has grown to include over 50 establishments and collects more than 3,000 pounds per week. This session will cover program development and support, outreach and education, and the particular challenges of collection in the secure areas of airports. Airports represent significant sources of food scraps and this program will provide guidelines and methods to capture those food scraps while meeting the substantial challenges of operating on an airfield.