The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County’s (SWA) 4R Ambassador Summer Program is June 2-6, 2025. Students will go behind the scenes of SWA facilities during this one-week reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink adventure and engage in hands-on activities and field trips focusing on the environment from an integrated solid waste management perspective.
The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County is the governmental agency responsible for providing an economical and environmentally conscious integrated solid waste management system for the residents, businesses and visitors of Palm Beach County. The SWA emphasizes the concept of AWAY, because when people place their garbage and recyclables at the curb, they go AWAY. But where is AWAY?
Ultimately, all garbage and recyclables arrive at SWA facilities. Anything placed into a garbage container is taken to the SWA’s renewable energy facilities and turned into electricity. Recyclables are kept separated (by yellow and blue bin materials) through their entire journey until they end up at the Recovered Materials Processing Facility. At this facility, the recyclables are further sorted, baled and sold to market to be made into new products. The SWA also has a Biosolids Processing Facility where anything put down the sink drain or flushed down the toilet is taken to be converted into an environmentally friendly fertilizer amendment.
So, whether you throw it into the garbage, recycle it or flush it AWAY, your waste gets put to work in all these ways and more. This program will teach students how AWAY works in a fun and interactive way.
After students learn about the concept of AWAY, they’ll graduate as official SWA 4R Ambassadors and be encouraged to teach their family and friends about how their waste can affect our environment. They'll also be able to explain how individuals can recycle right and be mindful of their day-to-day choices and actions to reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink their waste.
Interested participants in the 4R Ambassador Summer Program must have:
- Completed grades 6, 7 or 8
- Minimum 3.0 GPA (transcript required from school)
- Recommendation letter from a science teacher
Students will see areas of the Authority that most never see during a normal facility tour and go behind the scenes at SWA facilities, including:
- A Home Chemical & Recycling Center
- The Landfill
- The Recovered Materials Processing (recycling) Facility
- Renewable Energy Facility 2 (the cleanest, greenest, most efficient waste-to-energy plant in the world)
- A transfer station
- Utilities
- The SWA Greenway Trail System
Students will also visit our community partners, including Resource Depot, the Loxahatchee River District and Grassy Waters Preserve.
The program is free. However, it’s requested that participants bring an old electronic device to be recycled.
To apply for the 4R Ambassador Summer Program, call 561-640-4000, ext. 4413, or email education@swa.org for an application. The application deadline is Friday, May 16. Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis and participants will find out if they qualify before the program begins.
Learn More: swa.org/4r
