It\u2019s American Public Works Week, and we\u2019re celebrating public works leaders in solid waste on our blog. Check back for a new profile feature each day!<\/i><\/p>\n
No matter where he is, Atlanta Public Works<\/a> Director Moses Tejuoso excels, and Atlanta\u2019s Public Works administration success is due to him in no small part.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m someone that embraces challenges (and) doesn\u2019t shy away from different opportunities,\u201d he says \u2014 especially when he can help people or the planet.<\/p>\n From his family to his community, Tejuoso works every day to \u201cput the people first.\u201d<\/p>\n A metro Atlanta native, Tejuoso began his career in sustainability with the PGA Tour at the East Lake Golf Club as a member of the Tour Championship Operations Team. There, he implemented some best practices for waste diversion and \u201creally just got the hunger for sustainability and waste diversion and operations,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n From there, he did community engagement for the Learning Garden Operations of the Captain Planet Foundation,<\/a> and his passion for taking care of the earth grew.<\/p>\n Get Started <\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n When he joined the City of Atlanta<\/a> in 2016 as a Community Affairs Coordinator, he says he believes his work with the Foundation helped him stand out. He also worked with the Keep Atlanta Beautiful Commission<\/a>, which orchestrates programming related to putting an end to litter, encouraging recycling<\/a> and beautifying communities.<\/p>\n \u201cEssentially, a lot of functions that align with my core values,\u201d Tejuoso says.<\/p>\n Dating back to Boy Scouts, Tejuoso says he has always been aware that we should leave places as we found them. But a pivotal moment with his uncle really opened his eyes to human impact on the planet, he says, which made him want to be an even better steward of the environment.<\/p>\n \u201cIt started with the Peachtree Road Race,\u201d he says. \u201cI will never forget it.\u201d After the race, volunteers hand out energy bars, \u201cand I remember tossing the wrapper on the ground,\u201d Tejuoso says.<\/p>\n \u201cMy uncle stopped in his tracks and just really put me in my place, and I really respected him. So for him to have that level of, you know, being upset about what I had done, it really just made me think about it a little bit more,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n With the PGA Tour, Tejuoso says his work was really about operating efficiently, making sure the materials that were purchased were sustainable, and the like. The conversation with his uncle about the wrapper helped him connect all the dots.<\/p>\n As he began his work for the city\u2019s public works department and the Keep Atlanta Beautiful Commission, he continued making those connections, working on recycling initiatives like the Feet on the Street recycling education<\/a> campaign and managing the Adopt-a-Spot litter-reduction program before being promoted to the role of director.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn’t have imagined that I would have been a director within five years of being here,\u201d Tejuoso says. \u201cI think that a lot of my interaction with many different stakeholders, both internal and external, has guided me to this \u2026 where I now actually oversee those same departments that I was initially just lending a hand and trying to help.\u201d<\/p>\n Stepping in to help and offer support, even as a volunteer, is an easy way to get involved with your community \u2014 and it could potentially lead to other opportunities, too, Tejuoso says.<\/p>\n \u201cVolunteering, to me, is really a great way to put yourself out there, meet new people, and oftentimes you come across an opportunity.\u201d His work with the Captain Planet Foundation, for example, began with volunteering, and he was later offered a position.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the same thing here with the City of Atlanta,\u201d Tejuoso says. \u201cWhen I first came, I didn’t shy away from assisting other divisions and helping out on different projects. I think it really helped to groom me into who I am today, to where I was able to figure out how all the pieces connected.\u201d<\/p>\n Since he began his work with the city, Tejuoso has seen interest grow in the Keep Atlanta Beautiful Commission, among other public works programs, and behaviors related to recycling and littering have changed. When he first began his work for the city, its Adopt-a-Spot program \u2014 a core program for any Keep America Beautiful affiliate \u2014 had only two registered cleanup groups.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, I’m proud to say we have over 200 active groups,\u201d Tejuoso says.<\/p>\n \u201cI really feel like over the time that I’ve been here, we’ve been able to get the word out and just change behavior, using resources from different stakeholders and organizations. \u2026 I think that’s been really good.\u201d<\/p>\n Tejuoso says his community is also one of the few communities that runs a mandatory recycling program, so much of the work from his office is to show residents that they \u201chave this opportunity to divert waste from the landfill.\u201d Curbside recycling, paired with other efforts such as the Feet on the Street recycling program, has worked to increase participation from community members while decreasing contamination, Tejuoso says.<\/p>\n But his favorite part about his job is \u201ctaking care of people,\u201d he says. \u201cI have the ability to promote from within. We have a lot of employees that have been here for a long time,\u201d Tejuoso says, adding oftentimes, employees haven\u2019t been recognized or given the opportunity to advance.<\/p>\n \u201cMy goal in becoming director was to really promote from within (and) give them a shot,\u201d he says. \u201cThey’ve been the ones that are on the front lines taking care of us, especially during this pandemic, so just really highlighting the importance of those front-line workers right now, and I think it’s been something that’s gone unnoticed for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n Moving up through the ranks from his coordinator position has also proved to be advantageous for other employees and the city, too. \u201cStarting off as a coordinator, then going to the manager level, then director level, I feel like I have the keen ability to be able to represent the people, in a sense, and bring their ideas and their concerns to the table,\u201d Tejuoso says.<\/p>\n Through his time with the city, Atlanta has worked through many projects, from adding a bulky item collection scheduling tool<\/a> in 2018 that helps community members easily request pickups, to exploring waste routing solutions<\/a> to help solid waste collection drivers navigate their routes and \u201cback up the work they\u2019re doing in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n Let’s Get More Material Recycled <\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Tejuoso and his team are invested in providing high-level services to residents while supporting employees at the same time.<\/p>\n In the future, Tejuoso says the city plans to add more automated collection trucks<\/a> to \u201cextend our employees\u2019 quality of life. \u2026 That wear and tear does add up, and we want our employees to be able to enjoy their retirement.\u201d<\/p>\n Even as the director of public works, Tejuoso continues his work with the Keep Atlanta Beautiful Commission, helping to gather supplies for volunteers, organizing cleanups, and making sure volunteers have the resources they need.<\/p>\n He really enjoys \u201cgetting out there on the ground,\u201d he says. As both a director and a volunteer within public works programs, every day looks different for Tejuoso.\u00a0 \u201cAny given day, I could have on my steel-toed boots, and then have to have a change of clothes to put on a sports coat to go into a leadership briefing.\u201d<\/p>\n His resilience and readiness to get the job done are just some of the many reasons we celebrate Tejuoso this week as the American Public Works Association<\/a> marks its annual National Public Works Week, May 15-21.<\/p>\n Getting out and doing the work is also what Tejuoso suggests for those who are looking to break into the sustainability and solid waste industries, both in municipal<\/a> and private hauling<\/a> contexts. \u201cJust get your hands dirty,\u201d he says. \u201cCollaborate with other people, other like-minded individuals. Never be afraid to lend a hand. You never know where the opportunity might lead you.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking to make a difference? Start small, Tejuoso says \u2014 even collecting a grocery bag of trash while walking your dog. Be sure to \u201crecycle those key items that you use daily, whether it be a water bottle\u00a0 \u2026 paper, cardboard, you know \u2014 just start somewhere. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming.\u201d<\/p>\n Any effort to divert waste helps, Tejuoso says. \u201cThat’s what drives me is just knowing that the decisions we make today really do matter,\u201d he says. For instance, paper and cardboard that\u2019s recycled in Atlanta can become a new box in just 48 hours.<\/p>\n \u201cI have young children\u2026 (and) they rely on people like myself right now to actually have an environment that reflects where I would want them to be, as well as the type of industries that they can be a part of \u2013 and that they can work in to enact change,\u201d Tejuoso says.<\/p>\n In the future, Tejuoso says he can see himself growing into a role such as city manager. \u201cI could definitely see myself elevating to that next level and taking these same learning lessons to continue to impact change and put people first,\u201d Tejuoso says.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s always my thought with any and everything I do. \u2026 I can live with myself if I just put the people first and let everything else take care of itself.\u201d<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a solid waste leader looking to up your organization\u2019s readiness and resilience, our best-in-class waste management technology solutions<\/a> can help. Let\u2019s talk!<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s American Public Works Week, and we\u2019re celebrating public works leaders in solid waste on our blog. Check back for a new profile feature each day! No matter where he is, Atlanta Public Works Director Moses Tejuoso excels, and Atlanta\u2019s Public Works administration success is due to him in no small part. \u201cI\u2019m someone that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","resourcetype-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/routeware.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/routeware.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/routeware.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/routeware.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/routeware.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/routeware.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7723\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/routeware.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/routeware.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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