Innovations in Action: How Technology Is Optimizing Waste Management

Date: July 14th, 2026 (Tuesday) Time: 9:00 am – 10:30 am Virtual/Zoom

Title: Innovations in Action: How Technology Is Optimizing Waste Management

Webinar Description – As waste systems grow more complex and the pressure to improve diversion intensifies, technology is rapidly reshaping how communities, campuses, and recycling operators manage materials. This WSRA Technology Webinar brings together three industry innovators who are transforming the waste sector through data, automation, and smarter infrastructure.

Join us for a dynamic 90-minute session featuring technology solutions that span the full spectrum of waste management—from container design and contamination control, to AI-powered material intelligence, to data-driven zero waste program optimization. Attendees will gain practical insights, real-world examples, and actionable strategies for using technology to boost performance, reduce contamination, and improve operational and environmental outcomes.

metroSTOR –

Speaker – Nigel Deacon – n.deacon@metrostor.us

Bio – Nigel Deacon is the Business Development Director for metroSTOR North America, focused on helping organizations improve waste, recycling, and organics infrastructure through better system design, stronger containment, and technology-enabled operational control. His work centers on practical solutions that improve waste diversion outcomes, while creating safer, cleaner and better-managed communal environments.

Company Information – metroSTOR provides external waste, recycling, and organics infrastructure designed to improve safety, cleanliness, and waste diversion performance. Our approach combines robust enclosed systems with configurable access and smart technology to help organizations reduce contamination, control misuse, and create cleaner, more reliable collection systems. https://metrostor.us/

Description of Presentation: This presentation will explore how technology-enabled infrastructure can improve recycling and organics collection in shared and unattended environments. Drawing on practical examples from municipal and multifamily settings, Nigel will show how ease drives participation, control protects quality, and feedback and incentivization improves performance over time, and that systems which harness these proven behavior change principles effectively drive lasting changes to disposal behavior.

Glacier –

Speaker – Dale Patterson dale@endwaste.io

Bio – Dale Patterson is a Business Development professional at Glacier, where he works with recycling operators, municipalities, and waste companies to deploy AI-powered technology that improves material recovery and operational efficiency. He partners with MRFs across North America to identify opportunities for robotics and material intelligence solutions, helping facilities increase recovery rates, reduce contamination, and gain greater visibility into their operations. Prior to Glacier, Dale spent nearly a decade helping organizations solve operational and workforce challenges through technology and strategic services.

Company Information – Glacier develops AI-powered recycling technology that helps material recovery facilities (MRFs) recover more recyclables and operate more efficiently. Glacier’s

solutions combine computer vision, material intelligence, and robotic sorting to provide facilities with real-time visibility into their waste streams while automating the recovery of valuable

materials. Glacier partners with municipalities, independent recyclers, and national waste companies to improve recovery rates, reduce contamination, and support data-driven decision-making across recycling operations. https://endwaste.io/

Description of Presentation – Turning Material Intelligence into Action: Using AI to Improve Recycling Operations.

Recycling facilities are under increasing pressure to improve recovery rates, reduce contamination, and operate more efficiently despite labor shortages and evolving material streams. This presentation will explore how artificial intelligence, computer vision, and robotics are being applied in real-world recycling operations to provide greater visibility into material flows and drive measurable operational improvements.

Attendees will learn how AI-powered material intelligence can help identify recovery opportunities, support capital planning decisions, improve operational performance, and enhance the effectiveness of recycling programs. Real-world examples will demonstrate how recycling operators are leveraging technology to make smarter, data-driven decisions while increasing diversion and sustainability outcomes.

Zabble –

Speaker – Nik Balachandran, nik.balachandran@zabbleinc.com

Bio – Nik Balachandran is an electrical engineer-turned-entrepreneur who found his passion to keep trash out of the environment after encountering it during open water swimming and hiking expeditions all around the world. He founded Zabble in 2016 to help organizations reach zero waste by championing a novel waste measurement process and software platform using AI to streamline operations and engage stakeholders. Nik is a TRUE Zero Waste Advisor, a former board member of the Northern California Recycling Association (NCRA) and actively participates in local beach cleanups and zero waste advocacy.

Company Information – Zabble provides AI-powered zero waste technology solutions that help campuses, haulers, and jurisdictions modernize waste operations. Its flagship platform, Zabble Zero™, leverages AI to automate data collection and deliver granular insights that drive measurable waste reduction, diversion, and compliance outcomes. Zabble has received multiple USEPA SBIR awards for its innovative AI technology and was recognized by StartUs Insights as one of the top 5 AI startups advancing the circular economy. Website: www.zabbleinc.com.

Presentation Description – From Policy to Practice: Advancing Zero Waste Through Data-Driven Action. The convergence of technology and policy is now reshaping how communities approach landfill-diversion and progress toward zero waste. Longstanding challenges, such as contamination, low participation, and limited visibility into waste systems, have historically constrained recycling and organics programs. Today, landmark legislation paired with modern digital tools is changing that trajectory by introducing accountability, data transparency, and more effective community engagement. EPR and Organics laws represent a significant shift from voluntary compliance to performance-driven waste reduction. These laws establish clear targets for reducing organic waste and packaging impacts while requiring jurisdictions to implement education, monitoring, and enforcement programs. However, regulation alone is not enough. Technology now plays a critical role in operationalizing these mandates by providing real-time insights into contamination, participation, and behavior at the point of disposal. This presentation will focus on how cities and their service providers are adopting technology to identify contamination hotspots, deliver tailored, actionable education directly to residents and businesses and measure program effectiveness.

Layout:

• 9:00 – 9:05 am (5 mins)
  • Welcome WSRA – organization sponsor acknowledgement
• 9:05 – 910 am (5 mins)
  • Introduction of the session and speakers
• 9:10 – 9:35 am (25 mins)
  • Metrostor Presentation (15-20 mins)
  • Q&A (5-10 mins)
• 9:35 – 10:00am (25 mins)
  • Glacier Robotics Presentation (15-20 mins)
  • Q& A (5-10 mins)
• 10:00 – 10:25am (25 mins)
  • Zabble Presentation (15-20 mins)
  • Q&A (5-10 mins)
• 10:25 – 10:30AM (5 mins)
  • Wrap up and thank attendees, presenters, and sponsors