Tina Nguyen holds a BA in Geography and Spanish from UC Santa Barbara and a Master’s in Sustainability from the University of Cape Town. Her journey into waste systems began during graduate school, where she piloted a composting program at a major surfing event—diverting 70% of the organic waste. Since then, she has worked with municipalities and businesses on waste reduction and recycling compliance, led outreach programs, and overseen zero-waste initiatives for a national restaurant chain. As EPR gains momentum in the U.S., Tina is especially passionate about helping companies move beyond downstream waste management to more strategic, upstream action—optimizing product and packaging systems, reducing compliance risks, and contributing meaningfully to the circular economy.