Conference Program Overview
WasteExpo’s conference program is your professional development opportunity of the year! The education and training that you’ll receive is guaranteed to sharpen your skills to help you do your job better. WasteExpo’s conference program is unparalleled.
- Automated Collections
- Anaerobic Digestion
- Big Data Collection Trends
- Bioplastics
- Composting
- Curbside Recycling & Public
- Education Programs
- Driver Recruitment/Retention
- Data Security – Are you at risk?
- Ebola Updates
- Equipment Leasing & Financing
- Fire Safety in Waste & Recycling
- Fleet Maintenance Best Practices
- Food Waste Reduction & Recovery
- Industry Trends in Waste & Recycling
- International Waste & Recycling Trends
- Leachate
- Managing Contamination
- MRF Safety
- New Safety Technologies
- Odor Control at Organics Recovery Facilitie
- Operating Landfills
- Organics Management
- Organics Recycling
- Organics Equipment & Technologies
- Roadside Inspections
- Zero Waste Strategies & Best Practices
NEW! TRANSFORuM, Spotlight Sessions & Workshops
TRANSFORuM: Industry Pioneers & Visionaries
With TRANSFORuM we're creating an open forum for new ideas. So, get ready to hear inspired talks from a wide array of thought leaders and visionaries! In each TRANSFORuM session, you'll hear from three to four thought leaders, visionaries, seekers and seers—who'll share impactful, inspirational, influential, or even provocative ideas. You'll walk away with powerful ideas and perspectives that will make you a more thoughtful and creative problem-solver on the job. Don't miss this chance to think about the waste industry in brand new ways!
Spotlight Sessions are back!
Explore the top industry trends in WasteExpo's FREE Spotlight Sessions.
Tuesday, May 7
CEO Fireside Chat
Join this session for a one-on-one “fireside chat” with a leading industry CEO and hear their perspective on where we stand as an industry now, what significant challenges we face, and where the industry might be headed in the future.
Wednesday, May 8
CFO Insights: A Look at the Waste & Recycling Industry
NWRA Women's Council leverages unique access to bring together the most influential chief financial officers in waste & recycling. Leveraging their collective knowledge, this panel will share perspectives on what financial challenges and opportunities may arise over the coming years. This can't-miss session provides a rare opportunity for attendees to participate in an engaging discussion with the industry's top finance leaders.
Speakers will include:
Dianna Cervantes
CFO, WCA Waste Corporation
Devina Rankin
Senior Vice President & CFO, Waste Management
Chuck Serrianni
Executive Vice President & CFO, Republic Services
Mary Anne Whitney
CFO, Waste Connections
Using Data and Technology to Drive Food Waste Reduction
A panel of experts, academics, and entrepreneurs will discuss how data and technology are being used to develop viable market platforms to address surplus food collection inefficiencies, and provide solutions to reduce food waste and ensure recovery of excess food and food scraps.
This session will include:
"Food Waste and the Sharing Economy" by Dr. Stephen F. Hamilton, Professor of Economics, California Polytechnic State University and Timothy Richards, Morrison School of Agribusiness and Resource Management, Arizona State University
“Operational Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to
Improve Shrink Management and Drive Food Waste Reduction” by Ricky Ashenfelter, CEO, Spoiler Alert, MA
“Closing the Measurement Gap: Using Measurement and Data to Prevent Food Waste” by Steven Finn, VP, Food Waste Prevention, LeanPath, Inc., OR
“Solving Your Company’s Dumbest Problem: Food Waste” by Komal Ahmad, CEO, Copia. CA
“Energy from Food Waste – Flipping the Perspective” by Michael Corbett, Director of Applied Science, Divert Inc., MA.
WasteExpo Workshops
*Separate registration is required for each workshop. More details to come.
Thursday, May 9
Composting and Organics Diversion Programs for Waste Generators
8:30AM - 12:30PM
Instructor: Gary Bilbro, EcoSafe® Zero Waste
This will be a full-scale workshop on how to start a successful composting program for all waste generators including municipal, educational, health care, hospitality, food service, and others. This workshop will cover all aspects of a successful organics diversion program. Attendees will learn all they need to start and maintain a diversion program where they live and work. Environmental and financial benefits will be reviewed and explained. This workshop should be attended by anyone interested in organics diversion, composting, and zero waste to landfill.
Introduction to Zero Waste - Certified Training
8:30AM - 12:30PM
Instructor: Ruth Abbe, President, Zero Waste USA
Are you interested in learning how Zero Waste has become a key component of community and business sustainability efforts across the US and the globe? Want to know more about the connections between Zero Waste and climate change, Highest and Best Use of discarded materials and green jobs, as well s other benefits to business and communities pursuing Zero Waste? Curious about Zero Waste planning and infrastructure as well as community and business Zero Waste facility certification? This lively interactive class if for you!
NWRA Safety Symposium
8:30AM - 12:30PM
Participants in this half-day safety symposium featuring former U.S. Department of Labor Assistant Secretary for OSHA, David Michaels. As one of the top 5 most dangerous professions in America, safety is the number one priority for the waste & recycling industry. This comprehensive safety workshop will go in-depth, covering everything from new safety solutions, regulatory updates, proven industry safety programs, OSHA compliance and more.
Recycling Myths, Legends and Psuedo-science: Understanding Objective Realities in Materials Recovery
8:30AM - 12:30PM
"Recycling is good, all the time... and all the time, recycling is good." This adage represents a viewpoint that has permeated our society for the last 40 to 50 years. But, is this perspective built on sound science, or have myths and psuedo-science propped up the message? What is reality when it comes to recycling? When is recycling good? And, are there situations when recycling may be bad?
This workshop will take a provocative look at recycling and attempt to address some of these questions. Using current science and data, various topics will be explored to evaluate if claims about recycling pass the test, or are simply contamination. Example topics include:
- When I was your age, we recycled whether we liked it or not...why do we recycle?
- Wishcycling (and other recycling fantasies)
- Navigating the pseudo-science: a skeptics guide to recycling
- Perspectives on recycling policies and goals: are they achievable?
- Recycling makes sense, except when it doesn't - a synopsis of what LCA can tell us
- The end (market) game - challenges and opportunities
- Choose wisely: is human behavior the holy grail of recycling?
