Plastics Recovery Seminar

This seminar features leading-edge retailer, industry and municipal speakers on how sustainability goals and objectives are influencing the expanded use of plastics and creating opportunities for greater recycling and recovery of plastics for energy.   

Plastics packaging growth is expected to be 4.5% per annum which will require this resource to be managed in an economically and environmentally sustainable way. With the knowledge gained from leading-edge speakers:

• Retailers and brand owners can be more effective in their decision-making through elevated awareness about current and emerging systems & technologies for managing plastics at-end-of life;  
• Plastic companies can better support retailer/brand owner sustainability goals for plastic packaging through partnerships and complimentary initiatives for recovering plastics;  
• Government officials will better understand how public policy can assist sustainability goals and help expand opportunities to manage waste streams in their 4R’s programs.  

Presentations

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Plastics Sustainability

The seminar will kick-off with an informative presentation on plastics trends and use, highlighting the contributions of plastics to sustainability and society, and the role of plastics as a valuable resource even after its intended ‘use’ phase.  Jon Pyper, Director Plastics Sustainability , The Dow Chemical Company

Unique Approaches Toward Municipal Energy Recovery from Waste 

Attendees will hear from municipal representatives with energy recovery projects at different stages of development- discovering who’s doing what, what they hope to achieve, how they plan to increase the 4Rs while utilizing energy recovery systems, and how they expect their choices to serve residents and business in the coming years.  These municipalities serve as models that demonstrate the compatibility of integrated recovery options and the benefits of close collaboration between industry and government.  Moderator: John Foden, Executive Director, Canadian Energy From Waste Coalition

Peel Region  

A pioneer in the field of energy-from-waste in Canada, Peel Region has been recovering energy from it residual waste for more than twenty years. More than that, through re-investment and constant improvement, Peel has set the bar for other municipalities by utilizing this progressive technology while growing its recovery rate over 50%.  Norman Lee, Director Waste Management, Peel Region

Durham Region 

Durham Region has recently received approval for the first new mass burn combustion EFW plant in Ontario, the first in over 20 years. Mirka Januszkiewicz, Director , Waste Management Services, Durham Region

Dufferin County

Dufferin County is looking at a smaller gasification technology that will incorporate commercially proven Plasma Gasification Technology utilizing high temperature plasma energy to convert municipal solid waste into a syngas which can then be converted to electricity through conventional turbine equipment. Trevor Lewis, Director , Public Works, Dufferin County

 

Trends in Plastics Recycling 

This panel of four speakers will provide attendees with important information and advice on the key drivers related to infrastructure and technical innovations in advancing plastics recycling. Moderator: Sherry Arcaro, Director of Blue Box System Optimization, Stewardship Ontario 

Packaging Sustainability Initiatives

Loblaw Companies Limited will elaborate on its objectives and programs and explain how these are influencing plastic packaging and its recycling.  Alison Wells, Senior Packaging Manager , Loblaw Companies Limited

Expanding Recycling of Plastics from the Blue Box

This presentation will highlight recent investments in collection, sorting, reprocessing and market development to recycle a broad stream of mixed non-bottle rigid packaging and film from the Blue Box. It will also include information on current technologies and developments to expand the use of post-consumer plastics back into food contact applications.  Andy Campbell, Executive Director , Continuous Improvement Fund, Waste Diversion Ontario 

Optical Sorting:  Maximizing Plastics Recovery and Quality

As the capabilities of individual resins evolve and their use in the marketplace expands, the ability to effectively separate them for recycling is key to recycling plastics sustainably to maximize their recovery and to ensure high quality for end markets. This presentation will examine how the use of automated technology (optical sorting) has revolutionized plastics recycling by improving the ability to handle different resin streams and the value and quality of the sorted plastics.  Dan Lantz, VP Operations, Cascades Recovery Inc.

The Growth in Polystyrene Recycling Opportunities

This presentation will highlight a new technology by ‘Switchable Solutions PS” that has the potential to create high value recycling uses for post-consumer food service and cushion polystyrene packaging. Information will also be provided on progress in collecting after-use polystyrene.  Mark Badger, CEO & President, Switchable Solutions Inc.