Building on the excitement of Tuesday’s networking, events, training and keynote sessions. WASTECON opened Wednesday with its first Discovery Series speaker, Rebecca Ryan from NEXT General Consulting, who encouraged attendees to keep on top of the latest trends and take a look at how you can build your company strategies. She also covered thinking like a futurist so you can be better informed about what is happening now and even 20 years in the future. Following that dynamic session was another Discovery Series session focusing on the city of Phoenix and its innovative practices in solid waste and recycling (including setting a goal of zero waste by 2050) that put the city on the map.IMG_6504A panel of experts involved in the transition was on hand to talk about some of the challenges. They included: Brandy Barrett, Deputy Public Works Director for the city, Alicia Marseille, Director, Resources and Innovation and Solutions Network Incubator, for Arizona State University, Rob Potts, COO of Renewology and Priyanka Bakaya, CEO and Founder of Renewology. Each of them talked about developing their partnerships with the city, setting up the pilot programs and how they funded the city’s circular economy movement. After taking a break, attendees headed to the morning breakout education sessions, which covered topics on solid waste facility regulations, PFAS management, safety summits and more. These informative sessions and workshops gave people the chance to discuss their concerns, issues, successes and share with others their experiences as well.

The show floor once again engaged attendees by offering them a chance to look at those exhibitors they may have missed on Monday and Tuesday, as well as giving them time to walk around the hall networking with not only fellow colleagues, but also industry experts, young professionals, those who might be retiring and the catalyst speakers, whose sessions drew in large crowds of people who wanted advice on the specified topic. At the end of the day, breakout sessions were held on leadership, EPA’s role and partnerships with the state and federal partners, recycling and recovery, and others.

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And finally, what a fabulous networking party to top off the busy day! Event attendees look forward to it every WASTECON and this one was no exception. The party was held at the Corona Ranch, a venue out in the suburbs of Phoenix that featured a IMG_6534wonderful backdrop for fun, food and entertainment. Guest were greeted by a Mariachi band upon arrival at the entrance of the place and were also treated to Mexican food while being serenaded by a live band. The place was packed and several events were offered throughout the night, including a native american dancer from the Hopi nation, who thrilled those watching with his mesmerizing performance. Then people were invited to enter the rodeo arena to view a series of events custom-tailored for SWANA attendees. They included 8-second bull riding, charros doing tricks with the horses, a lasso showcase, and women sidesaddle riders. At the end of the night, people were jazzed about what they experienced. It was a great success!

Last Day of WASTECON Looks Towards the Future

IMG_6606After a series of morning Breakfast Breakthrough sessions focusing on materials management, solid waste planning, mixed waste processing and others, Dr. Sandoe kicked off Thursday’s Keynotes with an exercise out of the SWANA playbook, first moving everyone to the center of the room so they could have more intimate discussions and collaborations with their neighbors about their views of the future of the industry. Following the lively session, the first keynote speakers took the stage – Michelle Ogburn, Manager, Solid Waste Inspections, Compliance and Enforcement for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Taimur Burki, Waste and Recycling Manager for Intel. First talking about how they got into the industry and “dumpster diving”, they segued into what kind of innovative recycling program they had implemented or were working on for the company and state. Burki mentioned the copper reuse program and the other ways they have been trying to keep the company’s discarded materials out of the waste stream. Ogburn pointed out that they have been shooting for a contamination rate of 5% and was very proud to say that they have been consistently hitting it. She also mentioned other region’s programs, including sending glass recycling to Nevada and a household hazardous waste swap meet.

Closing out the show, the final speakers of the morning were a panel of experts from various municipalities, including the City of Mesa, Orange County, Central Ohio, King County Solid Waste, Palm Beach County, the City of Philadelphia and Lancaster County. These industry experts shared their thoughts on what they believed the future had in store for the industry and the main challenges that are the driving forces today: infrastructure, engagement and communication, funding/planning and city-to-city collaboration. Stressing that the industry needs to start being proactive (rather than reactive), they advised to be prepared for the next industry change, develop action plans and analyze what trends are coming, like changing demographics and popular trends because this will have an impact on the types of waste generated.

IMG_6616Overall, #wastecon2019 was an informative look at what has happened, how the industry has changed, and gave ideas on to prepare for trends in the future. This all leads towards WASTECON 2020, whose theme is “Embracing Change”, being held at the Gaylord Texan in Dallas (TX) from December 7 – 10. We look forward to another great event. Thank you to all who visited us during the exhibit hall days and we hope to see all of you next year!

 

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