2012 Conference Agenda

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TUESDAY, MARCH 20^TH

Plenary Session I: The Wide World Of Plastic Packaging Recycling

8:30 to 10:00 AM

This session sets a platform for the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, AMERIPEN and PAC NEXT to discuss their products and plans, the similarities and differences between the groups and what's going on in the wide world of plastic packaging recycling. – Moderator: Keefe Harrison, Resource Recycling Systems

Calling All Parties To The Table

The brand new, 70+ member organization, PAC NEXT, is striving to proactively help the packaging industry transition to a world without waste. With a focus on innovative packaging end-of-life solutions and a highly collaborative work model, PAC NEXT is poised to have substantial impact in the packaging recycling industry. Learn more about their five practical projects, ranging from policy best practices to systems and material optimization to consumer engagement. – Nina Goodrich, PAC NEXT

SPC's Intriguing Programs

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) is a project of GreenBlue, a non-profit organization that equips business with the science and the resources to make packaging more sustainable. The SPC is an industry working group dedicated to a more robust environmental vision for packaging. Through strong member support, an informed and science-based approach, visionary supply chain collaborations and continuous outreach, SPC endeavors to build packaging systems that encourage economic prosperity and a sustainable flow of materials. – Anne Johnson, Sustainable Packaging Coalition

A New Trade Association Emerges in America

AMERIPEN is a new packaging trade organization with a special focus on how public policies impact the packaging value chain. AMERIPEN represents the broad interests of the industry, including raw material producers, packaging manufacturers, packaging users and fillers, retailers and material recovery organizations. Founded by several multinational corporations, this new organization is modeled on its British and European counterparts, INCPEN and EUROPEN, respectively. – Gail Tavill, American Institute for Packaging and the Environment

Plenary Session II: Perspectives On Degradable Additives

10:45 AM to 12:15 PM

Oxo-biodegradable plastic has been a hot topic recently, with highly animated arguments about claims of recyclability, compostability, degradability and litter prevention. This session explores two sides of this issue. A third expert offers an informed opinion about a related subject, the future of compostable plastics and recycling. – Moderator: Wim De Vos, Society of Plastics Engineers (invited)

Oxo-biodegradable Technology: Meet The Maker

What problem is oxo-biodegradable technology trying to solve, and what is the target market application? Symphony Environmental CEO, Tim Murtaugh, will discuss the oxo-biodegradable technology called d2w, including an overview of how d2w works and its proven utility. The effects d2w has on recycling, composting and the landfill will also be addressed. – Timothy Murtaugh, Symphony Environmental

Degradable Additives And Post-Consumer Plastics

The Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) has developed a testing protocol which seeks to determine the effects of degradable additives on the long-lived uses of recycled PET. In this presentation, APR's technical director explores how degradable additives affect the functionality of recycled post-consumer plastics. – Dave Cornell, Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers

Looking Over The Horizon At Compostable Plastics

What is the future of compostable plastics, and what is the effect of these resins on recyclability? The executive director of the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) offers projections for the future as well as updates on BPI's recent activities. – Steve Mojo, Biodegradable Products Institute

Concurrent Session A: Innovative Technologies For Today And Tomorrow

1:30 to 3:00 PM

Each year the Plastics Recycling Conference explores cutting edge developments in plastics recycling technology. Three new technologies are profiled in this session. – Moderator: Steve Navedo, Pure Tech Plastics, LLC and Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers

A Flexible And Economical Recycling Process For Food Contact Applications

Girish Bhatt will describe relevant processing technologies developed and commercialized by Bepex for food contact applications for post-consumer PET packaging. He will discuss how ground and washed post-consumer polyester packaging flakes are processed, and the cost-effectiveness of this simplified process. – Girish Bhatt, Bepex International, LLC

PET Flake Auditing And Testing

Federal Trade Commission Green Guidelines clarify how to legally market post-consumer recycled content packaging, but who is clarifying how to verify that the material is truly post-consumer recycled? What about food safety issues with RPET packaging? This presentation offers an overview of a new method for PET flake auditing and testing, and will address these and other issues. – Keith Vorst, California Polytechnic State University

Concurrent Session B: Intriguing Industry Trends

1:30 to 3:00 PM

This session explores a variety of timely issues in the realm of plastics recycling. Industry experts offer an overview the latest trends with plastics recycling operations, updates on film processing and fresh news about a brand new not-for-profit organization advocating for extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging recycling. – Moderator: Steve Alexander, Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers

Word On The Street

Each year the Plastics Recycling Conference features new research on the critical trends in plastics recycling operations. This comprehensive survey offers a snapshot of the industry and can help you determine how your company stacks up to the competition. – Dylan de Thomas, Plastics Recycling Update

Film Recovery Approaching A Billion Pounds Annually

Compared to 2009, domestic processors purchased significantly more scrap plastic bags and film in 2010. A leading expert provides an assessment of the recovered film marketplace and presents the results of a processors survey. Learn about innovative programs and industry initiatives to continue the growth in plastic film and bag recovery. – Nina Bellucci Butler, Moore Recycling Associates

A Brand-New Organization Tackles EPR

Recycling Reinvented is a new non-profit organization committed to advancing recycling rates of waste packaging and printed material in the U.S. through an extended producer responsibility model. Recycling Reinvented's executive director offers an overview of how the new organization will strive for brand owners of packaging and printed materials to cover the cost of managing their product waste in order to increase recycling rates, reduce government spending and use private sector efficiency to reduce the overall cost of recycling. – Paul Gardner, Recycling Reinvented

Concurrent Session C: The Commercialization Of Plastic-To-Oil Technology

3:30 to 5:00 PM

Mixed waste plastic that is commingled and contaminated creates recycling obstacles and generally presents a low value stream that inevitably leads to landfilling. Plastics-to-oil (PTO) technology can address this issue, but is there a promising future for the commercialization of PTO? New research funded by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) will be presented that critically examines this issue and three companies offer their perspectives on the future of PTO technology. – Moderator: Andy Campbell, Ontario Continuous Improvement Fund

Conversion Technology: What's Next?

New research funded by the ACC explores the employment of conversion systems to handle residual from materials recovery facilities (MRFs) plastics, the potential role of plastics conversion in municipal solid waste management, and methods to overcome barriers to full-scale commercialization of this technology. – Carson Maxted, Resource Recycling

Looking At Today, Focusing On Tomorrow

Vadxx's vice-president of business development offers an overview of how their technology works including materials accepted, the general economics and the impact of landfill and incinerator avoidance. A sneak peek at what's on the immediate horizon for Vadxx will also be offered, along with an update on their funding and contractual agreements. – Russell Cooper, Vadxx Energy

Deriving Maximum Value From Mixed Waste Plastic

Agilyx technology offers the potential for bottom-line improvements, both financially and environmentally, creating the opportunity to take mixed waste plastics that are contaminated with metals, fiber, dirt, food, oil and more, and convert that plastic into crude oil that is further refined into high value road fuels. Thermal conversion of waste plastic to crude oil is now both technologically feasible but also offers companies an economic advantage of avoiding landfill tipping fees while realizing new top line and bottom growth for their companies. – Lew Feucht, Agilyx

Evolution Potential For PTO

This presentation explores how PTO systems can cost-effectively evolve into industrial capacity and commercial standards, the advancement of a continuous production pyrolysis system and perspectives on PTO's future role in the larger waste management industry. – Willy Li, Plastic Advanced Recycling Corp.

Concurrent Session D: Recycling Non-Bottle Mixed Rigids

3:30 to 5:00 PM

The world of mixed rigids plastics recycling is vast. Presented here are three perspectives of what's happening, including a snapshot of community programs, a national bale study and supply analysis, and also the latest on a project to increase mixed rigids plastics recycling in grocery stores. – Moderator: Will Sagar, Southeast Recycling Development Council

The Current Landscape for Mixed Rigid Plastics Recycling

How are communities tackling the recycling of non-bottle mixed rigid plastics such as tubs, pots and pails, and what are the characteristics of successful programs? New research funded by the American Chemistry Council will explore MRF handling and sorting practices, outreach and promotion efforts, bale requirements, recovery barriers, end-use markets and much more invaluable information. – Ali Briggs, Resource Recycling

Rigid Plastics Recycling Program Updates

The director of the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) Rigid Plastics Recycling Program offers a comprehensive review of the workgroup's latest activities and results. Covered topics include a national bale study and supply analysis for non-bottle rigid plastics, “Fit for Use” survey findings and results of the third annual “Largest Cities for Each State” plastic collection survey. – Elizabeth Bedard, Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers

New Recycling Efforts At The Grocery Store

A pilot project sponsored by APR was launched this past summer to find ways to overcome the barriers to recycling mixed rigids plastics in grocery stores and to develop a template that grocery stores can follow to divert the material from landfills or incinerators. The results of this project are presented here. – Ted Brown, Brown Sustainability Solutions

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21^ST

Plenary Session III: Perspectives From Abroad

8:30 to 10:00 AM

What are the major issues in plastics recycling outside of North America? Three experts from around the world join us for this panel on international perspectives on plastics recycling. Learn about key trends and critical issues in China, Brazil and the U.K. – Moderator: Craig Cookson, American Chemistry Council

Recycling Plastic Packaging In The UK

What is the current landscape for plastic packaging recycling in the UK, what did the last decade bring and what does the future hold? This presentation offers a comprehensive analysis of critical trends in the past decade, key issues facing recyclers, a breakdown of current volumes and types of plastic packaging streams, and much more. In addition, the aspirations and challenges going forward and potential impacts on the supply chain will also be addressed. – Roger Baynham, British Plastics Federation

The Latest In Chinese Plastics Recycling

China plays a big part in the plastics recycling industry. This presentation offers an overview of general trends, opportunities and challenges relating to plastics recycling in China. – Wang Wang, China Scrap Plastic Magazine

Brazil: More Than Forest, Samba and Soccer

Brazil is a country larger than the continental United States and has a growing economy, yet our understanding of plastics recycling in Brazil is limited. This presentation will focus on the basics about doing business in the sixth-largest economy in the world, the size of the Brazilian plastic recycling market and what are the key changes that are taking course now and will change this market in the upcoming years. – Adriano Assi, ECOBrasil

Concurrent Session E: New And Exciting Research

10:30 AM to Noon

There are so many new things happening in the world of plastics recycling that it can be hard to follow. This session touches on three exciting research projects done for WRAP UK and the National Association for PET Container Resources. – Moderator: Patty Moore, Moore Recycling Associates

Food Grade Recycled Post-Consumer PP

This presentation offers a glimpse at the very first food-grade-compliant post-consumer PP recycling process that complies with European Union regulations. Learn about how rPP from the first large-scale trials of this process have been turned into food contact packaging products with no taint or contamination of food. – Edward Kosior, Nextek Ltd

Recycling Technologies For Mixed Films

Mixed plastic films can comprise up to 30 percent of the plastics in mixed plastics packaging stream, and yet they often interfere with access to and sorting of rigid plastics in the stream. New technologies have been developed to transform the mixed films fraction from MRFs back into filmable products, greatly assisting MRF recovery of these plentiful but problematic materials. This presentation offers an overview of these technologies, highlighting the technical and economic challenges. – Edward Kosior, Nextek Ltd

Overcoming Challenges With Thermoform Recycling

PET thermoform recycling is moving quickly in Canada due to a concerted, coordinated effort by multiple stakeholders from retail grocers to PET reclaimers. NAPCOR's technical director provides an up-to-date understanding of the obstacles to PET thermoform recycling and how they're being overcome, not just in Canada, but increasingly in the United States as well. – Mike Schedler, National Association for PET Container Resources

Concurrent Session F: Obstacles And Opportunities With Agricultural Plastic Recycling

10:30 AM to Noon

With no current infrastructure to recycle agriculture plastics in the majority of the United States, hundreds of thousands of tons are burned, buried and dumped each year. This panel of leading experts, developed with assistance from Southern Waste Information eXchange, will explore the obstacles and opportunities that exist with the recycling of agricultural plastics providing insight into this ongoing issue as well as provide sample case studies to potential successful results. – Moderator: : Eugene Jones, Southern Waste Information eXchange, Inc.

Recycling Agricultural Plastics Project (RAPP): Hurdles and High Points

The Northeast United States supports a vibrant and diversified agriculture that generates different types of plastic waste. This presentation focuses on logistical decision points in developing a sustainable recycling infrastructure and viable recycling markets suited for agriculture and non-organic agricultural wastes. – Lois Levitan, Cornell University

A Manufacturer's Point Of View

This presentation features the perspective of a manufacturer and seller of agricultural plastics and offers a keen overview of attempts at recycling over the past 25 years, specific challenges of agricultural plastics and future opportunities. – Keith Williamson, Guardian AgroPlastics

From Bales Of Dairy Farm Plastics To Miles Of Sidewalks

Rubbersidewalks, Inc. uses processing and manufacturing technologies which allow them to turn dairy wrap, silage and other agricultural plastics into TERREWALKS® non-concrete modular sidewalks, as well as other pavement products. Join the president of this innovative company to learn more about creative markets for postconsumer agricultural plastics. – Lindsay Smith, Rubbersidewalks

Plenary Session IV: Resin Markets Dynamics

1:00 to 2:30 PM

Once again the Plastics Recycling Conference features an assessment of the key drivers in current and future resin markets in North America. Industry experts will address key trends with PE, PET and PP markets. – Moderator: Jonathan Levy, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries

Key Issues Facing The North American Polyproylene Industry

Energy and feedstock markets in North America have undergone significant changes in the past few years which are impacting polymer competitiveness. The president of Plastics Market Research Limited provides an overview of the polypropylene market and how key issues facing the industry currently will impact polypropylene's future demand in North America. – John W. McAuley, Plastics Market Research Limited

Polyester Trends

The executive vice president of SBA-CCI, Inc will offer an overview of the global polyester raw material outlook and the dramatic shift in scale of the capacity that is being built. – Steve Ates, SBA-CCI, Inc.

All Things Polyethylene

Learn everything you ever wanted to know about polyethylene straight from the mouth of the senior director of global plastics at IHS. – Howard Rappaport, IHS

Click to view the agenda from the 2011 Plastics Recycling Conference
Click to view the agenda from the 2010 Plastics Recycling Conference
Click to view the agenda from the 2009 Plastics Recycling Conference