CHASE BOTTORF/THE EXPRESS Pictured are, Commissioner Angela Harding, Jim Lovette, Fred Beury, Jay Alexander, Chase Weise, Terry Weaver, Linda Leonard, Bruce Peters and Jim Maguire.

McELHATTAN — A Wayne Township Landfill employee is making his mark outside of the business.

Chase Weise attended the SWANA International Road-E-O in El Paso, Texas, on Oct. 14 and 15. He took home first place in the Top Gun: Landfill competition and the Landfill: Articulated Dump Truck competition. Weise represented WTL in each.

The competitions involve an obstical course operators have to run through, according to Weise.

“This year was exceptionally tough, I thought, from years past,” he said.

SWANA has a competition for trucking and equipment. There are multiple different classes for both competitions including: the overall Top Gun competition for mechanics, landfill operators and truck operators; a truck competition for tractor trailers, front loaders, tire loaders, rolloffs, side loaders and rear loaders; the mechanic competition for both landfills and trucks; and the landfill competition with compactors, dozers and articulated dump trucks.

Weise received first place with an overall score of 48 points. He has won several times in a haul truck as well as in a front-end wheel loader. This was Weise’s ninth year competing at the national level.

“It was a nice trip, the weather was good, a lot of nice people,” Weise said. “There were 70-80 competitors in just the landfill side, so it was a pretty big deal.”

Weise and two others — a truck driver and another landfill employee — competed in Texas last month. Weise was the only one that placed in the top three compared to the other two.

After the competition is over, they hold a dinner for everyone along with an awards ceremony, where Weise received his two trophies. He has gone to nationals in Texas, Colorado, Arizona and Georgia.

“Next year I believe it’s going to be in Denver. Never been too much on the East Coast, it’s normally out west somewhere,” he said.

Weise is planning on competing next year in hopes of bringing back another win for himself and the landfill.