Ken Snipes

The City of Austin has identified Ken Snipes as the top candidate for the Director of Austin Resource Recovery (ARR). Mr. Snipes will begin his new duties as the ARR Director on September 23, 2019.

Ken Snipes, Director of Austin Resource Recovery, is responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and maintaining economical and efficient resource recovery, recycling, and reuse services for the City of Austin. This includes working closely with the Zero Waste Advisory Board and continuing the department mission to achieve Zero Waste by providing excellent customer services that promote waste reduction, increase resource recovery, and support the City of Austin’s sustainability efforts.  The City of Austin is committed to a Zero Waste goal to reduce the amount of trash sent to landfills by 90% by the year 2040.

Prior to joining the City of Austin, Ken Snipes served as both the Director of Solid Waste and Chief Administrative Officer for Seattle Public Utilities.  As the Director of Solid Waste, he oversaw a $240 million budget including consultants, purchase service contracts and agreements, and was responsible for trash, recycling, and organics diversion to approximately 160,000 residential and 8,000 commercial account holders. The City of Seattle’s Solid Waste program is nationally recognized as a leader in waste reduction and recycling.

Mr. Snipes earned a dual bachelors’ degree in business administration and occupational education from Wayland Baptist University. Additionally, he has associates degrees in Applied Science, Mechanical and Electrical Technology, and Education and Curriculum Development.