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Track Session Schedule 

as of 2/18/26
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Schedule is subject to change

WEDNESDAY, February 25th​
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OFFSITE TOUR
1:00-5:30PM : Sadoff Iron & Metal Company and LaClare Family Creamery  ​
  • Registration in advance is required (sign up during conference registration).  Meet at the entrance to the Osthoff.
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WORKSHOP: TRACK A 
1:00-2:15PM : Running a Smooth Local Government Refuse & Recycling Program (Valerie Parker, Village of Weston) ​
  • This presentation is meant to provide tips and tricks learned along the way in overseeing a municipal hauler-contracted refuse and recycling program.
2:30-3:45PM : Building Master Recyclers: Engaging Communities Through Education and Volunteerism (Jordan Hiller, Outagamie County Recycling & Solid Waste; Kelly Reyer, Winnebago County Solid Waste)​
  • Discover how the Tri-County Master Recycler program builds recycling confidence through education, facility tours, and hands-on volunteerism. We’ll share lessons learned from our pilot program and provide practical steps communities can take to create similar initiatives that strengthen public engagement and improve recycling outcomes.
4:00-5:15PM : Talking Trash: Why Strategic Communications is the Secret Ingredient for Solid Waste Success (Tess Heller & Amanda Erickson, HDR)​
  • Trash talk isn’t just for sports fans. This session shows how smart communication can turn solid waste challenges into community success stories. Through real-world case studies and interactive activities, learn how clear, creative outreach boosts participation, builds trust, and makes waste programs work.

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WORKSHOP: TRACK B

1:00-2:15PM : Roundtable Discussion on Emerging Technologies (Betsy Powers, SCS Engineers)

  • As solid waste systems evolve to meet the demands of sustainability, climate resilience, and circularity, emerging technologies are reshaping how communities manage waste streams. This roundtable brings together industry leaders and technology innovators to explore the latest advancements in emerging technologies such as mixed waste processing (MWP), AI-enabled sorting, and anaerobic digestion. Participants will share firsthand insights into implementation challenges, performance metrics, and lessons learned from pilot projects and full-scale operations. The discussion will highlight how these technologies are being integrated into planning frameworks for zero-waste campuses and regional sustainability initiatives. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how emerging technologies can support extended producer responsibility (EPR), reduce landfill dependency, and unlock new material markets. The roundtable format will encourage open dialogue for speakers and attendees.

2:30-3:45PM : Strategic Tax & Financial Incentives for Private Waste Companies (Jason Reis, Reis & Reis CPAs & Advisors)
  • Strategic tax and financial initiatives for private business owners in residential/commercial waste hauling and landfills, including high level strategic tax savings initiatives (sales tax, fuel tax, income and self-employments taxes), along with business sales/acquisitions, and facilitating proper legal organizational structures with attorneys for any operating, transport, real estate and landfill companies.
4:00-5:15PM : Catalysts of the Circular Material Future (Jerry Mandli, Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. [SEH])
  • Sustainable business parks once meant, throwing in a bike rack and planting a lonely tree. Today, the vision is far bigger—and far bolder. Join us for a dynamic exploration of how communities are transforming landfills and legacy waste sites into engines of innovation, economic growth, and circular opportunity. Our roundtable will dig into the ideas, strategies, and breakthroughs shaping the next generation of resource powered business districts, including Vision & Success Metrics -Defining what “winning” looks like in tomorrow’s circular economy. Outreach, Trust & Community Buy In- Because the hardest infrastructure to build is public confidence.  Economics, Anchor Tenants & Market Reality -What it really takes to make the numbers work. Infrastructure, Integration & Master Planning -Designing campuses that are smart, flexible, and future ready. Local Model Status Updates -Real talk from communities pushing the boundaries. Emerging Technologies & Game Changing Models -A look at what’s coming next and how it might reshape everything. This isn’t yesterday’s discussion about waste—it’s a conversation about what’s possible.
THURSDAY, February 26th
KEYNOTE - 9:00 - 10:00am 
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TRACK SESSION I - 10:45 - 11:45am
  • Managing Your MRF More Efficiently with AI and Data (Katherine Nellis, Everest Labs) 

    • As MRFs face increasing pressures to improve resource recovery, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a powerful tool to drive efficiency, insight, and profitability. This session will explore the transformative role it plays in modern operations, from providing visibility into plant operations and performance to automating sorting systems. 

  • Permitting from the Ground Up: Strategies and Community Engagement for Greenfield Development (Allison Rathsack, Dane County Waste + Renewables)​

    • Learn how one Wisconsin municipality successfully navigated greenfield permitting across from an existing landfill, emphasizing community engagement, public transparency, and plans to offer a community-focused hub for education, resource recovery, and circular economy initiatives, collectively called the Sustainability Campus.

  • Small Devices, Big Impact: Local Solutions for Addressing Vape Waste (John Peralta, Marathon County Solid Waste; Courtney Tvedten, MPH, CHES, Marathon County Health Department)

    • Learn how Marathon County is addressing the growing issue of disposable vape waste—first driven largely by products confiscated in local schools, then evolved into a multi-county effort for vape disposal in several communities. This session highlights local solutions, community partnerships, and actionable steps taken to tackle the environmental, public health, and waste facility staff challenges from improper vape product disposal. 

TRACK SESSION II - 2:30 - 3:30pm 
  • Simple Lessons, Lasting Impact: The ABCs of Recycling Right (Kelly Reyer, Winnebago County Solid Waste Management; Jordan Hiller, Outagamie County Recycling & Solid Waste)

    • Discover how The ABC’s of Recycling Right brings consistent, accurate recycling education back into schools while offering practical, ready-to-use lesson ideas that extend learning from the classroom to the community.

  • Putting the Pieces Back Together Again -- Columbia County Solid Waste Department (Michael Ettner & Gabrielle Romenesko, Foth Infrastructure & Environment)

    • What if your solid waste or materials recovery facility experienced a fire or sudden shutdown? This presentation shares how one local municipality overcame such a crisis—restoring operations through strategic planning, collaboration, and resilience.

  • Do You Know Your Succession Plan? (William Nicholson, HDR Engineering)

    • Develop a succession plan roadmap for organizational transition by collaborating with their staff, board of directors, and national experts. 

 
TRACK SESSION III - 3:45 - 4:45pm 
  • Take Charge: Watt to do with Batteries (Kenneth Miller, Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency)

    • This presentation will focus on the DMASWA's Battery Drop collection program, which utilizes customized collection units, and a mass marketing campaign to collect batteries and battery containing devices (and cord/cables too). 

  • Landfill to Landscape: Lessons from Dane County's Native Prairie Cap (Wyeth Augustine-Marceil, Alejandra Viso, & Allison Rathsack, Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables)

    • Dane County established Wisconsin’s first native prairie landfill cap on approximately 40 acres in 2018. This session shares lessons from permitting through long-term maintenance, highlights habitat and community benefits, and previews early soil carbon testing results - providing practical guidance for entities considering alternative landfill covers.

  • ​Material Recycling Facility Planning/Expansion (Douglas Allen, Tetra Tech)

    • This presentation discusses strategies and considerations for how to approach the planning and expansion of citizen drop-off and commercial MRF facilities.   The presentation will touch upon topic such as citizen surveys, throughput and geometric planning considerations.

FRIDAY, February 27th
TRACK SESSION IV - 9:00am - 10:00am 
  • Recycling Rule Revision: What's Changed?  What Hasn't?  And How Do Communities, MRFs, and Haulers Play a Role in Education? (Jennifer Semrau, WI DNR; Todd Bollenbach, Pellitteri Waste Systems; Abbie Liedtke, Waukesha County)

    • As of July 1, 2025, revisions to the administrative code that oversees “effective recycling programs” went into effect. Learn what’s changed in the code and get a refresher on what hasn’t. While a high-level overview of code changes will be provided, the focus of the session will be on recycling education.

  • Chasing Chlorides: A Historic Landfill Needing Hands-On Long-Term Care (Sara Beine, Foth Infrastructure & Environment; Kathy Hutter, Winnebago County Solid Wate)

    • Landfills are forever, whether or not they were designed to pass the new tests of time. Groundwater contamination is not an uncommon occurrence with older landfills, as observed at the Snell Road Landfill. Join us as we revisit the history of the landfill, characterize the site, and deal with the challenges of the site on the path to remedy the leaking landfill. 

  • Technical Assistance to Reduce, Reuse, and Divert Materials for MN Clients (Jon Schroeder, Minnesota Technical Assistance Program [MnTAP], Carla Inderrieden, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency)

    • MnTAP will present on the Minnesota Materials Exchange, an online reuse platform for organizations to reuse materials. It will also present on school waste reduction and recycling in Hennepin County. MPCA will present on its large-scale efforts around waste reduction and reuse in sports arenas and the State Fair.

HOTEL CHECK OUT & MORNING BREAK - 10:00 am - 10:30am 
 
TRACK SESSION V - 10:30am - 11:30am ​
  • Driving Participation in Electronics Collection Events: Best Practices from Wisconsin Communities (Casey Hines, Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations)

    • Electronics collection events are essential for diverting devices from landfills, but success depends on community engagement. This panel of municipal recycling leaders and partners will share proven strategies to raise awareness, increase participation, and deliver results through both one-time and permanent events under Wisconsin’s E-Cycle program.

  • Innovative Solutions for PFAS Removal in Landfill Leachate: A Pilot Study Approach (Kenneth Miller, Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency; William Nicholson, HDR Engineering)

    • The Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency is conducting a PFAS Removal/Pretreatment Pilot Study in conjunction with HDR Engineering. The Study deploys a Pilot Skid that collects a representative portion of the landfill's leachate, which is normally discharge into the City of Dubuque Sanitary Sewer System untreated, and uses foam fractionation to treat the leachate and remove the PFAS. The remaining untreated leachate, is then discharged into the sanitary sewer for further treatment. The Pilot Study will allow the Agency and HDR to develop a cost estimate for the capital cost to build out a full system, and estimate yearly operational costs. This project will wrap up in early Fall 2024, with data available in October 2024.

  • Dane County Food Scrap Composting (Case Study) (Delaney Gobster & Alex Thomas, Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables)

    • Dane County Waste + Renewables presents a case study on municipal food scrap collections. The County’s residential Food Scrap Stops were funded in part by the USDA Compost and Food Waste Reduction grant, were designed in partnership with the Madison Children's Museum, with organics composted at Purple Cow Organics. 

CLOSING  - 11:30am - Noon 
  • Closing remarks and door prizes -- please return your name badge for us to reuse and to have a chance to win!
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