At RCon®, it’s all about that waste. Committed to accomplishing career objectives through technical instruction, roundtable discussions, keynote and concurrent sessions, and networking, RCon is a unique event that enables professionals in waste and resource management to transform obstacles into solutions and alter the sector’s future.
Powered by SWANA (the Solid Waste Association of North America), the event, running from September 29 to October 2 in St. Louis, Missouri, offers a space “where waste and resource management professionals go to think.”
“As someone who joined SWANA early in my career, I know firsthand the impact that education, mentorship, and professional connections can have,” says Lynsey Baer, PE, BCEE, SWANA Board President. “RCon brings all of those opportunities together in one place, while also offering unique experiences you won’t find anywhere else. From a disc golf practice area in the exhibit hall to live battery fire management demonstrations, RCon blends learning, innovation, and engagement in ways that make it much more than a conference.”
Experiential learning tours are a highlight this year, featuring six distinct locations in the St. Louis area with numerous opportunities to investigate and gain firsthand knowledge. Additionally, learn from four keynote addresses on industry subjects centered on workforce, safety, innovation, and collaboration; attend technical sessions led by professionals from across North America talking on a variety of subjects affecting the sector; and take in a variety of vehicles, equipment, technology, service providers, and other resources in the fully booked exhibit hall.
“From technical sessions and facility tours to networking events and the exhibit hall, attendees will experience our industry in action,” adds Carolyn Muller, SWANA Acting CEO. “RCon showcases the people, technologies, and innovations shaping the future of waste and resource management by creating a dynamic learning environment where attendees can explore emerging trends, gain practical knowledge, and leave inspired by what’s possible.”
As always, this year’s RCon provides a wide array of events and activities to meet every need, including Experiential Learning Tours, guided site visits designed to improve participant comprehension through practical learning.
Along the Greenway: Native Habitat Restoration & Recycling in Practice Tour examines the connections between waste management infrastructure and environmental restoration along the Gravois Greenway, starting at the Mysun Charitable Foundation Trailhead and following participants through a carefully planned corridor of wetland, woodland, and prairie ecosystems, each of which represents deliberate native habitat conversions that promote ecological resilience and biodiversity in an urban setting.
Inside Recycle City: Advanced MRF, Transfer & Composting Operations Tour explores how materials are converted into useful resources by visiting one of the most cutting-edge integrated waste management campuses in the area. Attendees receive a thorough, backstage look at a completely co-located system with a cutting-edge Material Recovery Facility (MRF), transfer station operations, and a sizable composting facility at the City of St. Peters Environmental Campus, home to Recycle City.
Champ Landfill: A Frontline Look at PFAS Treatment & Sustainable Operations Tour investigates how state-of-the-art operations and environmental innovation come together at Waste Connections’ Champ Landfill by going behind the scenes of one of Missouri’s busiest landfills. For a unique, up-close view of large-scale landfill operations in action, this guided bus tour takes guests deep inside the site, which is housed within a 200-foot limestone quarry. Attendees gain knowledge about important procedures, site management techniques, and infrastructure that facilitate effective and safe trash disposal along the route, perfect for professionals interested in disposal infrastructure, environmental protection, and community engagement since it offers a balanced perspective of contemporary landfill operations alongside innovative sustainability initiatives.
Play with Purpose: Disc Golf, Sustainability & Smart Land Reuse Tour offers an enjoyable disc golf experience at the Jefferson Barracks Park disc golf course for players of all skill levels. A flexible round played from the “short tees” makes the event accessible to novice players. Along the way, participants discover how disc golf courses can be built on landfills, why they’re a wise post-closure use, and how they can improve community ties and generate income (small courses may be built for less than $10,000).
Washington University: Waste Reduction, Circularity & Campus Sustainability in Action Tour investigates how a top university is using integrated waste reduction, circularity, and building design techniques to advance sustainability. From front-of-house collecting methods to back-of-house operational procedures, this guided tour of Washington University in St. Louis walks attendees through a look at how campus operations support an all-encompassing approach to sustainability. Participants tour campus facilities to observe the implementation of three-stream trash collection (landfill, compost, and recycling) including collection locations, service docks, and operating areas that facilitate effective material management.
Energizer Park: Community-Centered Stadium Design & High-Impact Diversion is a guided stadium tour to learn about Energizer Park’s sustainability narrative, showing how daily operations and careful design combine to divert over 80 percent of trash from landfills. Along the way, participants can discover how cutting-edge technology and thoughtful food and beverage choices support sustainability goals, take advantage of lots of photo possibilities, and experience distinctive stadium settings.
Keynote sessions include Safer by Design: How Technology Is Transforming Waste Industry Safety, which investigates how safety is changing in the waste and resource management industry and technology is becoming more crucial in lowering risk, enhancing operations, and safeguarding employees. Robotics, sensors, and automated monitoring in processing facilities, as well as AI-enabled cameras and driver-assistance systems on collection vehicles, are all examples of new tools that are assisting businesses in identifying risks early on, improving decision-making, and creating safer workplaces. This lecture discusses how safety-focused innovation is transforming the sector, provides real-world examples of technology in action, and looks at how leaders can combine these tools with responsibility, culture, and training to produce long-lasting gains in operational performance and worker safety.
From Design to Recovery: Collaborating Across the Recycling Value Chain examines how recycling’s future depends on collaboration along the whole materials value chain, from product design and packaging choices to collection, end markets, and resident participation and education. This fireside discussion discusses how cross-sector cooperation, public-private partnerships, and volunteer action are speeding up the transition to a more circular supply chain.
Trash to Treasure: Innovations for Nature-Based Solutions and the New Economics of Circularity examines what is possible when capital, design, technology, and biology collaborate, bringing together a variety of perspectives to argue that circular economies expand from pilot to infrastructure through public-private partnerships supported by catalytic, outcomes-based finance and rooted in municipal innovation.
Finally, Built by People: Strengthening the Workforce That Powers the Industry, discusses how people are the key to the industry’s future. The final general session of RCon will center on changing demands for workforce development, examining opportunities and difficulties for professional advancement, hiring, and building organizations that can quickly adjust to change. Practitioners and thought leaders will exchange tactics for creating cohesive teams and training the next generation.
Additionally, there are numerous learning opportunities presented throughout the convention, addressing topics such as Monitoring Points: Assessing the Effectiveness of Landfill Gas Migration Monitoring Programs; Advancing the Solid Waste Industry Through Young Professional Networks; Building Up Instead of Out: A Case Study in Vertical Landfill Expansion and Long-Term Planning; and The Success of the Empire Bins Program in New York City and Key Takeaways for Automating Urban Waste in other North American Cities, to name just a few.
RCon attendees are decision-makers, ranging in fields from equipment, design services, engineering, regulatory compliance, safety, leadership tools, automation, artificial intelligence, technology, thought leadership, environmental consulting, and marketing and communications to directors, supervisors, managers, and owners in hazardous materials management, landfills, landfill gas, material recovery facilities (MRFs), recycling programs, and transfer stations.
“Safety is a critical part of the RCon program, with sessions and conversations focusing on how to transform your culture to one grounded in safety and continuous improvement,” stresses Baer. “I encourage every attendee to use their time at RCon to connect with professionals from across North America, learn from their experiences, and bring home new ideas that build a safer, more resilient industry.”
Sidebar:
RCon® 2026, St. Louis, MO
Event Dates: September 29 to October 2
Exhibit Hall Hours:
Tuesday, September 29: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (RCon Opening Reception in Exhibit Hall)
Wednesday, September 30: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday, October 1: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In an effort to give attendees enough time to visit with all exhibitors, the RCon schedule includes nine hours of dedicated exhibit hall time. During this time, no other primary activities will be scheduled outside of the exhibit hall.
For more information visit https://swana.org/events/rcon2026
