Summit Sessions and Speakers

Session will take a closer look at how packaging is evolving to meet goals such as recyclability, recycled content, reusability, and source reduction.

Hear from Better Earth and Groucho’s Deli as they share their companies’ sustainability journeys and discuss their collaboration to provide a delicious, eco-friendly lunch for our attendees.

Session will highlight how aligning policy goals with modern tools is transforming waste management from reactive to a proactive, measurable, and community-centered framework and how businesses, institutions, and communities are using everyday photographs and AI-powered analysis to identify material composition, contamination, and operational improvement opportunities.

Session will dive into the history and future changes expected in recycling in the US and Georgia, highlighting key trends and occurrences over the last fifty years from legislative and societal changes to collection approaches and Materials Recovery Facilities/processing. Bill will share global events and market developments that have affected recycling, key milestones that have occurred in recycling, and project future changes expected for recycling going forward.

The session will include insights into the City of Decatur’s successes, challenges, and lessons learned from its role in Decatur FC’s zero waste initiatives to the recent and more complex opportunity to provide recycling at the Decatur WatchFest ’26, the City’s 34-day celebration of the FIFA World Cup.

The session will provide an overview of the recently conducted Solid Waste Characterization Study in Georgia as well as highlights from the Post-Consumer Materials Management Plan. The presentation will feature an overview of the findings for GA’s planning regions and local governments and touch on next steps for the second round of the study.

During this interactive session, hear the results of the 2026 Keep America Beautiful National Litter Study, a scientific research of the quantity, product types, and sources of litter in the country. Gain insights into programs in Georgia and nationally that successfully reduced litter and increased recycling of littered materials.

From building an equitable glass recycling network to demonstrating how communities can pair behind-the-scenes infrastructure improvements with highly visible outreach to build trust and enthusiasm for recycling, these local government recycling experts will share how they are building better recycling programs in Georgia.

This dynamic session will highlight the innovative partnership between Georgia Southern University and the Laurens County Solid Waste Management Authority to compost food residuals from a university campus.

From minimizing laboratory waste to an interdisciplinary experiential learning initiative to create a zero waste culture, join us as speakers share their hands-on approaches to educating and engaging students, faculty, and staff members on university campuses across Georgia.

What does it take to turn sustainability goals into working programs at a busy sports or live event venue? Our dynamic closing keynote speakers will share a behind-the-scenes look at the operational challenges and partnership opportunities involved in waste reduction and recycling, drawing on their work with venues in Georgia and across the country.