Wohlrab Named Vice Chair of NJ Clean Communities Council

On Mar 30, 2023

The New Jersey Clean Communities Council (NJCCC) has appointed John Wohlrab, a government affairs director for WM, as vice chair of its Board of Trustees.

The board voted unanimously at its reorganization meeting to appoint Wohlrab, following the retirement of board member Bill Dressel. Wohlrab has served on the NJCCC board since October 2018.

“As NJCCC focuses on its `Litter Free NJ’ campaign, I’ve been eager to take on a greater volunteer role with the board,” Wohlrab said. “When Bill announced his plans to retire, I knew it was the right moment to take on a greater leadership role, as the NJCCC educates communities about the bag ban law that has removed billions of single-use bags from our waste stream. This is an exciting time to be part of NJCCC and I’m appreciative to the board for this appointment.”

Wohlrab, of Point Pleasant, oversees government affairs for the company’s Greater Mid-Atlantic Area, comprising New Jersey, New York City, eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware.

In his lengthy career, Wohlrab has helped shape legislation, including New Jersey’s recycling tax, the 2017 Slow Down To Go Around Law, food waste recycling legislation enacted in 2019, and the single-use bag legislation, which went into effect May 4, 2022.

He has also developed strong working relationships with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, as well as local and state elected officials.

“WM has been a key supporter of the NJCCC for as long as we can remember,” said NJCCC Chair Linda Doherty. “John has always been there to say `yes’ whenever we have asked for sponsorship or for volunteers. It is a natural step for John to be elevated to the vice chair position; we are honored to have him as well as the ongoing support of WM.”

Wohlrab has worked in the environmental services industry since 1990 when he became controller, and later chief financial officer and partner, of DiMarco Disposal Services/J & J Recycling Co. Inc., which had been New Jersey’s largest independent solid waste and recycling firm. The companies were acquired by WM in 1998.

Following the acquisition, Wohlrab directed the company’s operations in New Jersey and was helpful in integrating acquisitions. In 2002, Wohlrab assumed the role of director of government relations for New Jersey.

In 2020, Wohlrab received the National Waste and Recycling Association’s Distinguished Service Award. Two years earlier, Wohlrab received the Elizabeth Development Co.’s Corporate Leader Award and Groundwork Elizabeth’s Business Champion Award. Groundwork Elizabeth is a non-profit organization that builds public-private partnerships, grassroots activism and grant funding to tackle environmental issues and urban blight in Elizabeth.

Wohlrab is a member of the Greater Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and is the board’s immediate past chairman.

Besides serving the NJCCC, Wohlrab is a board member of the New Jersey Clean Cities Coalition. He has served as a Union County freeholder, a Union County committeeman, and chair of the Alcohol Beverage Commission in Linden.

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