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SC SWANA PALMETTO CHAPTER 2026 CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIPS

1.  SWANA SC Scholarship

The SC SWANA Board will award three scholarships to attend the SWANA SC Palmetto Chapter Spring Conference to be held May 13 - 15, 2026 at the Hilton Doubletree Resort in Myrtle Beach Oceanfront, SC!

The recipient will receive one free conference registration and lodging from May 13-15, 2025. To find out more information about the 2026 Spring Conference, please go to the 2026 Spring Conference page here.

For those interested, please apply by sending an email to info@scswana.org. Include in your submittal the following information:

• Why you are interested.
• Why you feel you are a good candidate for sponsorship.
• Your current employer and contact information.
• Your current position and career path in the solid waste industry.
• How long you have been in the solid waste industry.
• Whether you are you currently a SWANA Member.
• What you hope to gain from attending the Conference.
• A letter from your direct supervisor approving your attendance.

Applications are due by April 13th and the recipient will be notified by COB April 17, 2026.  Lodging will not be paid for by the Board unless the recipient submits a signed CEU form indicating attendance at 75% of the conference sessions on the last day of the conference.

We look forward to your responses and having you join us at the 2026 Conference. If you have questions or need additional information please email us at info@scswana.org.

2. SC Palmetto Chapter of SWANA Johnny Schnabel Regulator Scholarship

In December 2024, the solid waste community lost one of its longstanding “regulators”. From landfills, to tires and even compost, Johnny was instrumental in permitting numerous solid waste management facilities. Also known by many as the “Ragin Cajun” due to his roots to his home state of Louisiana, Johnny loved his job as a solid waste permitting engineer at the SC Department of Health & Environmental Control (SCDHEC) and although he loved all things Cajun, he ultimately made South Carolina his home.

Johnny Schnabel began working for the Solid Waste Facilities Engineering Section at SCDHEC in February 1992 shortly after the passage of the Solid Waste Policy and Management Act of 1991. The Act encouraged regionalization of landfills and required new municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills to meet the requirements of Section 258 of the Federal Subtitle D regulations to include synthetic liners and leachate collection systems. As the Department worked with counties and private waste companies to close unlined landfills and permit new lined MSW landfills, Johnny played an integral part in the permitting of many of our landfills that are still in operation today. Johnny worked in the Solid Waste Section his entire time at SCDHEC until he retired in June 2016 with over 34 years of service to the Department and more importantly the solid waste industry. In that role he mentored dozens of staff members both young and old, passing on his years of experience and knowledge.

Johnny loved coming to work and stayed in his solid waste permitting position because he liked the engineering part of the job best. He especially liked making his famous “punch lists” to streamline the process for applicants to get their permits and understand the regulations. Johnny was a stickler for making sure a landfill was properly designed to meet all the Subtitle D requirements but especially the seismic design criteria to withstand the “big earthquake” that would rival the Charleston earthquake of 1886.

On the social side, he greatly enjoyed the camaraderie of all his colleagues in the solid waste industry. Johnny loved cooking, especially his Cajun hams and pralines. He also liked to share his homemade wines and mead with friends. In addition to his cooking and winemaking, nobody could hold a candle to the stories he would tell about things he did or jobs he held. Word is some were even true!!!

Johnny was a wonderful coworker who was loved by so many. He is and always will be greatly missed. Johnny saw his industry colleagues as family, and the feeling was quite mutual. In memory of Johnny and his contributions to the solid waste industry, the SC Palmetto Chapter of SWANA is offering a scholarship to one regulator for the 2025 Spring Conference. Applicants had to be "regulators", meaning a person or organization appointed by a government to regulate an area of activity in the solid waste industry and had to plan to attend at least 75% of the conference. 

For those interested, please apply by sending an email to info@scswana.org. Include in your submittal the following information:

• Why you are interested.
• Why you feel you are a good candidate for sponsorship.
• Your current employer and contact information.
• Your current position and career path in the solid waste industry.
• What you hope to gain from attending the Conference.
• A letter from your direct supervisor approving your attendance.

The recipient will be notified by COB April 17, 2026.  Lodging will not be paid by the Board for the recipient unless on the last day of the conference, a signed CEU form is submitted indicating attendance at 75% of the conference sessions.

We look forward to your responses and having you join us at the 2026 Conference. If you have questions or need additional information please email us at info@scswana.org.