Day 1 | Wednesday, October 1
3:00 pm | Congress opens
- Registration
- Exhibit Hall + Networking
4:00 pm | Concurrent Activities
- Tour
- Grant Funding Workshop
5:30 pm | Networking Reception
Day 2 | Thursday, October 2
8:00 am | Exhibit Hall + Networking
9:00 am | Opening Plenary
- Welcoming Remarks: Teresa Bradley, National Recycling Coalition (NRC) President; Charles Kamenides, NRC Executive Director
- Keynote Address: Jackie Nunez, The Last Plastic Straw, “Speaking Truth to Plastic—from Awareness to Action”
10:00 am | Exhibit Hall + Networking
10:30 am | Concurrent Sessions
- Plastics: “Problematic Plastics and a Shift to Reuse: U.S. Plastics Pact in Focus”
- Circularity: "Driving Circular Progress through 3R Program Certification"
- NRC Campus Council: “Building Tomorrow’s Circular Leaders Today”
11:45 am | Plenary + Lunch
- Welcome to WSU: Richard Muma, Ph.D, MPH, Wichita State University President
- Keynote Address: Bryan Staley, Environmental Research and Education Foundation President, “Strategic Priorities in Advancing Materials Circularity"
1:15 pm | Concurrent Sessions
- Plastics: “Co-Creating a Plastics Policy for NRC”
- Circularity Workshop: “Redesigning Waste Systems to Measure, Improve and Recognize Circular Performance”
2:50 pm | Concurrent Sessions
- Producer Responsibility: “Critical Policy Trends in EPR and the Reuse of Durable Medical Equipment”
- NRC Campus Council: “Strategic Planning for 2026”
4:15 pm | Concurrent Activities
- Exhibit Hall + Networking
- NRC Members Meeting
- Tour
6:00 pm | NRC Awards + Reception
Day 3 | Friday, October 3
8:00 am | Exhibit Hall + Networking
9:00 am | Plenary
- Welcoming Remarks: Teresa Bradley, National Recycling Coalition (NRC) President; Charles Kamenides, NRC Executive Director
- Panel Discussion: MaryEllen Etienne, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), “Women in Circularity: Strengthening the Circular Economy”
10:15 am | Exhibit Hall + Networking
10:45 am | Concurrent Sessions
- Reuse: “Building Collaborative Reuse and Textile Programs to Advance Circularity”
- Outreach and Education: “Getting It Right with Social Media, Ambassadors and Other Tools”
12:00 pm | Plenary + Lunch
- Plenary Address: Bob Gedert, Xavier University, “Untangling Plastics: The Missing Link in Mitigating Climate Change,” [Book signing in the Exhibit Hall]
1:00 pm | Concurrent Sessions
- Organics: “Navigating Challenges of Siting and Permitting”
- E-waste: “Closing the Loop From Disposal to Circular Design”
- Textiles: “Driving Change in Fashion, Redesigning Textiles and Reshaping Consumer Habits“
2:00 pm | Exhibit Hall closes
2:25 pm | Concurrent Sessions
- Organics: “Community-Driven Composting and Food Rescue to Fight Hunger and Methane Emissions”
- Data: “Data, Measurement and Gamified Tools”
- Planning and Compliance: “Circularity State and Local Plans and Compliance”
3:45 pm | Concurrent Sessions
- Reuse: “Building Scalable Solutions for Textile Recovery and Reuse”
- Mattress Recycling: “Advancing Mattress Recycling Through State and Local Initiatives”
- Tire Recycling: “Toward Zero Waste: Strategies for the Tire Industry”
5:00 pm | Closing Plenary
- Plenary Address: Emily Sanchez, Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) Chief Economist “Market Update - Key Trends and Future Outlook”
- Closing Remarks: Teresa Bradley, NRC President; Charles Kamenides, NRC Executive Director
5:45 pm | Congress ends
- Speakers and session programs are subject to change.
- Event is Hybrid (in-person and virtual) but all speakers will be in-person
- All times are local to Wichita, KS (CDT)
- This page will be updated as more speakers are confirmed.
