The City of Santa Fe’s Environmental Services Division (ESD) and the Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency (SFSWMA) would like to congratulate several of their employees who placed in events in a regional Road-E-O competition hosted by the Texas Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America in April in Lubbock, Texas.  

Three City of Santa Fe Collections Equipment Operators placed in their categories for New Mexico: Patricio Lopez placed first and Patrick McCoy placed second in the Automated Side Loader category while driving a residential cart collection truck. Albert Valdez placed first in the Front Loader category, driving a commercial dumpster collection truck. Ryan Mohler from SFSWMA won first place in the Landfill Mechanic category.

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) sanctions annual Road-E-O events, where solid waste equipment operators compete on driving courses designed to test critical skills for collections equipment, landfill equipment, and mechanics. ESD sent four of its collections operators to the Road-E-O: Patricio Lopez, Albert Valdez, Patrick McCoy, and Hector Enriquez. All four operators performed very well in the regional event, competing with equipment operators from San Antonio, Houston and El Paso. Competitors from each state are ranked individually to determine who will compete in the SWANA International Road-E-O event that will take place in El Paso, Texas, in October.

 “Our operators have to navigate large equipment in narrow streets, mountain areas, and snowy conditions, and they get a difficult job done, every day,” said Shirlene Sitton, ESD Director and President of the New Mexico Chapter of SWANA. “I am so proud of our operators and excited SWANA offers these kinds of opportunities to celebrate them. We know how good they are and now we get to show that on a national stage!”