Zero Waste Symposium 2026
Our 2026 Program
Printable Program (pdf)
The below program is not yet in a reliable order, nor is the presentation line-up conclusive. Please stand by.
Time
Track
Presentation
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8:00 am
Opening -
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9:02 am
Opening -
9:07 am
Affiliation UpdateUpdates On CRRA
Tracie Bills will update us on the evolving resource recovery landscape in California, highlighting how recent shifts are shaping the work ahead. Her presentation will explore what these changes mean for communities, practitioners, and the future of zero waste.
Speaker(s): Tracie Bills -
9:18 am
KeynoteSparking the Behaviors Behind Zero Waste: A Practical, Evidence-Based Framework
Using Community-Based Social Marketing to Promote Waste Reduction and Recycling Behaviors.
Speaker(s): Jennifer Tabanico -
9:39 am
State LegislationCalifornia Leads with Legislation: Solar Panels, Vapes, and More!
Learn how zero waste legislation in the current, second year of CA’s two-year session will impact you and your community.
Speaker(s): Nate Pelczar -
9:50 am
State LegislationPlastics and Packaging In California
California can’t back down from our commitment to tackling plastics and packaging in the face of industry lobbying and federal headwinds
Speaker(s): Nick Lapis -
10:01 am
Food Recovery -
10:12 am
SB 1383Food Recovery Network at UCSD
Food is a necessity for everyone. Food Recovery Network aims to provide culturally reflective food options at UC San Diego and the local basic needs ecosystem.
Speaker(s): Beatriz Chavez Vega -
10:23 am
SB 1383Sprouts Farmers Market – Reduce. Rescue, Recycle
Any overview of our food recovery efforts in California and nationally.
Speaker(s): Natasha Tofil -
10:34 am
HHWFrom Awareness to Action: Enabling Household Battery Recycling
How community partnerships, packaging design, and logistics innovation can drive higher recycling rates nationwide.
Speaker(s): Haley Ketterer -
10:45 am
HHWPaintCare: Paint Recycling and Reuse in Action
Ever wonder what to do with your leftover paint? Whether you like to roll up your sleeves and get creative or just drop it off and never see it again but make sure it gets a new life elsewhere…we’ve got you covered!
Speaker(s): Valentina Hopkins -
10:56 am
HHWReuse and Repair Opportunities for South Bay Community – From paint, textiles, and beyond zero waste plans.
More information coming
Speaker(s): Manuel Medrano -
11:07 am
SB 54The Soft Plastic Challenge: Achieving a Zero Waste Future
How Plastic Beach is helping Southern California businesses achieve zero waste goals while reducing landfill pressure and carbon emissions—creating time for sustainable solutions.
Speaker(s): Matthew Clough -
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12:57 pm
Local Gov't UpdateFrom Waste to Worth: A Circular Economy for Regional Prosperity
Advancing circular practices: fostering new opportunities for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and communities to share, repair, and reimagine resources
Speaker(s): Natalia King Quick, Rebeca Appel -
1:08 pm
Local Gov't UpdateCity of San Diego Residential Solid Waste and Recycling Updates
The City adopted a new Solid Waste Management Fee last June. What’s happened since? What else is the City up to?
Speaker(s): Jeremy Bauer -
1:22 pm
SB 707No Fabric Left Behind: Building California’s Circular Textile Economy
California took a bold step to address textile waste with the passage of Senate Bill 707 (SB 707), the Responsible Textile Recovery Act. This landmark legislation requires manufacturers and distributors of apparel and select textile products to participate in an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program, fundamentally reshaping how textiles are managed at end of life….
Speaker(s): Kevin Ann Jordan -
1:33 pm
SB 707Driving a Mission Centric Circular Economy
The Coalition of California Goodwills on SB707
Speaker(s): Nicole Suydam -
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1:58 pm
Reuse & RepairReusable LA: Coalition Building for a Zero Waste Future
Plastic pollution is a people problem, and so people are the solution. The Reusable LA Coalition harnesses the power of community and advocacy to create change and enact strong policies that reduce waste from the source. Our diversity and community power is the key to our success, and a model that can be replicated anywhere!
Speaker(s): Emily Parker, MAS -
2:09 pm
Reuse & RepairWhat is a Fixit Clinic?
A free event open to the public (pre-registration is advised), volunteer-run event where people bring in broken household items for assessment, disassembly, and often, repair.
Speaker(s): Stephen Mergener -
2:19 pm
Reuse & RepairThe Repair Shop that Repaired more than Stuff
“The Repair Shop That Repaired More Than Stuff” explores how community, creativity, and shared access can transform the way we value materials — and each other — tracing the cultural loss of repair through forced obsolescence and reclaiming it through collective action.
Speaker(s): Rose Feroah -
2:29 pm
Community & BusinessPartnering for Zero Waste: Community and Business Alignment
Explore successful case studies where municipalities and corporations have co-developed waste reduction strategies. Highlight shared infrastructure, education campaigns, and policy alignment.
Speaker(s): Sue Beets-Atkinson -
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2:50 pm
Break / Networking / Video Showcase -
3:05 pm
KeynoteSouth Bay Is Not a Dumping Ground
Supervisor Paloma Aguirre’s keynote addresses the unequal environmental burdens faced by South Bay communities and outlines strategies for fairness in waste management. The speech highlights systemic accountability, zero waste as a tool for equity, and the County’s commitment to sustainable practices and circular economy solutions.
Speaker(s): Supervisor Paloma Aguirre -
3:26 pm
CommunityThe Power of Social: Why Your Environmental Mission Needs a Digital Voice
Education leads to action — but only if people hear the message. Social media is where they’re listening.
Speaker(s): Camrie Rounds -
3:37 pm
CommunityBuilding Community Amongst Young Professionals in the Environmental Industry
Zero Waste Youth recently visited EDCO’s Lemon Grove MRF to learn more about product-specific recyclability and the story of where our curbside recyclables go after collection days.
Speaker(s): Bella Sullins -
3:48 pm
CommunityFinding Success With Zero Waste Events
The average attendee produces over 4lbs of waste at an event and the majority of events being produced do not provide streamlined waste diversion, so all event waste goes to landfill. What if we started thinking about event waste differently? We’ll talk about tangible ways that event organizers and attendees can lower their impact and create a positive environmental message for everyone.
Speaker(s): Liz Murphy -
3:59 pm
CommunityWhere Do Sustainable Choices Begin?
Explore the different ways people are influenced to begin making sustainable choices and what we can do to encourage others to make changes.
Speaker(s): Jessica Ullyott -
4:10 pm
Reuse & RepairHundreds of Materials, Millions of Possibilities
How reInterpret is creating a community culture of reuse by connecting local waste streams to child-centered explorative learning.
Speaker(s): Judith Toepel -
4:21 pm
Reuse & RepairSave Stuff from Landfill for Creative Upcycling
Sustainable culture comes alive, when the arts and creativity thrive.
Speaker(s): Kristi Stone -
4:32 pm
Education & OutreachTackling Contamination: A Practical, Multi-Faced Approach to Cleaner Waste Streams
Reducing contamination in the green bins takes teamwork. Learn how San Diego and its haulers joined forces to boost resident recycling participation using improved collection containers, engaging education and outreach, and data-driven strategies.
Speaker(s): Alexander Galasso -
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4:53 pm
Closing RemarksClosing Remarks & Raffle
Richard Anthony and Laura Anthony will moderate closing remarks.
Speaker(s): Richard Anthony, Laura Anthony -
4:58 pm
After Hours NetworkingHappy Hour / Networking
Join us at Khan’s Cave to keep this discussion going!9350 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, Suite F, San Diego, CA 92123
Speaker(s): TBA