SWANA鈥檚 WASTECON庐 rolled into Grapevine, TX last week and gave attendees a week of learning, tours, networking, exhibits, and more. Kicking off Monday morning with tours of the Plastic Road Project at the University of Texas at Arlington, the Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium, the Republic Services Plano Recycling Center, and the Peterbilt Motors Plant in Denton, TX, the Experiential Learning tours gave people in an inside look into some of the most efficient facilities in Texas. The Opening Session officially opened the event and began with Executive Director and CEO, Amy Lestition Burke talking about being with SWANA for a year and getting to talk to many people over that time in order to understand the vision for the association. Amy said that SWANA has a bright future and has some important goals to aim for going forward, including working safe, healthy and sustainably, providing communities a solution to society鈥檚 biggest challenges, and–the new vision for SWANA and the industry鈥攎oving from waste management to resource management. She then introduced SWANA President Tammy Hayes, and they both acknowledged the indigenous people who were originally on the land where the event was being held, they recognized the current SWANA Board of Directors, and the SWANA Lone Star Chapter 听Board.
Announcing the first of several SWANA awards, the first day recognized those who were honored with a SWANA Safety Award, which included the City of Goodyear, AZ for the Best Safety Training Program, the City of Austin, TX for the Biggest Safety Improvement, Atlantic County Utilities Authority, NJ for the Best Safety Innovations, and the City of Mesa, AZ for the Best Workplace Wellness Program. Finally, the keynote speaker, Scott Griffith, Former Chief Safety Officer for American Airlines, talked about managing risk and safety and what can we really do about it? He said not only do we need Human Resources at the table for discussion, but while standards and policies are a start, we must see understand and manage risk on a daily basis in order to create a culture of safety rather than just looking at singular events and incidents. It was an interesting talk that was followed by a 鈥渇ireside chat鈥� with Griffith and Lyndsey Baer, Chief of Engineering for the Delaware Solid Waste Authority, delving deeper into the discussion.
Once the keynote session was over, attendees were invited to check out the exhibit hall where vendors showcased their offerings in technology, services, and other products for the industry. They chatted, enjoyed some light food and drink, and got to know the exhibit hall floor in preparation for the next few days.
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On Tuesday, the morning鈥檚 general session opening with Amy and Tammy sharing some safety tips for getting around the hotel. Afterwards, Art Mercer recognized Tim Flanagan for being past president and now as a lifetime member of SWANA. Tim talked about his time in the industry and called out the real heroes鈥攖he drivers and professionals鈥攁nd said he looked forward to seeing the next generation of industry workers. The session then turned to honoring Lanny and Kay Hickman who both passed away earlier this year. They had not only dedicated their lives to the industry, but they also brought young people into the profession, were integral in the YP Design Competition, and encouraged participation by women. It was emphasized that SWANA鈥檚 legacy was due in large part to Kay and Lanny. 听Tuesday鈥檚 keynote was given by John Neilson Gammon, a Texas State Climatologist. He talked about climate change and its implications, the rising trends, what kind of effects we see from climate change and the science鈥攔ising temperatures, hurricanes, floods, drought, etc.鈥攁nd sat down for a further discussion with Tammy Hayes. Afterwards, Tammy emphasized that there was a lot of work to do to grow and strengthen SWANA and the industry. Tammy thanked the people that helped her to where she is today (which she considers to be the pinnacle of her career), and wished well all people affected by hurricane, as well as recognized past officers. Amy thanked Tammy for being so supportive and said that when she joined SWANA, she was able to look at the association with fresh eyes, and help stakeholders and communities served. That extends beyond waste management to include trash as resource. She said this was the last WASTECON庐 since next year鈥檚 event would combine the best of SOAR and WASTECON庐 with by embracing what鈥檚 next, leveraging collaboration, and implementing forward thinking approaches. The new name of the SWANA conference is 鈥Con鈩�
.The exhibit hall opened with not only attendees checking out what vendors had to offer, but also hearing from some as well through Catalyst Sessions that were held on the show floor throughout the next couple of days. Used as a way to continue to educate those who were attending the event, it also kept them engaged in the new technology and practices in this evolving industry.
On Wednesday, after Amy and Tammy kicked off morning with another safety tip, they introduced James Law who is the newly elected President of the International Solid Waste Association. He thanked SWANA for the nomination that led to him being elected to the position and said that part of his mission is to expand membership to over 110 countries and beyond. Next, Amy and Tammy gave out the Professional Achievement Awards as well as the Robert L Lawrence Distinguished Service Award, which went to Bob Gardner, who has spent his 45 years in the industry with SCS engineers. Finally, the session turned to a talk on EPR, where Amy moderated a panel of experts with a focus on consumer packaging. The panelists included Kevin Roche, CEO of ecomaine, Trina Matta, Vice President, Policy Implementation for The Recycling Partnership, Julia Mangin, Head of Sustainability for Recology, and Jeff Bezzo, Executive Director of Plastics Strategy for SC Johnson.
Throughout the week, people also had a chance to attend valuable educational sessions that focused on topics like managing PFAS, facility fires, the state of recycling in America, mixed waste processing, writing an effective RFP, employee development, and more. Overall, there was great mix of discussions, learning opportunities, speaker variety, as well as something for everyone to take note of and bring back to their respective facilities.
Wednesday night, the networking reception took place at Chicken n Pickle. With shuttle buses provided to and from the venue, everyone had a good time playing games that included pickleball, fuse ball, cornhole, and a variety of other oversized games. It was a great way to relax after a day of seeing exhibitors and listening to informative sessions.
On Thursday, the last day of the last WASTECON庐, Amy and Tammy presented the Young Professional awards, including the Legacy Award and YPs of the Year. Then, Stuart Andreason, Executive Director, Programs, of the Burning Glass Institute, talked about today鈥檚 job market and how the current workforce is creating the future of the industry. How do we create pathways? How do we ensure industries remain competitive? How do we connect people to meaningful opportunities and why is it important? He was then joined by Tom Koutroulis, Director of OC Waste & Recycling, and Stacey Dolden, Chief People Officer for SCS Engineers, who continued the discussion with a focus on the industry and what kind of strategies can be used for recruitment and retention. Finally, Amy and Tammy closed the event with a preview of what people would see in Columbus, OH, the host city for next year鈥檚 RCon鈩�. It wil be held from November 12 鈥� 15, 2025. We look forward to it!