Meridian Waste Wake Tech Foundation's Scholarship for Clean Communities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Meridian Waste / Wake Tech Foundation’s Scholarship for Clean Communities 

$10,000 of $15,000 Pledge Funded for Vocational Skills Scholarships 

 

RALEIGH, N.C., February 6, 2025 — Meridian Waste North Carolina, LLC (Meridian Waste), a non-hazardous, integrated solid waste services company, is pleased to announce the company’s second contribution of $5,000 to Wake Tech Foundation in support of Wake Tech Community College to fund vocational skills scholarships. This gift is the second installment of a $15,000 pledge.  

Established in 2024, the Meridian Waste Scholarship for Clean Communities supports students enrolled in Wake Tech’s Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology program. This scholarship will help prepare students with the required industrial educational training needed for today’s workforce, such as diesel mechanics and heavy equipment operators.  So far, four students have been the recipients of this unique scholarship, out of an eventual total of six.

“Wake Tech is such an asset to Meridian Waste, Wake County, and the greater Triangle region as a whole,” stated Patrick Messinger, Meridian Waste’s Area President for North Carolina. “In particular, the College’s focus on vocational skills is vital to industries such as ours to help ensure a pool of qualified and ready-to-work individuals are available to keep our solid waste trucks and landfill heavy equipment in safe operating condition to support our overarching goal of maintaining clean communities.”

Wake Tech’s Eastern Wake 4.0 campus opened at the end of 2024 and is near Meridian Waste’s Shotwell Environmental Park in Wendell, NC, which was the impetus for the outreach by Meridian Waste to Wake Tech. With a focus on technology-forward education and workforce development programs, Eastern Wake 4.0 is Wake Tech's newest site, along the Interstate 87/U.S. Highway 64 corridor in Wendell. Eastern Wake 4.0 refers to the term Industry 4.0, a reference to a fourth industrial revolution, with the convergence of machines and processes with information and communications technology, such as 5G, big data, cloud computing and smart manufacturing. Plans for the 106-acre site include a Public Safety Simulation Complex, a General Education and Students Services Building and a Technology 4.0 facility.

For students interested in applying for one of the $2,500 scholarships, please visit https://waketech.academicworks.com/donors/meridian-waste-scholarship-for-clean-communities and ensure applications are submitted by Oct. 28, 2025.

 

IMAGE 1: Meridian Waste Logo

 

 

IMAGE 2:  Meridian Waste Present $5,000 Check to Wake Tech Foundation

(Pictures left to right: Dr. Scott Ralls, President – Wake Tech Community College, Patrick Messinger – Area President Meridian Waste and Matt Smith – Vice President of Development & Strategic Partnerships, Wake Tech Foundation)

 

IMAGE 3: Meridian Waste Frontload Truck

  

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About Meridian Waste

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Meridian Waste is a company defined by its commitment to servicing its customers, caring for and engaging its employees, and generating financial value for its shareholders while delivering a clean and healthy community. The company’s core waste business is centered on residential, commercial, and industrial non-hazardous waste collection and disposal. Currently, the company operates in Northeast Fla., St. Louis, Mo., Goldston, N.C., Raleigh, N.C., Greensboro, NC, Greenville, S.C., Knoxville, Tenn., Huntsville, AL, Central AL, North & South MS, Blacksburg, Va., Harrisonburg, Va., and Richmond, Va., servicing more than 524,520 residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental customers. In addition to a fleet of commercial, residential, and roll-off trucks, the company operates 31 hauling companies, eight transfer stations/materials recycling facilities (MRFs), three municipal solid waste landfills, and four C&D landfills in which 1,107,574 tons of waste are safely disposed of annually. For more information, visit MeridianWaste.com.

Media Contact:

Mary O’Brien
(904) 616-5322
MObrien@MeridianWaste.com