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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E724-E725]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN RECOGNITION OF DAVID ``GINO'' GASPARINI
______
HON. JACKIE SPEIER
of california
in the house of representatives
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Gino Gasparini of Redwood
City upon his retirement after 47 years in the recycling and solid
waste industry. His career is an example of how private enterprise and
public service can merge to create great benefits for the entire
community.
Gino is the son of a man rooted in the solid waste industry. His
father, Gino Sr., worked on a truck. Gino Jr.'s fondest memory was of
hanging off the back of a garbage truck and of making tags with his
father. Fifty years ago, garbage bills were collected door-to-door and
the tags were used in those collections.
He graduated from high school having started a proud tradition at San
Carlos High--the ``Nude Relays''--an event that remained for years
after he graduated. His reputation, however, was districtwide. At
another high school in the district his sister, Dani, had to endure the
ever-present question from teachers, ``Are you related to Gino
Gasparini?'' His sister, wisely, conceded the relationship and noted
that she was, indeed, Gino Sr.'s daughter.
Gino attended community college for two years and then entered the
solid waste business. From 1972 to 1988, he collected garbage along
residential and business routes from Burlingame to East Palo Alto. He
began his career in management in 1995 as the manager in charge of day-
to-day operations of drivers and supervisory staff. He was a great
manager, often getting into the cab of a truck to stay in touch with
the challenges faced by front-line employees.
Solid waste management on the San Francisco Peninsula has long been
an advanced form of industrial processing. When I served on the San
Mateo County Board of Supervisors in the 1980's, I organized the first
household hazardous waste pickup day. We invited residents to drop off
pesticides and chemicals at the waste transfer station. A chemist
working for the county glanced into the back of a station wagon and
immediately
[[Page E725]]
ordered that all persons in the vicinity pull back 100 feet. The
vehicle owner had placed two potentially explosive chemicals next to
each other. Today, the operations of Recology and its partner agencies
manage a waste stream that potentially includes waste oil, e-waste,
light bulbs of various types, household batteries, paint, construction
debris, and such relatively benign products as cardboard, paper, glass
and metals.
Gino Gasparini was at the forefront of these recycling efforts. Just
a few years after my well-intentioned event resulted in a small-scale
evacuation, Gino initiated voluntary recycling at the curbside. In
1989, Gino's effort was the largest multi-jurisdictional residential
recycling program in the nation, Today, that effort is mandatory,
involves three large containers, and diverts millions of tons of
household and commercial waste to the recycling stream. This enterprise
requires a knowledge of chemistry to avoid explosions and fires, and
``adherence to strict standards to avoid cross-contamination of
materials.
Gino participates regularly at city council meetings, community
meetings, and in leadership positions at the Chamber of Commerce. He is
often at charitable fundraisers. From the police athletic leagues to
``walk for life'' events to environmental cleanups. Recology and Gino
Gasparini are both inseparable and unavoidable. They really care about
the community.
Gino was honored as the Redwood City/San Mateo County Chamber Person
of the Year in 1996, the Redwood City PAL Citizen of the Year in 2006
and received numerous other awards over several decades. For over 20
years, Gino helped with the annual Redwood City creek and neighborhood
cleanup.
As he enters retirement, Gino will not be alone. He will be joined by
his wife, Jenny, and he will be able to watch his four children more
closely: Adrianna, Daniel, Michael, and Nicholas. One child is a
teacher and the other followed in the family tradition by entering the
solid waste industry.
Let me close by saying that to know Gino Gasparini is to know a smile
set amidst a whirling dervish of activity. He can be relied upon to
think of his family and neighbors first. He can be relied upon to use
fairness to infuse his judgment. He can be relied upon to think of new
ways to accomplish longstanding objectives. He can be relied upon for a
straight answer to any question. In short, Gino Gasparini is the man
that everyone wants to call when there is a problem, but he is also the
man everyone readily agrees to recognize when tough jobs get done well.
I salute Gino upon his retirement. Civic forums will be different
without him. Our streets will be cleaner because of him. Our
environment will benefit for years to come because of the standards of
performance that he created. Good luck (Buona fortuna), Gino.
____________________
