The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) sent a letter to former South Bend, Ind., Mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg congratulating him on his nomination by President-elect Biden to be the next U.S. Secretary of Transportation. As the former mayor of a city with more than 100,000 residents, Buttigieg has firsthand knowledge of the daily impact that basic services such as waste and recycling collection as well as roads have on the public.

“NWRA appreciates Mayor Buttigieg’s long-standing recognition of the importance of waste and recycling collection, even going so far as stating in a 2017 Buzzfeed article that ‘it’s connected to the meaning of life,’” said NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith. “We are pleased to support his nomination and look forward to working with the Department of Transportation under his leadership on matters of transportation safety and infrastructure.”

NWRA also took note of Buttigieg’s comment from that same article on the need for “a road to get you to where you’re going,” as no other industry in America apart from waste and recycling collection and the U.S. Postal Service travels every road in the nation at least once every week. This makes NWRA one of the most significant stakeholders in the country’s system of roads and highways.

NWRA encourages all senators in the 117th Congress that will convene in January to confirm Mayor Buttigieg as the next secretary of transportation.