Launched as a Tennessee Center of Excellence in 1985 in the second round of designations of centers by the State of Tennessee, this center was designed to assist in solving waste management problems affecting the long-term, sustainable use of environmental resources. WMREI research focuses on waste and environmental policy; environmental science, engineering, and biotechnology; and other waste-management and clean-products technologies. This center created TN-SWEP, a program that introduces Tennessee K-12 students to solid waste education and environmentally responsible behavior and that inaugurated a quarterly journal, InSites. The institute’s role was broadened and refocused in 2006 as it became a core component in the establishment of the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment.