Jazzed Up

Many tourists head to the city of New Orleans for its nightlife, jazz music, cuisine and culture, but for a few days in late spring, thousands of people will have yet another reason to experience The Big Easy, as one of the largest events in the waste and recycling industry comes to the city.

WasteExpo bills itself as “North America’s largest event serving both the private and public sectors of the solid waste and recycling industry.” This year’s event will take place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans and is expected to include more than 550 exhibitors and more than 12,000 participants. Organizers say the event is designed to help participants “save money, make money and stay safe and compliant.”

The conference portion of WasteExpo will run from Monday, May 20, until Wednesday, May 22. The program offers tracks designed to cover the entire spectrum of the solid waste, recycling and organics industry, including:

• Recycling Commodities;
• Hands-On Professional Skills;
• Collection Technology;
• Labor Relations;
• Community Relations;
• Recycling;
• Law;
• Safety;
• Management;
• Government Relations; and
• Organics & Composting.

A New Track
Organics & Composting is a new track in 2013 and reflects a growth initiative of show organizer Penton Media’s Waste Industry Group.

“From waste handlers and municipalities to business owners and environmentalists, the effective management of organic waste is rapidly becoming a major industrial issue,” says Waste Age and Waste360 (www.waste360.com) Content Director and Editor Steven Averett. “The ongoing debate over how best to handle this material, be it through composting, anaerobic digestion or disposal in gas-to-energy landfills, will be a defining issue for the industry in the coming years.”

Waste Industry Group Managing Director Rita Ugianskis adds, “Now solid waste and organics professionals can gain the high-level education, training, equipment and product solutions and networking access they need across our entire service portfolio, particularly at WasteExpo, which, beginning at our 2013 show in New Orleans, promises to become a one-stop event for the organics industry, too.”

A Recycling Focus
Many of the educational sessions at WasteExpo will appeal to recyclers. The full program agenda is available online at www.wasteexpo.com, but here are some recycling-related sessions that are likely to be of interest to readers of Recycling Today:

MONDAY, MAY 20
Hard to Recycle Materials: Part I – Paint, Carpet and Mattresses:
Time: 9 to 10:15 a.m.
Description: Interest in collecting “hard to recycle” materials continues to increase. Representatives from three industries—paint, carpet and mattresses—will describe what they are doing to increase recycling.
Moderator: Kathy Trent, director of government affairs, Waste Management Inc.
Presenters: Marjaneh Zarrehparvar, executive director, PaintCare Inc.; Robert Peeples, executive director, Carpet America Recovery Effort; and Ryan Trainer, president, International Sleep Products Association

Hard to Recycle Materials: Part II – Rechargeable Batteries, Cell Phones and Mercury Thermostats
Time: 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.
Description: Some products are easier to recycle than others. Three industries—batteries, electronics and mercury thermostats—are dealing with unique collection and processing challenges posed by items that are physically small, yet common in consumer use.
Moderator: Anthony Colosimo, CEO, Phoenix Renewable Resources
Presenters: Mark Tibbetts, executive director, Thermostat Recycling Corp.; Linda Gabor, vice president of marketing and customer service, Call2Recycle; and Henry Leinweber, managing editor, E-Scrap News

Alternative Fuels for Recycling and Garbage Trucks, A Status Report
Time: 9 to 10:15 a.m.
Description: Many waste and recycling collection operations are converting portions of their fleets to alternative fuels (compressed natural gas, landfill gas and biofuels). In this session, presenters will provide an update on current trends, why and how these decisions are being made, financial implications and whether the trends will continue and for how long.
Moderator: Robert Lee, president, Eco-Tech Environmental Services LLC
Presenter: Josh Lieberman, program director, American Biogas Council

To Compost or Digest: Increasing Food Waste Recovery
Time: 1:45 to 3 p.m.
Description: Composting and anaerobic digestion offer two very different solutions to increased recovery of food waste. Learn about the opportunities and pitfalls involved in both of these processes.
Presenters: Brian Fuchs, associate, W.L. Gore & Associates Inc.; Prentiss Shaw, client manager, Cornerstone Environmental Group LLC; and Willie Wainer, CEO, Bates Trucking Inc.

How to Recycle in Places that Resist Recycling
Time: 3:15 to 4:30 p.m.
Description: Apartment buildings, businesses and public spaces pose unique recycling challenges. Presenters will discuss these barriers and how to overcome them and increase recycling where gains are least expected.
Moderator: Fred Radandt, president, Manitowoc Disposal and Recycling
Presenters: Amity Lumper, principal, Cascadia Consulting Group; Tracie Onstad Bills, principal, Cascadia Consulting Group; and Alec Cooley, director, recycling programs, Keep America Beautiful

TUESDAY, MAY 21
Paper Recycling Markets: Boom or Bust?
Time: 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.
Description: Paper markets cooled off in 2012. Will they boom or bust in 2013? Presenters will provide ideas on what to expect from markets for the next year.
Moderator: Allan Gerlat, news editor, Waste Age magazine
Presenters: Myles Cohen, recycling division president, Pratt Recycling, and Hannah Zhao, economist, recovered paper, RISI Inc.

Glass Recycling: Processing and Markets Update
Time: 1:45 to 3 p.m.
Description: Through a case study, attendees will hear about an exciting new glass processing facility. In addition, trends in markets for processed glass will be discussed.
Presenters: Steve Sargent, director of recycling, Rumpke Consolidated Cos., and Craig London, president and CEO, eCullet Inc.

Bottles, Bags and Bumpers: Plastics Recycling
Time: 3:15 – 4:30 p.m.
Description: Plastics recycling markets are growing. Which plastic products are benefiting from this growth? What are the best methods to collect and process different types of plastics to take advantage of market expansion?
Presenters: Unidentified as of press time.

The trade show portion of the convention, which features more than 550 exhibiting companies or organizations and 90 equipment categories, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, and Wednesday, May 22, and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, May 23.

Further details, including registration information, for WasteExpo 2013 is available at www.wasteexpo.com.

The author is a managing editor with the Recycling Today Media Group and can be reached at ksmith@gie.net.

Getting Around
Making your way through the hundreds of exhibitors with elaborate equipment displays can be quite daunting at WasteExpo. To help you navigate your way through the exhibit hall, be sure to pick up a copy of the Recycling Today Media Group’s Recycling Equipment Locator, which will be available in the publication bins at the event as well as at the Recycling Today Media Group booth, No. 4761. We’ve broken down the exhibitor list by equipment category to help you find the recycling suppliers you are looking for.