WASTECON 2011 at Nashville's Opryland Hotel was many things, but high on the list in terms of exhibitors, presentations, and conversations were the various approaches to waste conversion technologies...a focus long overdue, in my humble opinion.
Though not pitched as such, I view this as evidence that the vision of sustainability is making strong inroads into the waste arena, bringing with it the societal and economic aspects heretofore pushed into the background.
Over the next several weeks, I will talk about other subjects of note from the show floor, but for today I’d like to call attention to the emergence of a new group under the SWANA banner, the Young Professionals Organization, that offers great promise for the association’s future.
Its Tuesday afternoon meeting attracted more than 20 attendees who, after breaking into two primary groups, proceeded to get down to business, deciding on where to focus their efforts. The formation of this group, in conjunction with the association’s desire to take a long-range view of the future of waste management could not come at a more auspicious time in the face of large changes looming on the near horizon.
So was WASTECON 2011 a winner? Again in my humble opinion...Yep!