My relationship with waste began as a child, assisting my mother with delivering our household recycling downtown (before the local adoption of curbside collections). In middle school, I participated in and led dozens of trash cleanups. In high school, I cycled through my neighborhood, digging through dumpsters for discarded items worth salvaging. After obtaining my driver's license, I began a more profitable operation: scouring for, collecting, and selling scrap metal using my father’s pickup truck. 

After graduating from Randolph-Macon College, I was hired by Waste Management (WM), the largest waste disposal and environmental solutions company in North America. As an education account representative, I managed K-12, higher education, and private school customers throughout Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.

I gained a keen understanding of the unique challenges faced by school systems and universities. Waste and recycling programs are complicated and require a depth of knowledge that only someone who has spent years working in the industry possesses.

With your permission, I will join your team and work diligently to conduct a comprehensive audit of your services, provide technical solicitation assistance, assist you with developing an effective recycling program, procure more competitive pricing, and negotiate more favorable contract terms and conditions on your behalf. 

My passion for education is steeped in my belief that—to the greatest extent possible—public and private funds should be allocated to actual education initiatives, not expensive overhead.

John B. Eliades

Founder & Principal Consultant

East Coast Waste Consultants LLC