Mobile Conference Program
This is the mobile (cell phone-readable) version of the 2023 NRRA Conference Program. To view the desktop version, please view the Desktop Conference Program.
Attention: Lowest Registration Pricing NOW Available!
Program Guide
Welcome to the 2023 NRRA "Recycling Tools of the Trade" Conference Program. Click on the buttons below for details about the day's agenda and speakers.
Meet the Speakers - coming soon!
Please Thank Our Sponsors
Conference At A Glance
Continue to scroll down to find a detailed description of each workshop.
.Workshop Details
Monday May 22, 2023
7:30 AM - Registration
8:00 AM - Breakfast with Exhibitors
8:45 AM - Workshop Session 1
Landfill 201: Design & the Environment (Webster Room)
This workshop will expand attendee's knowledge on landfills by providing information related to landfill design and environmental protection. The talk will address: (i) the need for properly designed and permitted disposal facilities (not everything can be recycled and reused); (ii) federal and state statutes and laws/rules; (iii) common design considerations; (iv) typical design components; (v) common operational and maintenance items; and (vi) ways to reduce the need to expand existing or construct new disposal facilities.
- Presenter Eric Steinhauser, Senior Vice President at Sanborn, Head & Associates, Concord, NH
- Moderator - TBD
Municipal Composting (Pierce Room)
This workshop is for municipal members who are interested in hearing from members with current food scrap composting programs. Learn where to start, how to survey your community, how to get residents involved, and how to get the decision-makers on-board.
- Presenter Joan Cudworth, Director of Public Works for Hollis, NH
- Presenter Scott Hazelton, Zoning, Planning, & Community Development Director for Sunapee, NH
- Moderator - TBD
Maximizing Your NRRA Benefits (Concord Room)
Are you getting the most bang for your buck with your NRRA Membership benefits? From cooperative marketing and cooperative purchasing, to educational programs and technical assistance, NRRA offers a suite of benefits you may not even know about! Beyond annual activity reports, learn how NRRA is working for YOU, even when you don't know it. Bring your NRRA Membership questions and let us WOW you!
- Presenter & Moderator Andrea Folsom, NRRA Communications Manager
- Presenter Brian Patnoe, NRRA Member Services Manager
- Presenter Paula Dow, NRRA Finance & HR Director
- Presenter Stacey Morrison, NRRA Administration & Logistics Manager
9:45 AM - Coffee with Exhibitors
10:30 AM - Workshop Session 2
How the Federal Government is Strengthening Recycling (Webster Room)
This workshop will review recent federal efforts to strengthen and improve recycling programs and systems throughout the United States. We will review federal grant programs supporting local recycling efforts and EPA's National Recycling Strategy, including initial steps being taken to implement the Strategy.
- Presenter David Biderman, Executive Director and CEO of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA)
- Moderator - TBD
Don't Trash Your Cash (Pierce Room)
Attendees will learn about full cost accounting (FCA) for their solid waste facility. Instructors will discuss FCA methods that will enable municipalities and facility owners to make educated budgeting decisions on all aspects of solid waste management. Attendees will be provided with checklists, data spreadsheets, and reporting tools to assist with building a sustainable budget for solid waste management in their municipality, as well as learning about federal funding opportunities.
- Presenter Tara Albert, Solid Waste Operator Training & Certification Coordinator for NH Department of Environmental Services
- Presenter Paige Wilson, Waste Reduction & Diversion Planner for NH Department of Environmental Services
- Moderator - TBD
Operator Roundtable (Concord Room)
Join other recycling facility operators and staff at this informal roundtable to discuss your biggest challenges and identify solutions. Operators have always found this time valuable to hear about on-the-ground experience from their peers.
- Moderator Brian Patnoe, NRRA Member Services Manager
- Moderator Bonnie Bethune, NRRA Senior Member Services Representative
11:30 PM - Lunch & National Keynote Panel
Lunch & National Keynote Panel
Join us for a National Keynote Panel to discuss NRRA’s Recycling Conference & Expo theme “Recycling Tools of the Trade.” The keynote panelists will touch on what they believe to be the top tools and skills necessary to build thriving municipal recycling and waste reduction programs in our communities. This lunchtime panel will include moderated questions.
- Panelist Dan Leif, Managing Editor for Resource Recycling, Inc.
- Panelist Scott Cassel, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the Product Stewardship Institute
- Panelist David Biderman, Executive Director and CEO of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA)
- Moderator Reagan Bissonnette, NRRA Executive Director
1:00 PM - Workshop Session 3
National Keynote Panel Q&A (Webster Room)
After lunch, the speakers will be available for a separate question and answer workshop where attendees can dive deeper with their questions.
- Panelist Dan Leif, Managing Editor for Resource Recycling, Inc.
- Panelist Scott Cassel, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the Product Stewardship Institute
- Panelist David Biderman, Executive Director and CEO of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA)
- Moderator Reagan Bissonnette, NRRA Executive Director
We Need to Think Differently About Clothing (Pierce Room)
Textile waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the United States with 17 Million tons of textiles discarded each year; plastic is second. Aside from the massive negative environmental consequences, this costs towns, municipalities, recycling centers, and our communities money. We need to start thinking differently about clothing, shoes, and other textiles before it's too late. Nearly 85% of all second hand clothing is either buried in landfills or burned, adding to tipping fees, municipal costs, mass pollution, and negative environmental impacts that harm wildlife and our communities. Together we can change the outcome.
- Presenter Joe Whitten, Founder and CEO of Apparel Impact , Hooksett, NH
- Moderator - TBD
Think Local: The Benefit of Recycling Partnerships (Concord Room)
Running a small town transfer station means you have to be resourceful and creative. Sometimes, that means joining forces with other transfer stations to maximize your recycling program and benefits. This workshop will share which communities in New Hampshire partner together to consolidate recyclables, how they established their partnerships, advice for establishing such relationships, and how the arrangements benefit both communities. We will also share a new map of NH showing all the known communities that partner together to consolidate recyclables. In addition, this workshop will share the specific experience of Gilford and their styrofoam recycling partnership program - how it was funded, how it runs, and plans for the future.
- Presenter Meghan Theriault, Director of Public Works, Gilford, NH
- Presenter Brian Patnoe, NRRA Member Services Manager
- Moderator - TBD
2:00 PM - Dessert with Exhibitors
2:45 PM - Workshop Session 4
Recycling Markets: Where Have They Been? Where Are They Going? (Webster Room)
This workshop will look at markets for eight commonly collected curbside recyclables both in terms of where they have been and where they are going. This includes comparisons to the last month, end of the last year, a year ago, and highs and lows for each commodity, along with comparisons to the national average price. The presentation looks at exports, increased domestic capacity to use recyclables, and trends in the economy affecting recycling markets. Finally, a forecast of where markets are headed in the next year.
- Presenter Chaz Miller, Recycling and Solid Waste Expert, CEO
- Moderator - TBD
Personal Touchpoints = Professional Victories (Pierce Room)
This workshop will dive into the benefits of outreach and P.R. at ecomaine, with easily achievable ideas for others to take home with them. We see our robust education department as a way to build awareness, trust, and buy-in from our communities, all the while keeping our recycling cleaner and our employees safer. With commitment and effort, we will instill passion and knowledge to this and the next generation . Plus, less garbage overall!
- Presenter Katrina Venhuizen, Senior Environmental Educator for ecomaine
- Moderator - TBD
3:45 PM - Monday Reception
5:15 PM - End of Conference Day One
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
7:30 AM - Registration
8:00 AM - Breakfast with Exhibitors
8:45 AM - Workshop Session 1
Grab a Grant! USDA Grant Opportunities (Webster Room)
Have you ever thought about going for a USDA grant, but wonder where to begin? What's involved in the process, what USDA grants are out there, and how might they benefit your community.
- Presenter Eric Law, Community Program Director (NH & VT) at USDA Rural Development
- Moderator - TBD
TVs & How They Are Processed (Pierce Room)
This workshop will demonstrate the importance of electronic recycling by describing the lifecycle of a television. During this interactive workshop, the presenter will show the television's different components, how they are processed, where their components go, and further illustrate why they should be recycled rather than landfilled.
- Presenter Ray Zielke, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for URT
- Moderator - TBD
Anaerobic Digestion for Organics Diversion (Concord Room)
This workshop will discuss anaerobic digestion technology as a viable option to divert organic waste from landfills. Additionally, we will discuss bringing anaerobic digestion to a better use by utilizing organic waste as a resource to produce renewable energy and decarbonize the energy grid.
- Presenter Tom Gratz, Sales Manager for Hitachi Zosen Inova USA
- Moderator - TBD
9:45 AM - Coffee with Exhibitors
10:30 AM - Workshop Session 2
EPA Healthy Community Grant Opportunities & Successes (Webster Room)
This workshop will highlight EPA grant opportunities and share successful EPA Healthy Community Grantees working to reduce wasted food:
- Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, working with the Rhode Island Schools Recycling Club’s Get Food Smart, RI to reduce the amount of wasted food in K-12 schools
- MEANS Database, partnering with the Rhode Island Department of Health on their Rhode to End Hunger initiative, connecting excess food from businesses to emergency food providers often partnering with Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
- City of Middletown CT, partnering with the Center for EcoTechnology working with restaurants on Fostering Circular/Reusable Solutions for Takeout Container session will discuss federal grant opportunities for municipalities. Learn about grants from both EPA Sustainable Materials Management and USDA Rural Development.
Presenter Christine Beling, Project Engineer, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Boston, MA
EPA Grant Project - Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management
EPA Grant Project - MEANS Database
- EPA Grant Project - Center for EcoTechnology
- Moderator - TBD
Implementing Waste Bans: VT & MA Perspectives (Pierce Room)
Brush Vermont and Massachusetts have both utilized waste bans to change residential behavior when it comes to solid waste. Vermont, for instance, has 11 waste disposal bans, several product bans (single use products, PFAS products), 6 product stewardship laws, and 2 "Field of Dreams" model policies that require a generator to separate food waste and C&D waste if there is a facility that can recycle it that is within 20 miles. Similarly, Massachusetts also has several waste disposal bans and mandatory recycling. Learn more about the impact of waste bans at the local and state level.
Presenter Rachel Smith, Regional Planner with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) in the Municipal Waste Reduction Branch
Vermont Presenter - TBD
- Moderator- TBD
Operator Roundtable (Concord Room)
Join other recycling facility operators and staff at this informal roundtable to discuss your biggest challenges and identify solutions. Operators have always found this time valuable to hear about on-the-ground experience from their peers.
- Moderator Brian Patnoe, NRRA Member Services Manager
- Moderator Bonnie Bethune, NRRA Senior Member Services Representative
11:30 PM - Lunch & National Keynote Panel
Lunch & Regional Keynote Panel
Join us for a keynote panel to discuss recycling and solid waste management at the State-level. This panel of elected officials will provide insights on the future of recycling and waste management through a state-level policy perspective.
- Presenter NH State Representative Karen Ebel, Merrimack 7
- Moderator Reagan Bissonnette, NRRA Executive Director
1:00 PM - Workshop Session 3
Regional Keynote Panel Q&A (Webster Room)
After lunch, the speakers will be available for a separate question and answer workshop where attendees can dive deeper with their questions.
- Presenter NH State Representative Karen Ebel, Merrimack 7
- Moderator Reagan Bissonnette, NRRA Executive Director
Plastic Film Recycling (Pierce Room)
Plastic film can be the bane of a transfer station - but it doesn't have to be! Hear from a transfer station operator who recycles plastic film at his transfer station, and a representative from the NexTrex Grassroots Movement. Inspired by the success of the NexTrex commercial recycling program, the new Grassroots Movement extends the benefits of the NexTrex program to other qualifying organizations, including municipalities, universities and colleges, food banks and other nonprofits, beverage distributors, and businesses and warehouses that may not meet the volume criteria for the commercial recycling program.
- Presenter Steve Bean, Littleton Transfer Station Solid Waste Manager, Littleton, NH
- Presenter Kellie Driscoll, NexTrex Development Representative
- Moderator - TBD
Operator Tips & Tricks (Concord Room)
This interactive workshop will crowdsource tips and tricks from solid waste operators from all over New England. What's worked? What hasn't? What can't-miss tip makes life easier and what face-palm trick do you wish you had learned sooner?
- Moderator Paige Wilson, Waste Reduction & Diversion Planner for NH Department of Environmental Services
2:00 PM - Dessert with Exhibitors
2:45 PM - Workshop Session 4
Recycling Grants Speed Dating (Webster Room)
This high-energy workshop will have you moving around the room as you have the opportunity to meet with representatives from the EPA, USDA, New Hampshire the Beautiful, and NH Department of Environmental Services. Bring your questions and ideas for potential grants!
- Multiple Representatives
Recycling 101 for Residents (Pierce Room)
We know ongoing resident education is important, but with so many options - from pamphlets to social media to homemade signage and presentations - what really works? What resonates with residents and what ends up just being noise? This interactive workshop will include audience participation sharing what has worked for their towns, what barriers they face, and an example of a Recycling 101 presentation that can be shared with residents and decision makers.
- Presenter and Moderator, Andrea Folsom, NRRA Communications Manager
3:45 PM - End of Conference - See you in 2024!