A day full of honorees, meetings, training and networking, WASTECON® kicked off to a fabulous start with the SWANA breakfast honoring people and organizations in the waste industry who have done great work in the past year. The annual ceremony also introduced the 2015 International Board Members featuring Brian Tippetts taking the reins of SWANA from David Horinek who was honored as a lifetime member of the organization. After the event, attendees gathered at the front of the exhibit hall to watch the ribbon cutting ceremony officially open the show (see the video at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Waste-Advantage-Magazine/168317193194417?ref=br_tf).
From 10:00am to 3pm, the crowded floor was a flurry of activity that included attendees learning about new technologies, services, products and more while renewing friendships and developing new relationships with those who could help them solve a particular problem or show them a more efficient way of the waste and recycling process. At 12pm, the technical sessions began with the topics of “One Bin – Two Bin – Three Bin – Four? Which One Shall Be Greener Evermore?”, “LFG Rules and Regulations Update”, “Mechanical/Biological Treatment for Recovery from Mixed MSW” and other informative classes. In the afternoon, Mega Sessions, “The Cost Benefits of a Safe Organization” and “Energy from Waste” held the audience captivated discussing issues that people in the industry are facing every day. These dynamic speakers included: David Vartian, Supervisor of the City of University Park; Shawn Mandel, Director of Safety, Waste Connections, Inc.; Sterling Kenyon, Health and Safety Specialist, SCS Field Services; Hugh McCabe, Shareholder, Neil, Dymott, Frank, McFall & Trexler APLC; Dr. Lisa Ryan, CEO of Kiverdi, Inc.; Craig Stuart-Paul, CEO of Fiberight; and Jeff Murray, Senior Project Manager of HDR, Inc.