Pre-Conference Certification & Organics Classes / Tours

Organic's Tour - Lancaster Area Food Waste Recycling & Composting (6 Hours ReCert Credits)

The following places will be toured:

Blessings of Hope / Stoner Compost {Lunch at Jakes on Main in Salunga} Brubaker Farms / Lancaster Farmacy

Member Price - $275 / Non-Member Price $415

Recycling Tour - York area Recycling Tour (6 Hours ReCert Credits)

The following places will be toured:

Penn Waste / York County Solid Waste Authority {Lunch and Tour at YCSWA} Recyclops

Member Price - $275 / Non-Member Price $415

Ordinances That Work: Building Stronger Program Outcomes (4 Hours ReCert Credits)

Join us for an informative session designed for municipal officials, recycling coordinators, planners, consultants, and industry professionals. 

During this course we will go over the following: “Ordinances 101” / How to review, update, and strengthen existing ordinances / Key considerations when developing new ordinances that reflect current regulations and community needs / How local ordinances impact trash haulers, collection services, and program implementation / How PA’s DEP Technical Assistance Grant assists municipalities through feasibility studies and other planning resources for informed, cost-effective recycling decisions.
Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights, ask questions, and connect with experts dedicated to improving recycling programs across Pennsylvania.

• Isaac P. Wakefield, Salzmann Hughes P.C.
• Thomas Schrack, McQuaide Blasko
• Andy Warntz, Republic Services
• Brent Dieleman, SCS Engineers

Member Price - $175 / Non-Member Price $275

PROP Board of Directors Meeting (Dinner included)

Early Exhibitor Setup

Registration Open

Exhibitor Setup

The Universal Pitch Playbook, Speak Their Language at Every Level. “Certification Class 420”

This class helps non-educators effectively present information to adults and children. The class will focus on training participants to effectively communicate recycling information to both adult and youth audiences.

Co-presenters:

• Barbara Arnold – Lower Allen Township
• Sarah Alessio Shea – Pennsylvania Resources Council

Understanding Marine Debris Impacts and Actions

The harmful impacts of marine debris are widely observed—from microplastics contaminating the freshwater Great Lakes to derelict vessels littering tributaries and coasts. Explore the variety of actions taking place nationwide to address marine debris, including emerging end markets for recovered debris and interdisciplinary approaches to tackling the issue.

Presenter:

• Haley Dalian, Great Lakes Regional Coordinator - NOAA Marine Debris Program 

Organics - Food Waste Collections & Permitting

A discussion on successful food waste collection programs / options and current Food Waste permitting requirements (DEP) and regulatory requirements in surrounding states.

Presenters:

• Jason Dunham – DEP – Permitting
• Tim Bennet – Bennet Composting – Collection 

Brunch and Meet the Exhibitors

2026 Conference Welcome from the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority's Executive Director Daniel Youngs and Director of Sustainability Michelle Marsh

Keynote: Sarah Colantonio - Work Wisdom LLC 

Getting to Yes in ACTION
Participants will learn the principles of interest-based negotiation, put the principles into practice, and come away with a research-based toolbox for sustained collaboration.

Data Driven Results

We will have a summation of recent Recycling Markets Center Projects including the recent Economic Impact Study, and the newly piloted Propane Extraction/Steel Recovery Unit. 

Closing the Data Gap in Local Government Materials Management Programs: This presentation explores how data quality shapes the visibility and performance of waste and recycling systems. It highlights key data gaps and offers practical steps to improve reporting, support better decisions, and strengthen program outcomes on how to collect and analyze quality data in order to improve your program.

Presenters:

• Bob Bylone - Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center 
• Carla Bergstrom / Emerge Knowledge

International Recycling Models

We will be highlighting recycling models from Fiji, Switzerland, and other European models.

Speakers:

• Barbara Arnold – Lower Allen Township – Fiji
• Alexandra Arnold – living in Geneva – Switzerland
• Kelly Morris - Lancaster Farmacy – Europe 

Break

California’s Regulated Organics, Recycling, and Packaging Initiatives

California has become a leading testing ground for organics diversion, recycling modernization, packaging EPR, and other circular economy policies. During the first half of this session, attendees will hear a candid, on-the-ground perspective on how California’s programs are being implemented, including lessons learned, operational challenges, and emerging trends. The second half will examine the rapidly evolving national landscape of organics diversion mandates and packaging EPR laws, while providing a high-level overview of recent legal developments and their practical implications for Pennsylvania recyclers, local governments, and policymakers.

Presenters:

• Etienne Ozorak - Integrated Waste Superintendent City of Glendale California, former Crawford County Recycling Coordinator
• Maureen O'Dea Brill – Partner, K&L Gates

Marketers Town Hall 

This town hall style open discussion session will have multiple Organization covering different commodities and having open discussions with the  audience.

Panelist:

• Toni Koenigsberg - Circular Services
• Chris Goger - BlackBridge Recycling
• Daniel Le – Fiberon Recycling 
• Ceri Krening - TTOBMA  - Director of Recovered Paper 

County Coordinators Town Hall

 This town hall style open discussion session will be with County Recycling Coordinators who want to share their trials and tribulations.  Our open forum will allow discussions with the audience sharing how we have overcome obstacles and found resources. You need not be a county coordinator to attend.

Moderator:

• Kelly Megonnel - Director - Dauphin County Solid Waste Authority

Municipal Coordinators Town hall

This town hall style open discussion session will be with Municipal Recycling Coordinators who want to share their trials and tribulations.  Our open forum will allow discussions with the audience sharing how we have overcome obstacles and found resources. You need not be a municipal coordinator to attend.

Moderators:

• Paige Tomczak – West Bradford Township
• Lisa Covatta – West Goshen Township

Reception & Annual Picnic & Cornhole Tournament - Join us at our Annual Picnic where we will have DJ Rumspringa - Local DJ for entertainment/music at the reception/picnic

The 2026 Walt Davenport Cornhole Tournament will be from 8:00pm - 10:00pm, follow this link for more information and to purchase the Walt Davenport Cornhole T-Shirt.  T-Shirt proceeds will be placed in the Walt Davenport Scholarship Fund.

Registration Open

Continental Breakfast, PA DEP Update and PROP Members Meeting

Join us for the Annual DEP Update and the PROP Members Meeting

Beyond the Classroom; Comparing K-12 Standards Across All Learning Settings

This session examines how K-12 Education Standards are applied, interpreted, and adapted across public school, private institutions, homeschool environments, and youth organizations such as 4-H, FFA, and Girl Scouts.  Participants will explore where these learning pathways converge around shared academic goals and where they diverge in philosophy, structure, and accountability.  Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how diverse educational environments collectively shape students learning and development.

Presenters:

• Chris Kemmerer – Bureau of State Parks - Chief Education and Interpretation Section
• Barabara Arnold – Upper Allen Township - Environmental Programs Manager
• Machele Lynch - St Patrick School, Carlisle - STEM Coordinator K-8
• Dr. James A. Egenrieder - Virginia Tech - Engineering and Education Research Faculty and Director, K-20 Technical Education and Workforce Development Programs

Organics - Food Waste Management - Use & Sale of Compost

Through policy, ordinance and contract and specification writing, learn how counties, local municipalities, authorities and institutions can create or improve the marketing of compost, mulch and amended soils for both public and private sector construction projects and landscaping.  We will also discuss program sustainability & marketability, and have a discussion on testing of compost. There will be a live demo of bagging compost.

Speakers:

• Wayne Bowen – Recycling Markets Center – Through policy, ordinance and contract and specification writing, learn how counties, local municipalities, authorities and institutions can create or improve the marketing of compost, mulch and amended soils for both public and private sector construction projects and landscaping.
• Shannon Dunlap – State College Borough –Use & Sale
• Jessica McWilliams – Econward - Understanding Thermal Hydrolysis: Transforming OFMSW into Renewable Energy and Recoverable Resources: Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW) contains both organic and inorganic materials that present unique management challenges and opportunities. This presentation will provide an overview of thermal hydrolysis technology and how it is used to homogenize, sanitize, and process OFMSW into a renewable energy feedstock while enabling the recovery of non-organic materials such as plastics and metals. Attendees will gain insight into the process, resulting outputs, and the role thermal hydrolysis can play as part of an integrated organics management strategy.

Legislative Plenary

Join us to hear about PROP's supported bills and what is happening at the state and federal level.

Presenters:

• Veronica Harris – Montgomery County - PROP Legislative Chair (confirmed)
• Jay Weiderhold – Wanner/PROP

College & University Recycling - Two Universities, One Problem: What Penn State and Villanova Revealed About Recycling System Opportunities.

A compelling comparison between private and public university recycling programs, including differences in waste management operations, haulers, and relationships with counties.

Presenters: 

• Albert Motel – Villanova University
• Ayodeji Oluwalana – Penn State University

Tire Recycling Panel - Part 1 - Illegal Dumping / Problems / Vector Issues

Panelist:

•  Robert Hughes – EPCAMR - Illegal Dumping on Abandon Mine Lands & EPCAMR's efforts in cleaning up waste tire piles.
• Kyle Swetz – Schuylkill Country Recycling Coordinator and Mandy Fitzpatrick - SKIP "Schuylkill Keep It Pretty" will discuss Illegal Dumping and problems surrounding illegal dumping.
• Marcus Snyder – Cumberland County - Vector issues - Mosquitoes, what makes a tire the optimal place for them to thrive, and what Cumberland County does to help eliminate the issue.

Environmental Behavior:
Sustainability is not just a technical problem—it’s a human one. In this talk, we’ll discuss how understanding environmental behavior can help turn good intentions into lasting, real-world change.

Presenter:

• Maryam Shahri, Ph.D., Assistant Teaching Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Penn State University

Tire Recycling Panel - Part 2 - Collection / Processing / Funding

• Kelly Megonnel - Dauphin County SWA – Presenting on the Center for Employment Opportunities
• Meme Eichner - Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center - End uses and Products, PA Tire Markets
• Marcus Snyder – How Cumberland County runs and funds their collection, its results, and what other counties in the state do in regard to tires, (funding, fees, etc.)

Registration Open

AI Session - Incorporating it into your life.  How can we leverage AI for our benefit.

• Scott Marks - Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center - AI for the Recycling Professional
• Chris Toevs - Chester County Solid Waste Authority - How can we leverage AI for our benefit.
• Mimi Cooper - Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority – How CCRRA is leveraging AI at the Centre County MRF
• Jeff Burdick - AMP Sortation – Transforming Waste Sortation Using AI-Powered Technology

Local Impact, Lasting Change: The Power of Reuse

How refill and reuse models can realistically integrate into communities, behavior change, and where there may be gaps in current systems. 

Presenters:

• Ivan Rangel - Happen Ventures
• Elizabeth Bower – Refillism