[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17827]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        IN HONOR OF DAVID MEYERS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 8, 2004

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor David Meyers, a 
dedicated member of the Monterey community. David will be retiring from 
his current position of General Manager of the Monterey Waste 
Management District, where he has worked diligently for twenty-five 
years overseeing the burying and recycling of the peninsula's waste.
  During his years of service, David has gone above and beyond his 
normal duties by playing a leading role in turning the Marina Dump into 
an innovative recycling and waste management center. While Meyers was 
working there, the center was one of the first to siphon methane and 
carbon dioxide gases for electrical uses in 1983. Then, in 1989, when 
the state passed legislation requiring cities and counties to divert 50 
percent of their solid waste from landfills by 2000, David spurred the 
waste management center into action. Under his leadership the district 
grew from 10 employees who buried trash to 130 employees whose duties 
range in a wide variety of recycling tasks.
  David's innovation did not stop there. He created a thrift store on 
the site called the Last Shop Mercantile that sells items that would 
otherwise have been thrown away. It brings in $400,000 annually and 
pays for itself.
  Under his stewardship, the Monterey County Waste Management District 
has been honored with the first ever ``Best Solid Waste System in North 
America'' award by the Solid Waste Association of North America. Meyers 
himself has been given two awards by the Solid Waste Association of 
North America: the Planning and Management Technical Division's 
Distinguished Achievement Award and the Robert L. Lawrence 
Distinguished Service Award.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate David on his much deserved 
retirement and thank him for his contribution to our community. David 
has continually gone above and beyond the roles bestowed asked of him 
and his innovation has lead to a cleaner, healthier community. I wish 
him all the best in his retirement.

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