A Full House

The Recycling Today Media Group has added prominent names to the roster of this year’s program for its 2008 spring conferences, which include the Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show, Recycling Today’s Plastics Recycling Conference & Trade Show and the Electronics Recycling Conference & Trade Show. All three conferences share the same venue in Chicago, June 22-24, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, as well as the same exhibit hall.

The Recycling Today Media Group’s goal for the June conferences is to bring together industry leaders, name-brand companies, equipment suppliers and professionals in growing sectors of the global recycling industry all under one roof. Combined attendance for this year’s event is once again expected to top 600 people.

The combined exhibit hall, which features nearly 60 exhibitors, hosts many of the conferences’ networking opportunities, including the welcome reception Sunday, June 22, beginning at 5 p.m. Exhibitors are showcasing the newest products, services and technology to assist recyclers looking to improve production efficiencies and material quality as well as those seeking to increase processing capacity.

Educational opportunities begin Sunday afternoon with the management and operations workshops, which are open to attendees of all three events, as is the keynote session with Don Reynolds on Monday, June 23.

The management and operations workshops cover a variety of topics, including employee issues and MRF design. Guest speakers Amy Nice, an immigration practice attorney with Dickstein Shapiro LLP, and Amy Phillips, an attorney with Mansour, Gavin, Gerlack and Manos, discuss the legal obligations associated with hiring non-native workers and with pre-employment screenings in the management workshop titled "Hiring and Training." Dave Friedman of Friedman Recycling, Mark Naef of Naef

Additional workshop sessions on the topics of business valuation and transportation are scheduled for Sunday, as is a session on recovered paper supply development presented by Bill Moore of Moore & Associates, which requires an additional registration fee.

Because of the programming quality, many registrants may be tempted to attend more than one of the co-located events. By paying an additional $75 dollars to the base registration fee of $425, registrants can attend sessions from one of the other conference tracks. For an additional $125, registrants can attend sessions in all three of the programming tracks. Base registration discounts are also available for multiple registrants from the same company and for Paper Stock Industries (PSI) chapter members of ISRI, as well as for members of the World Reuse, Repair and Recycling Association (WR3A).

The ninth annual Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show offers sessions led by prominent industry leaders covering issues directly affecting the industry, including paper use trends, escalating export costs and the challenge of remaining competitive within the North American market.

Programming for the paper conference kicks off Monday, June 23, with the session titled "Opposing Forces," which looks at paper trends in key industries, including print media, the packaging industry and the office sector. This session is moderated by Bill Moore of Moore & Associates and includes guest speaker Glen Hopkins of Hewlett Packard.

Later Monday, moderator Mike Belus of Harmon Associates and guest speakers Scott Krohn, OOCL USA Inc.; Mario Bruendel, Fr. Meyers Sohn; and Bryon Luo, Ralison International Inc., discuss how trans-oceanic fiber shippers are faced with new formulas to determine how to affordably ship fiber over long distances in the session titled "New Export Algorithms."

Tuesday, June 24, Steve Ragiel, Greenstar North America, and Ron Thiry, SCA Tissue, speak at a session titled "Made in the U.S.A." They focus on how paper manufacturers and recyclers are investing in their businesses to stay on top in the competitive North American market. This session is moderated by Brian Taylor, Recycling Today Media Group.

The 2008 Recycling Today’s Plastics Recycling Conference also promises to provide attendees with in-depth educational sessions led by some of the most well-known names in the plastics recycling industry.

Monday, June 23, Gerry Fishbeck, United Resource Recovery Corp.; John Burgess, Coca-Cola Recycling; and Ron Gonen, RecycleBank, offer an up-close look at the Coca-Cola bottle recycling plant investment at the session titled "The Real Thing." Dan Sandoval of the Recycling Today Media Group moderates this session.

After lunch attendees are invited to the session "Unplugged and Ready for Recycling" to hear how plastics and electronic scrap recyclers are making new efforts to increase the profitability of plastics recovered from obsolete electronics. Guest speakers include David Ritter, Global Investment Recovery Inc.; Renee St. Denis, Hewlett-Packard Co.; and Rodney Clara, Direct Computer Disposal. Brian Taylor, Recycling Today Media Group, serves as moderator.

Tuesday’s plastics program includes a session on the efforts plastics bag and film producers, LDPE consumers and retailers are making to increase the recycling rate within this sector.

During the session titled "Roiling Waters," guest speakers James Donaldson of Greenstar U.K. and Michelle Cory of Si Quan II offer their views on how restrictions and regulations from different parts of the world are making plastics scrap exporting a legalistic endeavor.

The Recycling Today Media Group also has developed a program that features a wide range of topics and guest speakers for its second annual Electronics Recycling Conference.

The second annual Electronics Recycling Conference provides attendees with the opportunity to meet leading recyclers in the electronics sector as well as to attend sessions covering topics of interest to professionals in the industry.

The educational programming begins Monday, June 23, with a session covering how non-HD TVs, pre-Vista computers and rapidly obsolete cell phones will be entering electronics recycling facilities.

Another highly anticipated session titled "Playing in the Major Leagues" covers how the largest OEMs and retailers are championing the cause of recycling in different ways. Guest speakers include Joe Aho, Waste Management/Recycling America; Douglas Smith, Sony Electronics Inc.; Patrick Summers, NEC Display Solutions of America; and Joe Strathmann, Dell Inc.

Tuesday’s programming starts off with a session titled "Country Roads: Rural Recycling Options." Attendees get to hear moderator Joe Clayton of Synergy Recycling LLC and WR3A and guest speakers Nancy Jo Craig, Capital Area Corporate Recycling Council; Rob Taylor, Orange County (N.C.) Solid Waste Department; and Craig Wittig, Wake County (N.C.) Solid Waste Division, discuss how recyclers and recycling coordinators in small and medium-sized markets can effectively collect and process electronics.

Later that day, attendees are invited to the session titled "Whose Certification Is It Anyway?," with guest speakers Mark Ames, AQS Management Systems Inc.; Gina Chiarella, WeRecycle! Inc.; and Bob Johnson, National Association for Information Destruction (NAID). This roundtable discussion covers the costs and benefits electronics recyclers can realize when pursuing audited and certified status.

The Recycling Today Media Group’s spring conferences continue to provide attendees with the latest information, technology and services available to the recycling industry. This year’s events are shaping up to be bigger than last year’s and once again promise attendees the opportunity to network with their peers while gaining valuable insight into these three industry sectors.

Registration information and the most recent conference schedules are available at www.RecyclingTodayEvents.com.

The author is assistant editor of Recycling Today and can be contacted at kmorris@gie.net.