SWANA announces keynote speakers for WasteCon 2019

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) has announced the keynote speaker lineup for its WasteCon 2019: Pathway to Innovation conference Oct. 21-24 in Phoenix. Attendees at this year’s conference will hear from recycling industry experts and innovative leaders about strategies to improve their recycling performance and plan for the future, SWANA says in a news release.

“I am very excited that WasteCon will offer a range of inspiring and informative keynote speakers, including industry leaders such as Jon Vander Ark, Republic [Service]’s new president; newly confirmed EPA [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] Assistant Administrator Peter Wright; and several interactive sessions that will help participants enhance their leadership skills,” says David Biderman, SWANA’s executive director and CEO.

Keynote speakers for this year’s conference are as follows:

• Jon Vander Ark, the president of Republic Services Inc. of Phoenix, is scheduled to kick off the conference by discussing how to turn recycling into a resilient business with his address, “Forging a New Path to a Sustainable Recycling Model.” Vander Ark, who became president this year, will share insights on how to optimize operational performance in the solid waste and recycling industry. Republic Services Inc. is the second largest provider of non-hazardous solid waste services providing collection, transfer, disposal, recycling and waste-to-energy for its customers by revenue.

• Peter C. Wright, the assistant administrator of the EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM), will provide WasteCon attendees important insights into OLEM’s work in his address, “Framework for Recycling in the U.S.” Over the past year, Wright has played a crucial role in guiding the development of EPA’s national recycling framework, which will be released on America Recycles Day, Nov. 15 of this year. Wright also spoke at SWANApalooza in Boston in February of this year. Confirmed to the position of assistant administrator of OLEM in July 2019, Wright previously worked on a variety of environmental issues for nearly two decades, including environmental remediation and Superfund site management as managing counsel for the environmental, health, and safety matters at Dow Chemical Company.

• Teri Pipe, the chief well-being officer at the Center for Mindfulness, Compassion and Resilience at Arizona State University, is scheduled to lead off WasteCon’s Discovery Series with her address, “High Performing Leadership and Mindfulness in Action.” Pipe will explain how solid waste collection, the fifth deadliest occupation in the U.S., could benefit from mindfulness. “While mindfulness may seem like a ‘soft skill,’ in reality, there are many ways that using mindful practices can translate into risk reduction, error prevention and safer outcomes,” Wright says. Throughout WasteCon, participants will have an opportunity to engage in mindfulness practices that they can use for themselves and their workforce.

• With over forty years of experience, Harvey Gershman, the co-founder of Gershman, Brickner, & Bratton Inc. (GBB), will share his award-winning insights on balancing recycling, sustainability and community engagement in his address, “Lawrence Lecture.” As an adviser to the industry in both the private and public sectors, he has aided long-term strategic planning and implementation for numerous solid waste management, recycling, composting, and waste-to-energy projects in the U.S. and around the world.

• Travis May will aim to help the solid waste industry engage its stakeholders in his address, “The Importance of Storytelling.” May is a faculty member of the Storytelling Institute of South Mountain Community College in Phoenix. The institute now partners with Arizona State University’s Changemaker’s Initiative as a result of his leadership. He draws upon his diverse educational background in anthropology, education and organizational outreach to frame how organizations often miss important storytelling opportunities for strengthening the workplace community.

• Futurist and economist Rebecca Ryan of Next Generation Consulting Inc., predicts future outcomes to aid complex decision-making. In her presentation, “Making a Big Bet on the Future,” she evaluates how solid waste industry professionals can best invest capital, time and resources. She is the author of several recent books, including The Next Big Things: The Future of Local Government and ReGENERATION: A Manifesto for America’s Future Leaders. She is a successful thought leader, entrepreneur, and TEDx speaker. Ryan is a faculty member at the Institute for Zen Leadership in Crownsville, Maryland, the founder of Futurist Camp and the inventor of Futures Labs.

• Taimur Burki, the waste and recycling manager at Intel, will share how to engage a culture of sustainability from the ground up in his address, “From Dumpster Diver to Driving Global Change.” A Fortune 200 company, Intel generated a revenue of $70.8 billion in 2018. Burki has summarized the company’s minimal waste footprint: “In 2018, we sent just 4 percent of our hazardous waste to landfill, and since 2010, we've kept that number below 5 percent. But as the rate has fluctuated slightly from year to year, it's a good reminder that it's an ongoing journey.” Burki has also helped the company achieve a 90 percent-plus recycling rate and conserve 60 billion gallons of water worldwide over his two decades at Intel.

• Biderman will discuss several important new SWANA worker safety and health initiatives. The winners of the 2019 SWANA Safety Awards will also be recognized at this time, with trophies presented to the city of San Antonio’s Solid Waste Management Department and Lakeshore Recycling Systems of Chicago.