Shelley Padnos wins lifetime accolade

A US businesswoman who campaigned for legislation clarifying that that recycling was not the same as disposal has been honoured with the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI).

ISRI said it was recognising the dedication to the industry and empowerment of others by Shelley Padnos, who in 1998 was the organisation’s first, and to date only, female chair. She will receive the award on 28 April during the ISRI Convention & Expo.

‘Shelley embodies all of the qualities of a great leader,’ says ISRI president Robin Wiener. ‘On a personal note, I am grateful for her mentorship and leadership, over the years. She may have been the first female chair of ISRI but I have no doubts that she has created a path to ensure that she is not the last.’

Padnos is currently the chairman of the executive committee of the board for ISRI member Padnos in Holland, Michigan. She began her career there (previously Louis Padnos Iron & Metal) in 1984 as an account executive, rising through the ranks to executive vice president & chief administrative officer.

She was instrumental in the passage of the Superfund Recycling Equity Act (SREA) in 1999 which clarified in law that recycling is not disposal and that using shipping for recycling is not arranging for disposal. She was appointed by former EPA Administrator, Carol Browner, to the National Advisory Council on Environmental Policy and Technologies, Superfund Subcommittee, charged with making recommendations to the Clinton Administration on the reauthorisation of Superfund legislation.

‘Is truly an honour to be recognised by my peers for the work that I have done,’ Padnos says. ‘It is made even more meaningful by the fact that my father, Seymour and my uncle, Stuart, were the very first recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award. I feel privileged to carry on a family legacy.’