In the last week of 2020, the Recycling Association of Minnesota (RAM) and the Minnesota Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) co-authored a letter to Governor Walz requesting that solid waste and recycling workers be considered essential workers for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in Minnesota. “Our recycling and waste workers just experienced their busiest and likely most dangerous year of work yet,” states the letter. “Without daily recycling and waste collection and processing, our state would quickly notice the backup of solid waste, which could lead to another public health crisis that we certainly cannot afford to have now. The waste and recycling industry provides a critical service essential for society to function – with or without a pandemic. We cannot afford to lose any of our recycling and solid waste workers to COVID-19 or a mandatory quarantine.”