Iowa Recycling Association to host conference

The Iowa Recycling Association and Iowa Society of Solid Waste Operations, which is the Iowa chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), plan to host the Iowa Recycling & Solid Waste Management Conference and Trade Show Oct. 8-10 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The conference will take place at the Mid-America Center. 

During the conference, professionals in the fields of recycling, sustainability and waste management will tour facilities, participate in educational sessions and network. According to the conference’s organizers, about 300 people have signed up for the event, which will feature an exhibit hall with 65 booths. 

The event starts Monday, Oct. 8, with a young professional luncheon, a welcome session featuring a safety culture discussion from Hamm Waste Services and a plenary session on zero waste from NewGen Strategies and Solutions. In the evening, attendees can participate in a welcome reception in the exhibit hall.

On Tuesday, Oct. 9, highlights include a plenary session on addressing changing recycling markets, presented by David Biderman, executive director of SWANA, and a keynote speech by Kevin Kush. Kush is a coach, author and ABC World News Tonight's Person of the Week. His presentation focuses on the characteristics of a quality team member: selflessness, respect, ability to adapt, accepting feedback and accountability. Then, there is an open house from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the exhibit hall and the evening ends in the exhibit hall with a vendor reception and live auction, followed by a pub-and-grub crawl in downtown Council Bluffs.

On Wednesday, Oct. 10, conference attendees have the option to tour the Omaha, Nebraska-based Sarpy County Landfill & Transfer Station and the First Star Recycling Material Recovery Facility (MRF) or attend a recycling markets boot camp or organics boot camp from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Visit the website for a complete schedule of events and registration information.