Past WSRA Conferences
Explore past WSRA conferences, including speaker sessions, presentations, and key takeaways from previous years
2019—39th Annual WSRA Conference & Trade Show
Building for Success: Using Code to Improve Multifamily Recycling
Speakers: Angela Wallis; Seattle Public Utilities, Sarah Kirby; Metro Oregon, Jenna McInnis; City of Kirkland, Andrea Lei; Cascadia Consulting
PowerPoint Presentations:
- WSRA_AOR Presentation 2019_MF Code.pdf
- WSRA_MF_METRO_final
- MF Code Conference Presentation
- Cascadia WSRA AOR 2019_MF Policy and Code
Let’s Get Serious about Conscious Consumerism
Speakers: Elizabeth Szorad; Recology CleanScapes, Geneviece; EcoCollective, Summer Hill; Ecollective, Shawn Hill; Liberty Bottleworks, Anakumpa Freedom Gupta-Fonner; Design by Freedom
Contamination Reduction
Speakers: Laura Tucker, Jefferson County Public Health, Meggan Uecker, Clallam County.
Shared Space Collection: Tracking, Trainings and Tools to Reduce Contamination and Increase Participation
Speakers: Hannah Scholes; Waste Management, Karissa Jones; Waste Management
Part 1:Title: Multifamily Composting “Simple Steps to Success”
Part 2: Title: Solutions for Shared Spaces: Tracking Diversion when you have a Shared Container
Speakers: Deanne Fultz; Engie, Chelsi Tryon ; Engie
Reducing Food Waste in Schools
Speakers: Dale Alekel; King County Solid Waste, Erin Hislop; Triangle Associates, Kendra Tyler; US EPA Region 10
Sorting Through Data: Elevating our waste diversion programs by understanding how our campus generates and disposes of waste.
Speaker: Liz Gignilliat; UW Recycling, University of Washington
WSRA 4-29-19 Sorting Through Data
Policies to address the Recycling Crisis, Waste Reduction, and other Issues
Speaker: Heather Trim; Zero Waste Washington, Paul Jewell; Sego Jackson, Alli Kingsicher; Dept. of Ecology
WSRA Conference Presentation 04.30.19
Cart Tags for a Less Contaminated Tomorrow
Speaker/s: Lindsay Chapman; Spokane County, James Tieken; City of Spokane, Steven Gimpel; Waste Management
Speakers: Joel Kohlstedt; Waste Management, Stacy Ludington; Clackamas County Sustainability and Solid Waste, Cody Marshall, The Recycling Partnership
#3b_Partnership Tagging Presentation 4.22.19 | WSRA_MF_METRO_final | WSRA_Slides_#3b
Addressing Contamination Through Training and Experience
Speaker: Julie Gilbertson; Ciity of Vancouver
Creating Unified Waste Education and Planning at Four College Campuses
Speakers: Alex Thomas; Community Colleges of Spokane
WSRA Presentation
Why Recycling Isn’t “Broken”- An Economist’s Perspective
Speakers: Dave Claugus; Pioneer Recycling Services
Recycling Isnt Broken v.2
David Allaway Closing Keynote Session
Zero Waste, or Zero Wastes? The Unintended Consequences of Focusing on Landfill Diversion
AllawayD_WSRA Plenary 052019
2018—38th Annual WSRA Conference & Trade Show
May 20-23, 2018 | Semiahmoo Resort, Blaine, WA
Keynote and Plenary Presenters
- Allen Langdon, Recycle BC
- Ron Vance, US EPA
- Martin Brown, OR DEQ
- Kelsey Ternes & Wendy Dubrow, Climate Reality Project
View the Full Conference Brochure HERE
Sessions – View the 2018 Presenters
- 2018 Keynote Address – Recycle BC: A System-Based Approach to Recycling – Langdon
- Commercial Food Waste Prevention: Feeding People and Out Soils, Not Landfills – Calabro, Hensley, Spiry, Benson
- Successful Multicultural Engagement – Medina, Bogazzi, Metzler
- Beyond Waste Prevention: Advancing Sustainable Consumption Through Product Repair – Beatty, Asp, O’Sullivan
- Household Behavior and How to Chang It: Cart Studies and Program Results from Across the Country
- The Internet of Things (IoT) – Making Waste Collection Part of Smarter Future – Padilla
- How Did We Get Into This Mess & What Can We Do About It? – Claugus
- No Waste Cooking Demo Workshop Recipes – Chef Joel Gamoran, Sur La Table
- 2018 Plenary Address – Emerging Waves: Sustainable Materials Management
- Exponential Community Outreach Success Through Partnership MAGIC! – Goodhart, Wilder, Malloy, Nsimbi, Jackson
- “How They Hangin?” – A Market Update
- Recovered Paper Market Update – Webber
- Strategic Materials – Zwicker
- ReMaking Recycling – Palmisani
- The Nexus of Governments and Non-Profits in the Quest for Reducing Food Waste – Gachowsky, Peterson
- Closing Keynote – The Climate Reality Project
2017—37th Annual WSRA Conference & Trade Show
May 7-10, 2017 | Red Lion Hotel, Pasco, WA
Keynote Presenters
- Jordan Figueiredo, Ugly Fruit and Veg Campaign
- Gerty Coville, King County Solid Waste
- Eugenia Bogazzi, ECOSS
- Socorro Medina, Seattle Public Utilities
View the Full Conference Brochure HERE
Session Presentations
- A Property Manager’s Toolkit – Anna Dyer
- Community Sharing and Reuse – Dale, Brizendine
- Inspiring Youth Towards a Waste-Free Future – Minion, Szorad
- Climate Impacts of Materials and Waste – Alli Kingfisher
- Overcoming Organics Contamination – Abby Hart
- Product Stewardship: Behind the Scenes #bumpyride – Droke, Sepanski, Thermos
- Recycling Education at the Curb – Fisher, Harless
- Staying on Top of Climate from the Bottom of the Bin – Gretchen Newman
- The Math on Efficiencies, Refinements, Next Programs & High Impact Strategies – Skumatz, D’Souza
- Plenary Session: The Times They Are a Changin’
- Using Outreach On the Ground and In the Cloud to Create a Culture of Sustainability – Gignilliat, Bartlett, Coven
- Wasted Food Prevention Policy and Tools – Kristy Fry
- Repair Cafe Workshop – Brizendine, Godwin, Haapaniemi, Goodhart
- Closing Keynote: Valuing Community Voices – Coville, Medina, Bogazzi
- Opening Keynote: Loving (would be) Wasted Food – Jordan Figueiredo
2016—36th Annual WSRA Conference & Trade Show
May 15-18, 2016 | Wenatchee Convention Center, Wenatchee, WA
Keynote Presenters
- Hannah Ubl, BridgeWorks
- Yoram Bauman, Ph.D
View Full Conference Brochure for 2016
Check out Photos from the 2016 Conference HERE
Presentations
- Closing Keynote – Yoram Bauman
- Plenary Session: State of the State: Washington Compost Systems at the Crossroads – West, Kruger, Deatherage, Thoman, Giem, Harrington
- Overcoming Compost Contamination: A 360 Degree Perspective From Collection, Processing, & End Use Markets – Thoman, Dulude, Giem
- Going Beyond Bags with WRAP – Gray, Hicks, Englesby, Jackson
- Measuring our Success in the Face of Changing Waste Stream – Brown, Lumper
- How Recycling Depots Can Contribute to A Circular Economy – van der Werf
- Multi-Family Recycling: It’s In The Bag – Brizendine
- Bagging the Single-Use Habit: Addressing Human Behavior and Challenging the Status Quo – Keller
- Policy, Legislation and Rules: The Future of Recycling – Lautenbach, Kelly, Kingfisher
- Recycling Markets Explained: An Economist’s View – Claugus
- The Path to Progress – Recycling Hart to Recycle Materials – Gillis
- From Supermarket to Curb to New Glass Packaging – Where does your empty container go and what happens to it? – Getubig, Quinto
- Recycling Corps: Behavior Change on a Large Scale – Kohlstedt, Vaira, Metzler
- Car Seat Reuse and Recycling: A Community and Industry Collaboration – Mele, Schilz, Lorch, Apuzzo
- Float/Sink: A Market Update on Plastics and Metals – Keeling, Moore
- Rethinking the Concept of Recycling: Recycling Waste Hear to Energy and Exploring Residual Ash Material Recovery – Kale, DuBois, Mains
- Food Service Packaging: How to get the food and not the contaminants – Jackson, Goodrich
2015—35th Annual WSRA Conference & Trade Show
May 17-20, 2015 | The Davenport Hotel, Spokane, WA
Keynote and Plenary Presenters
- Sue Beet Atkinson, SBM & US Zero Waste Business Council
- Alexa Kielty, City and County of San Francisco
- Alli Kingfisher, WA Dept of Ecology
- Gretchen Newman, WA Dept of Ecology
- Janine Bogar, WA Dept of Ecology
View Full Conference Brochure for 2015
Check out Photos from the 2015 Awards Gala and Fashion Show
Presentations
- Keynote Address – Sue Beets-Atkinson
- Closing Keynote Address – Alexa Kielty
- High School Heroes – How Students Were the Key to Success in Recycling and Waste Reduction Programs – Tucker, Pokorny, Welch, Brady
- Product Stewardship: the Law, the Implementation, the Opportunities – Droke, Weedman
- C&D Processing: Protecting your People, Products & Property – Gillis
- Social Media – A Community Gift Economy – Combs, Heyer
- Ecology Doesn’t Need Our Paper – Hlavka, Alberich
- Building and Sustaining Effective Outreach Programs – Wallander, Park, Paredes, Medina, Monzon Jones
- Recovery of Post Consumer Cartons – Epstein
- Taking a Bite Out of Wasted Food in the Residential Sector – Zanolli, May, Byrne, Godwin, Fincher
- Building Successful Engagement Tools & Creative Partnerships that Create Social Norms – Castellanos, Thoman, May
- Navigating and Surviving a Plastic Bag Ban: Strategic Tips and Tricks from the Trenches – Thomas, MaxGillivray, Goodman,
- Reducing Materials that Leave Your Facility – Yamamoto, Nathe, Cortabitarte, Grill, York
- Sort Your Own Garbage: A DIY Approach to Waste – Rhinehart
2014—34th Annual WSRA Conference & Trade Show
May 4-7, 2014 | Hilton Vancouver, Vancouver, WA
Keynotes and Plenary Presenters
- Grant Baldwin & Jen Rustemeyer, Just Eat It, Peg Leg Films
- Jerry Powell, Editor, Resource Recycling Magazine
- Susan Choi, Director of National Accounts, America Chung Nam
- Bob Kovich, Broker, Jordan Training
- Patty Moore, President & CEO, Moore Recycling Associates
- Matthew Stern, Area Recycling Director, Waste Management
- Galen Emanuele, President, Shift Yes
View Full Conference Brochure for 2014
Presentations
- Plenary Session: One Year After the Green Fence – Choi, Kovich, Stern, Moore
- Composting Infrastructure & Materials – Harrington, Belzberg, Lao
- Managing Solid Waste Systems Across Washington State – Johnson, Dunn-Gray, Konishi
- Decreasing Curbside Cart Contamination – Christensen, Coville
- Sustainable Food Management – Calabro, Guttchen, Coit, May, Wall
- WM Customer Behavior Research Study Report – Farris, Coville, Castellanos
2013—33th Annual WSRA Conference & Trade Show
May 12-15, 2013 | Skamania Lodge, Stevenson, WA
Keynote and Plenary Presenters
- Chad Pregracke, Founder & President, Living Lands and Waters
- David Allaway, Policy Analyst, Oregon Dept of Environmental Quality
- Eric Lombardi, Executive Director, Eco-Cycle, Inc.
- Chaz Miller, State Programs Director, Environmental Industry Associations
- Galen Emanuele, Marketing Director, Upfront Theatre
View Full Conference Brochure for 2013
Presentations
- Plenary Address – David Allaway, Policy Analyst, OR Dept. of Environmental Quality
- Extended Producer Responsibility: Product Stewards Panel – Smith, Friedrick, O’Donnell, Gabor, Zarrehparver
- Collaborative Consumption – Tresko, Stafki, Polacok
- Connecting with Your Audience – Hislop, Gersten-Rothenberg
- Mission: Harmonization! – Combs, McClelland, Castellanos, Moore
- Engaging Difficult to Reach Audiences – Burrell, Vazquez, Terrell, Mendez
- The Cart & The Dragon-: China’s Impact on Recycling Markets – Moore, Choi
- Impact of Bans – Uhlar-Heffner, Lilly, Bonkowski