The Impact of the Depack: Operator David Koval

With a profound sense of pride in his work at the Casella Depackaging Facility in Williston, VT, Operator David Koval embraces the responsibility of sustainable operations. Through collaboration and innovation, Koval works to turn industrial waste into opportunity.

What is the role of the depackaging facility?

At the end of an industrial production line, the waste comes in for multiple reasons, whether contamination, out of date, or sitting in the warehouse too long. We then take and handle it to make it a product that can go into an anaerobic biodigester to create natural gas or electricity.

What is your favorite part of your job?

I would say my favorite aspect of what I do is the trust that Mike Casella, our Area Vice President, has in me to run the facility. It feels great that I have this responsibility, which is not something I take lightly. What happens here is a reflection of me, and I take a lot of pride in that. It is cool to have a hand in Casella’s impact through depackaging.

In what ways does the impact of the facility inspire you?

I love the fact that we are doing something for the environment. We are creating energy. We are making a system that is replenishable. We aren’t just taking in raw material for it to end up in the landfill. We are creating a solution. What we are doing is important and essential on all those levels.

How does your team collaborate with institutions to further advance innovative waste management solutions?

The topic of microplastics is part of why we continue to innovate. We have students from the University of Vermont who come to learn from our facility. Research is happening constantly, and it’s impressive that what we are doing is on the cutting edge and the tip edge of trying to better the environment.

Want to join our team? Explore our various career path options and apply today at casella.com/careers.