‘Innovator, leader’- Waste Commission of Scott Co.’s Morris retires

The last few days of November were a busy, hectic time for Kathy Morris as she prepared to retire as executive director of the Waste Commission of Scott County.  Its longtime leader, the 63-year-old Davenport woman was busy with a massive number of last-minute jobs: Cleaning out her office, saying “goodbye” many times to friends […]

The last few days of November were a busy, hectic time for Kathy Morris as she prepared to retire as executive director of the Waste Commission of Scott County.  Its longtime leader, the 63-year-old Davenport woman was busy with a massive number of last-minute jobs: Cleaning out her office, saying “goodbye” many times to friends and co-workers, and getting her staff ready for a new era at the office. “Basically, there has been a lot of information sharing in the past few days. I want to make sure the staff is prepared as much as they can be,” Ms. Morris told the QCBJ days before her Nov. 24 official retirement. Her departure marks the end of a 34-year career at the Waste Commission of Scott County. But much of the time over Ms. Morris’ last few days also was spent honoring the woman who helped turn the agency into a nationally recognized program that is guiding people on how to get rid of items they no longer want or need. 

Many of her fans used words such as "innovator,” “leader” and “mentor” to describe Ms. Morris. Some of the tributes to Morris have included: The City of Riverdale proclaimed Wednesday, Nov. 15, as Kathy Morris Day in honor of her service. “Kathy has led the Commission to being an innovative leader nationally in not only the waste and recycling Industry, but also in environmental stewardship. Her dedication to our community and the environment is incredible. Kathy is a mentor that has devoted her time to her team which has prepared us for this transition,” according to information from Riverdale. Bettendorf Mayor Bob Gallagher, who also serves as the waste commission’s board chairman, had this to say: “Kathy did an amazing job for more than 30 years at the Waste Commission of Scott County.  She retired as one of the most respected waste and recycling directors in the nation. Kathy grew the agency from a handful of employees to the center we have now — serving over 25 counties in our recycling program. Scott County citizens pay a very reasonable rate for the services provided at the Scott County Waste Commission due to the efforts of Kathy Morris and the team she led.” 

Bryce Stalcup, who replaced Ms. Morris as executive director, added: “Kathy has led the commission to being an innovative leader nationally in not only the waste and recycling Industry, but also in environmental stewardship. Her dedication to our community and the environment is incredible. Kathy is a mentor that has devoted her time to her team which has prepared us for this transition.” In a statement, the Waste Commission of Scott County said: “Kathy is an innovator, leader, collaborator and mentor who has a passion for her community. Over the last 34 years, Kathy has driven change and developed top notch programs and services for her community and along the way mentored many by sharing her knowledge as much as possible. She’s a natural leader and leads by example. Kathy’s impact and mentoring of other industry partners has been paramount in the success and future success within the solid waste field.” In an interview with the QCBJ, Ms. Morris said she appreciates all the kind words but is most grateful that the commission ultimately helps people in the community. It helps by giving people the opportunity to recycle many items — instead of throwing them away in a landfill. And it helps by not being funded with tax dollars. The commission gets its funding through the fees it charges, and the sale of recyclables to companies that use the materials to make new products. “We try to be extremely efficient here,” she said. The inter-governmental agency’s mission is to provide environmentally sound and economically feasible solid waste management for Scott County and the region. It manages the Scott Area Landfill, Scott Area Recycling Center, the Household Hazardous Waste Center and the Electronics Recovery Center. And that work to recycle items continues to evolve and improve. For instance, in mid-November, the commission unveiled $5 million in new technology and machinery including three new optical sorters for the residue line, and a conveyor to make baling cardboard easier. Using infrared technology, the sorters recognize and sort materials at a rate of 600 to 900 items per minute vs. a person who can sort about 35 to 50 items per minute.  Ms. Morris said she planned on retiring a few months ago, but had “my list” of things to get done before that retirement date — including getting those optical sorters in place. Her time with the commission began in 1989 when she was the assistant administrator with just a handful of other employees. “Back then, we had an old trailer that had been used as a (school) classroom. That was our office,” she said. Also at that time, the commission billed customers who brought in waste by the cubic yard — not by weight. But the world was changing. In 1989, Iowa passed the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act with the goal of reducing the amount of waste going into landfills. Recycling efforts and keeping items out of landfills became top goals. “I’m really optimistic about the direction we are going. … We have more diversion options (in Scott County) than most communities. We are a leader in the state,” Ms. Morris said.  Her replacement, Mr. Stalcup, brings 17 years of experience in public service and began his career with the commission in 2010. In 2015, he was promoted to recycling operations manager and last January, he accepted deputy director duties as well.  Mr. Stalcup, his wife Tiffany, and their three children live in rural Scott County. He has a passion for responsible agriculture and preserving the health of the environment and continues to actively farm on his family farm.  Ms. Morris offered him this advice: “Provide really good customer service to the people. They all work hard and they expect good service.” In retirement, Ms. Morris is considering a variety of other life options. Those options include spending more time with family and friends such as her mother; her recently retired sister; her husband, Gary; two grown children, Justin and Mindy; and five grandchildren.  Plans also include taking a trip to Florida. At some point, she wants to return to Germany and travel to see sites across Europe. Ms. Morris was in Germany with her husband when he served in the Army in the 1980s. “We’re going to relax, maybe go to Disney (World) for a day and spend a day at the beach. Maybe I’ll just stay by the pool,” she said about her future travel plans.