On August 20th, the WR Expo Preview was held at The Water Expo/The Energy Expo at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Set as a launching pad to the WR Expo鈥�The Waste & Recycling Tradeshow for听all the Americas鈥�debuting on August 12 鈥� 13, 2026, the WR Expo Preview was a great success, featuring the morning鈥檚 Keynote Speaker, David Biderman, President of Biderman Consulting, as well as sessions in the afternoon that highlighted communication strategies, reframing zero waste, and a panel of industry experts speaking on challenges and opportunities in the waste and recycling industry.
Jose Garcia, President of Show Winners Group and Executive Director of The Water Expo/The Energy Expo led off the day with opening remarks welcoming people to the two expos, plus the newest event preview, the WR Expo. Due to the substantial Latin American portion of the audience, Garcia spoke in both English and Spanish. First, he highlighted parts of The Water Expo schedule for the next couple of days, including what to see, offered accredited courses, and spoke with presenters from the Water Expo accreditation course on what they are going to present.
Then, he talked about the development of the WR Expo, visiting events to see key players, getting the complete support of Waste Advantage, looking at the trends, and meeting people around the industry, including David Biderman, an expert in the field of safety, which is an important issue for any industry. He was very proud to present him as a speaker, advocate of the WR Expo, and welcomed him as part of the family.
Safety as a Core Value
Biderman鈥檚 keynote 鈥�Worker and Public Safety鈥擬aking It a Core Value in Your Industry, not a Program鈥� focused on safety across all industries. He stressed that whether you work in the water sector, energy sector, or the waste and recycling industry, safety is important鈥攏ot just as a policy or procedure but as a core value. With every risk, comes an even greater responsibility. Behind every name on your list is a family and your workers expect to go home safely; it is your responsibility to make sure that happens. He emphasized that compliance alone is not enough, since we all know rules in life are broken. However, a good safety culture goes beyond the rules; for example, double checking a piece of equipment or having an operator who refuses to cut corners. When safety becomes a shared value, it is contagious. It needs to be consistently on top of everyone鈥檚 mind鈥攆rom CEOs, management and supervisors down to the frontline. Biderman pointed out we need to communicate consistently to our employees that safety matters. Avoid sending mixed messages. Just providing training is not enough to fix a safety culture. Communicate an effective safety culture not by repeating it, but with memorable safety training鈥攕uch as visuals, stories, videos, customized signs, pictures, etc.鈥攖o reach workers and change unsafe behavior. These keep people鈥檚 attention during safety training, and it avoids any language barriers. Safety should be the first thing you think about every single day. He said it does not matter what industry you are in; we all face similar safety challenges. The progress that the solid waste industry has made can also happen in other industries. He said that we need to remember that safety is not static. For example, some organizations have started active shooter training and PFAS/drinking water classes. In addition to hazards evolving, the tools to help are evolving as well. Safety begins with you鈥攃reate a culture where it is the foundation that everyone lives and breathes, not just a program.
Industry Discussion
Wednesday afternoon showcased a variety of experts, starting with a four-person panel discussing 鈥淐urrent Challenges & Opportunities in the Waste and Recycling Industry鈥�. It brought together diverse perspectives that sparked a lively and meaningful discussion. Speakers included Dale Henderson, Director of Polk County, FL鈥檚 Solid Waste Division, Michelle Salas, President and Founder of Lady Green Recycling, and George A. Reinhart, III, PhD, PE, Sr Engineer at Jones Edmunds. After introductions, the moderator dove into some of the issues that have been of concern across the industry, such as the disconnect between customers interested in maintaining or expanding recycling and local governments curtailing recycling, communicating with the public that recycling does exist and is successful, operating costs, a shift in bypassing CDL licenses, funding opportunities, recruiting and keeping employees, and landfill challenges.
Henderson emphasized that a successful operation starts with senior management. This is not a sit-behind-the-desk industry. He is always out and working with employees to make sure everything is running as it should be. He also pointed out that to attract workers, you must show yourselves as a brand that people want to work for, including customer service, how the organization treats employees, the culture, etc.
Salas made the point that the more we talk to customers, engage with communities, let their voices be heard about what is happening with recycling, talking about the equipment used, the processes鈥攖he more the public may understand what is going on. She said social media is especially important since you can show any promotions about selling the products or services, highlight with pictures where material is shipped, and what kind of material is collected. Make sure your customers can see your story. Salas was proud that Green Lady Recycling has a high recycling rate due to being in constant communication with their areas.
Reinhart discussed landfill capacity and siting challenges in the state of Florida, communicating with neighboring communities and addressing NIMBY concerns. He pointed out there needs to be the right infrastructure when permitting and developing a disposal facility. He also covered how we can add additional capacity at a landfill with limited space, including trench solutions. Henderson agreed it is important to showcase your facilities, especially at landfills. People are fascinated with the process.
A final question posed to the panelists was looking ahead: what is one important opportunity that the industry could take advantage of? Henderson stressed the industry should continue to pursue world-class service through technology and workers taking a vested interest in the company to ensure performance excellence. In the future, we need to be much better than where we are today, leading by example, such as showing up for your commitments and keeping promises. Salas suggested we need to keep the industry moving forward by investing in innovation and real solutions. We need to keep improving our relationships and communication within the industry and with the public by speaking out, taking account for our actions. Finally, Reinhart pointed out that we need to use innovative solutions to maximize facility capacity while minimizing contamination and emphasizing waste diversion. With these timely and relevant topics, audience members left with practical insights and fresh ideas to carry back into their own work, making the session both impactful and memorable.
Communication and Outreach
Following the panel, Marissa Segundo. Chief Strategist at Transformations PR, spoke about 鈥�How Communication Strategies Launch Successful Public Projects.鈥� Reaching residents about a strategic communications plan is paramount. This includes talking about programmatic changes, upcoming infrastructure modifications, or encouraging a behavior change like water usage, recycling or composting. Attendees heard about simple best practices for research and planning to reach your audience. Segundo provided successful examples and tangible tips for reaching residents from diverse cultural backgrounds. With visuals and examples of communities that had implemented a communication campaign, she emphasized that when you want to communicate with your audience, you need to know your audience, so research is an important component. Set your goals and theme ahead of time鈥攚hat are you trying to communicate? For example, people wanted to know what was happening with the recycling after it was collected, so one campaign showed what happened to the material.
The last session of the day featured, 鈥�Zeroing鈥� in on 鈥榋ero Waste鈥�: How Recycling Plays a Role鈥�. Nick Ciancio,听Resilience Division Director for the Department of Solid Waste Management in Miami-Dade County, FL talked about the county setting a goal to become 鈥榋ero-Waste鈥� by developing innovations in outreach, education, and recycling. He pointed out we need to reimagine zero waste as maximizing your waste diversion as much as possible towards reduction and recycling. He reviewed collection/recycling trends and emphasized that you cannot manage what you do not measure. Miami-Dade has conducted a waste characterization study at two solid waste facilities to determine the effectiveness of their solid waste program. It also helped identify what opportunities the county has for waste diversion. Coming up, they will be conducting waste composition studies at their MRF and hope to use that to see where the contamination rates are currently. He said Miami-Dade started an enforcement program about a year ago (not one household so far has been fined) and uses technology to gather data about who or what area has a lot of contamination and where education could be beneficial. This has also allowed them to send customized messages to customers. Working with Miami-Dade Innovation Authority, an incubator hub that identifies startup companies to solve county and government challenges, the organization assists the county in reviewing technologies, such as organic waste processing, recycling education, etc. The county also makes school visits, educates students on proper recycling, conducts outreach and education programs, and works with Headstart. Ciancio emphasized they pride themselves on approaching education through all different avenues, whether it is through AI, enforcement education efforts, or engaging with partners. Their path forward includes continuing to use data to help educate by developing hyper-targeted engagement, leveraging opportunities, and creating a zero-waste master plan.
The WR Expo Preview was a true success, with hundreds of attendees visiting dozens of exhibitors, and filled with dynamic sessions both on and off the show floor highlighting both the depth and breadth of ideas shaping the waste and recycling industry. From the morning kick-off through the closing discussions, each topic brought unique insights that challenged thinking, sparked dialogue, and offered practical takeaways. The diversity of perspectives ensured that every participant walked away with something valuable, whether it was a new tool, a fresh perspective, or a deeper appreciation of the challenges and opportunities ahead. We look forward to attending the full WR Expo event on August 12-13, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, FL!