Taking place from November 12 鈥� 15 in Columbus, OH, RCon鈩� makes its debut by focusing on shaping the future of waste and resource management.
Designed to advance waste as a resource, RCon鈩� is where waste and resource management professionals come to think and collaborate on new ideas and industry solutions. Hosted by the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), RCon is a new conference, providing impactful experiences for attendees. RCon will offer technical sessions, an expanded exhibit hall, peer-to-peer learning, training courses, evening social events, and more. RCon will be held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, with offsite facility tour opportunities.
RCon is the gathering for more than 1,000 professionals shaping the future of waste and resource management. This is the place to connect, learn, and drive change for聽local and state government employees, private sector service providers, equipment and technology providers, researchers, and non-profit organizations. We welcome engineers, policymakers, educators, students, and anyone else interested in waste and resource management, sustainability, or public works.
How is RCon Different?
RCon is more than an event, it is an experience.聽鈥淪WANA member input directly informed the new flagship RCon experience, even down to the name,鈥� SWANA CEO Amy Lestition Burke, MA,
FASAE, CAE, says about what attendees can expect from this new experience. 鈥淥ur board members envisioned the goals of RCon, our young professionals recommended ideas for a new name, and member focus groups brainstormed the content and structure.鈥�
Attendees can build their own adventure, selecting from a robust agenda that features experiential learning tours, dynamic roundtable discussions, an exhibit hall, and concurrent breakout sessions focusing on landfill gas management, safety, sustainable materials management, PFAS management, state and federal legislation, and much more.
This RCon is extra-special, as it will be the site of two co-located industry events:
The US Plastics Pact will host an in-person Activator Action Summit November 11th and 12th, bringing together聽partners from across the plastics packaging value chain. Participants will have the opportunity to register for both RCon and the Activator Action Summit at a discounted rate.聽鈥淪WANA is proud to have the US Plastics Pact Activator Action Summit co-locate with RCon to allow attendees to take advantage of both events for the unique opportunity to have brand owners and packaging designers in the same room with the municipalities and companies that are running recycling programs and materials recovery facilities (MRFs),鈥� says Lestition Burke.
The National Waste and Recycling Association (NWRA) will hold its Safety and Standards Committee Meetings November 10 鈥� 12 in Columbus, leading into RCon. SWANA and NWRA will hold a joint Safety Committee meeting, in honor of the agreement signed earlier this year to strengthen collaboration on safety.
SWANA Training
Gain the knowledge and skills to ensure efficient and safe waste and resource management operations by participating in the SWANA training courses that are most relevant to your area of focus. Those attending a training course will be equipped with the latest best practices while also engaging in all that RCon offers.
鈥淩Con offers two courses as hybrid models with live, instructor-led virtual sessions to equip participants with a solid base of knowledge so that they can hit the ground running at RCon鈥檚 in-person training courses and experiential facility tours,鈥� says Lestition Burke. 鈥淢any employers recognize SWANA trainings and certifications as the industry standard for resource management professionals. Earning your SWANA Certification demonstrates your industry expertise.鈥�
Add one of three premier SWANA trainings to your RCon schedule and advance your career:
1. Manager of Landfill Operations (MOLO) (hybrid)
2. Landfill Gas Systems Operations and Maintenance (hybrid)
3. Essential Leachate PFAS Treatment and Management Training for Landfill Professionals
What You Will Learn
RCon will feature a wide selection of concurrent sessions on the latest trends related to all aspects of waste and resource management. Take advantage of this opportunity to earn up to 15 Professional Development Hours (PDHs). Sessions will cover many topics, such as:
- Landfill Gas and Biogas, including new technologies and partnerships
- Landfill Management, including leachate treatment and PFAS management
- Sustainable Materials Management, including recycling technologies, food waste prevention, and organics management
- Collection and Transfer, including alternative fuel vehicles and technology advancements
- Waste to Energy and Waste Conversion, including design, permitting, and planning
- Safety, including the use of technology and policy to advance safety
- Lithium-ion batteries, including strategies to safely collect and manage batteries and prevent fires
- Communications and Marketing, including how to use data to inform outreach
- Planning and Management, including rate setting and workforce changes
The keynote sessions will feature updates on some of the biggest challenges and opportunities, such as workforce safety, preventing lithium-ion battery fires, extended producer responsibility (EPR), innovation trends, and more. Learn insights that give you the chance to think, reflect, and apply new resources to your work.
Exhibit Hall
Explore industry-leading products and services while networking with key decision makers in the expanded Exhibit Hall. Within the Exhibit Hall walls, attendees will discover the New Way Theatre, visit SWANA Central, build connections in receptions, and challenge others on the pickleball court!
For the first time, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will host its National Recycling Day Art Show within the Exhibit Hall to showcase art by local students and artists using reused and recycled materials.
Join more than 170 exhibitors, whether as an attendee seeking the latest industry advancements or as an exhibitor meeting new potential customers.
Networking Events
Foster new connections and strengthen business relationships during RCon networking events, such as the SWANA Awards Celebration at the Highline Car House. Be among the first to congratulate your SWANA colleagues for their contributions to the organization and the industry. RSVP to the SWANA Awards Celebration before it reaches capacity!
Attendees can join a Night at the Market to explore a top Columbus downtown attraction! Dive into the local culture and flavors of North Market while catching up with SWANA friends from across the continent. Do not miss out on game-changing conversations between sessions, during receptions, at facility tours, or in the Exhibit Hall!
Experiential Learning Tours:
RCon will feature tours throughout the week so you can get out and learn in an interactive environment. Experience first-hand learning at one or more of these state-of-the-art facilities:
- Franklin County Sanitary Landfill: Get a behind-the-scenes look at how the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) manages 334 acres of landfill operations, including 300 gas wells converting waste to renewable energy.
- Rumpke Recycling & Resource Center: See AI, optical scanners, ballistic separators, and trommel technology in action at one of the largest material recovery facilities in North America, which processes an average of 16,000 tons of material a month.
- Greater Columbus Convention Center Back-of-House Tour: Discover how the LEED庐-certified North Building hosts more sustainable events with low flow water fixtures, offsetting 100 percent of energy used with renewable energy, turning compostable utensils into a soil amendment at their compost facility, and more.
- Columbus Zoo & Aquarium Sustainability Tour (SOLD OUT)
- Revive Environmental Technology (SOLD OUT)
Experiencing Columbus
Centrally located within an hour鈥檚 flight or a day鈥檚 drive of more than half of the U.S., this welcoming community provides an affordable location for SWANA attendees. Columbus is an ideal host city for RCon with state-of-the-art waste management facilities and sustainability efforts.
Enjoy a lively evening out with a range of downtown dining options, sporting events, museums, and more. Watch the Columbus Blue Jackets hockey team have the home rink advantage or extend your stay for some Ohio State University football!
Sustainability
SWANA is partnering with the Greater Columbus Convention Center, our Columbus hotels partners, and all our RCon鈩� event suppliers to design an event focused on sustainable practices and resource management. Attendees will see recyclable badges, water bottle refill stations, recycling and composting receptacles, no single-use plastic at the Convention Center, and other sustainable practices.
Why Attend?
By attending RCon, waste and resource management professionals will gain a new perspective on how to address day-to-day challenges as well as how to prepare for emerging trends. Attendees will have countless opportunities to connect with peers, discuss innovative approaches to operations, and form a network to collaborate with beyond the event. RCon is more than an event鈥攊t is an experience. | WA
This event is hosted by the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), a member-based association of professionals from across the waste and resource management industry. Committed to advancing from waste management to resource management, SWANA empowers its members to deliver essential services to communities today and anticipate their needs for tomorrow. SWANA serves industry professionals through technical education, publications and research, and a large array of technical training courses and credentialing to create a highly skilled workforce. Members of SWANA receive discounted rates to attend trainings and events, including RCon. For more information and to register, visit or scan the QR code:
