SWANA announces Wastecon keynote speakers

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), Silver Spring, Maryland, has announced the keynote speakers for Wastecon, taking place Aug. 20-23 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Wastecon’s lineup of keynote speakers will offer insight on future policy, innovation trends and technology, in addition to new perspectives on adapting to industry change and creating efficient workflow processes, SWANA says.

“I am very excited that Wastecon will be offering a range of inspiring and informative keynote speakers, including industry leaders such as Ron Mittelstaedt, legal giants such as Michael Cahill and several interactive sessions that will help participants enhance their leadership skills and critical thinking,” David Biderman, SWANA’s executive director and CEO, says.

The Wastecon 2018 keynote speakers include:

• Ron Mittelstaedt, CEO and director, Waste Connections, The Woodlands, Texas—Mittelstaedt will discuss his thoughts on the waste industry and its relationship with the public sector, how Waste Connections is responding to current challenges, the company’s successful safety initiatives and the outlook of the industry.
• David Biderman and Robin Wiener, president, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI), Washington—The China waste ban’s restriction of the flow of materials has created new challenges throughout the supply chain of scrap, from residents to solid waste departments, material recovery facilities, processors, end users and beyond. Biderman and Wiener will discuss the current issues surrounding the ban and investigate next steps for the industry.
• Parker Gates and Anna Love-Mickelson, founders, Stoked, Nashville—Founders of design firm Stoked will offer activities designed to attendees gain confidence to solve the most complex problems and grow deeper connections with colleagues and customers.
• Michael Cahill, partner, Germano & Cahill, Holbrook, New York—Having been involved in the flow control case at the U.S. Supreme Court as well as representing a municipality in the garbage barge, Cahill will provide insight into the shaping of modern history involving the solid waste and recycling industry.
• Tom Morrison, CEO, Florida Automotive Industry Association— Morrison will provide the keys in researching and determining what future disruption the solid waste industry can expect and what can be done about it now.
• Natalie Nixon, design strategist, author and lecturer—The concepts behind systems thinking are present in designing and operating solid waste programs. Through these approaches, attendees will learn how to use intuition, pattern recognition and improvisation for insights to help create order from the daily chaos.

“I am honored to address the top professionals in solid waste and recycling at Wastecon,” Mittelstaedt says. “With a changing industry comes new challenges surrounding policy, relationships between the public and private sector and worker safety. During my interview panel, I will give insight into how Waste Connections is facing these challenges head-on and how companies can position themselves for growth during this time of industry transition.”

Keynote speakers will offer a mix of presentation, interview-style, panel discussion and interactive sessions that will speak to Wastecon’s theme of “Sound Ideas” in waste management by exploring challenges and solutions for navigating the solid waste and recycling industry today.