DAY 1 | Wednesday, NOVEMBER 15, 2023

9:00AM–9:15AM

Fenimore | Welcome to the Conference!

Gary Carrel President - NYSAR³ | Erie County

9:15AM–10:45AM

Fenimore | Plenary Session: Responsibility and Reuse; Leveraging Legislative Leadership

Hear from New York State elected officials who are championing legislation for Extended Producer
Responsibility and Deconstruction in NY. Bring your questions for the open Q&A!

NYS Senator Brian Kavanagh

NYS Assemblymember Dr. Anna Kelles

11:30AM–12:45PM

Fenimore Room | Concurrent Session 1: AI Can Do What Now? How Municipalities Can Utilize New Technologies, Including AI

In this session we explore some of the exciting possibilities that Artificial Intelligence (AI) brings to the field of recycling, specifically in the area of education and outreach. The moderator will also provide a NYSAR3 Legislative Committee update. 

Jonathan Levy AMP Robotics

Brad London Circular.eco

Jennifer Porter GBB Inc

11:30AM–12:45PM

Iroquois Room | Concurrent Session 2: The Quest for Platic Substitutes in New York State

With a 2023 annual state-wide estimate of 2.5 million tons of plastic waste generated, authorities in NYS have actively pursued solutions relating to improvements in plastic waste reduction and recycling, such as the Bag Waste Reduction Act and Plastic Bag Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling Act. The need for these plastic interventions have been further heightened by recent policies from international governments (e.g., China’s National Sword policy, etc.) that have placed stringent restrictions on the importation of post-consumer plastic waste and significantly reducing access to international recycling end markets. In this round table session, industry experts will discuss the prospects, challenges and opportunities associated with a variety of actions and tools for promoting plastic substitutes in NYS, such as financial instruments, standardized life cycle assessment indicators, and trade policies.

Mark Lichtenstein CSMM

Kweku Attafuah-Wadee CSMM

Claire Sand PTR

2:00PM–3:30PM

Iroquois Room | Concurrent Session 1: Initiatives to Drive Textile Recovery in NYS

 An interactive session to address the primary challenges behind textile recovery, uncover success stories, and identify the most promising path forward for textile recovery in NYS.  The objective of this workshop is to convene critical voices and key stakeholders from across the supply chain to develop a skeleton roadmap for targeted action on textile policy in NYS. The working session will discuss and prioritize policy approaches, desired outcomes, and shared goals, while identifying key milestones and near to mid term actions.

Joyel Bennett Goodwill of the Finger Lakes

Brian Kavanagh NYS Senate

Jessica Schreiber FABSCRAP

Lisa Sciannella Helpsy

2:00PM–3:30PM

Four Winds Room | Concurrent Session 2: Recycle Right NY Presents: Lights, Camera, Create! Video Communications Workshop

Recycle Right NY team would like to explore, “What can we create together – here and now?” This session will begin with a presentation on digital outreach and engagement. Next, we will have a facilitated dialogue about identifying locally relevant and needed R3 messaging topics. Last, participants will decide on and co-create content for a short, video communication piece using footage captured on our smartphone cameras. Bring your ideas and talents and come prepared to participate in and learn the basics of simple video production techniques and how to put them together to create engaging video content that will keep your program messaging relevant in today's digital platforms.

Lindsay Eberhart CSCS

MeiLin Luzadis CSCS

Lisa Ruggero CSCS

2:00PM–3:30PM

Fenimore Room | Concurrent Session 3: Organics How-To: Food Waste Prevention, New Compost Tech, Odor Management

Better management of wasted food is crucial for addressing climate change, alleviating food insecurity and promoting economic growth. This session will introduce relatively affordable but underutilized technologies to improve compost operations and monitoring, and a national expert will present techniques and considerations for odor management and mitigation. This session’s first presentation starts at the top of the hierarchy–solutions for food waste-generating businesses to seamlessly integrate prevention, recovery, and diversion practices into their operations.

Dan Lilkas-Rain Town of Bethlehem

Lisa Pellegrino Center for EcoTechnology

Baraka Poulin Engineered Compost Systems

4:00PM–5:00PM

Fenimore Room | Concurrent Session 1: Inviting the Elephant into the Room

This session offers the opportunity to challenge biases, step out of comfort zones and become immersed in difficult conversations by choice.  MEDI+ (Membership, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Young Professionals) welcomes you to be part of an interesting and engaging dialogue.  YP’s will guide you through a three-part session providing insight, questions, answers, and an idea exchange addressing inclusivity, policy, acknowledgment and ethics.

Renee Panetta City of Troy

Naomi Pitkin City of Troy

Rochelle Strassner SUNY ESF

Tanesia White UCRRA

4:00PM–5:00PM

Iroquois Room | Concurrent Session 2: How Local Governments can Purchase Items with More Recycled Content

In December 2022 Governor Kathy Hochul announced the launch of the Green Purchasing Communities (GPC) program. This "first-of-its-kind", in the nation, green purchasing program is administered by the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Office of General Services. The GPC was born out of conversations at a previous NYSAR3 conference about how local governments could follow the State’s GreenNY procurement specifications. The GPC provides all local governments in New York State a, simple to administer, green purchasing program that allows them to ensure that the items they are purchasing contain more recycled content, have less packaging/are recyclable/compostable, contain fewer toxic substances, and are more energy efficient. In addition, local governments are given recognition from the State for their commitment to green procurement.

Thomas Roach City of White Plains

Darrin Derosia NYS Office of General Services

DAY 2 | Thursday, NOVEMBER 16, 2023

8:30AM–9:30AM

Fenimore Room | Plenary Session - Increasing Reuse by Building a Stronger Waste Management Industry Through Collaboration

Changing practices in sustainable materials management indicate that we as a global society are beginning to accept that it’s time to tackle our waste problem by moving from a ‘linear economy’ to a sustainable circular economy that embraces and implements each of the 3Rs concurrently, to unlock the value of our waste, protect the environment, and benefit from many social and economic impacts. Bringing a circular model mainstream will require industry, non-profit organizations and associations, government entities, academia, and entrepreneurs to work together to drive the best environmental, societal, and economic solutions. 

This session will describe the challenges and impacts in the current methods for recovering and marketing or exchanging reusable materials as well as necessary components for creating and promoting a better, collaborative system to reduce waste through increased reuse infrastructure. It will highlight some existing system component successes and positive economic and environmental impacts that can be scaled and propagated, and describe others that need to be developed and implemented in a collaborative effort, with some thought-provoking focus on how such collaboration can be achieved.

Diane Cohen Finger Lakes ReUse

Sue Fassler SUNY ESF

Morgan Ingraham Cyracuse University CSCS

Brad London Circular.eco

Chris Pletcher Build Reuse

Maria Rozario JPMORGAN Chase

10:30AM–12:00PM

Kingfisher Room | Concurrent Session 1: CSMM x TRUE: A Public-Private Partnership Paves the Way to Zero Waste in NYS

Administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), TRUE Certification helps facilities measure, improve and recognize zero waste performance by encouraging the adoption of sustainable waste management and reduction practices, which contribute to positive environmental, health, and economic outcomes. The TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) rating system offers a comprehensive framework to help facilities, portfolios, events, and even construction sites design waste out of their systems and commit to a streamlined, circular model.

CSMM = Center for Sustainable Materials Management

GBCI = Green Business Certification Inc. 

TRUE = Total Resource Use and Efficiency

Kevin Adames UBS Arena

Joyel Bennett Goodwill of the Finger Lakes

Delaney Demro SUNY ESF

10:30AM–12:00PM

Fenimore Room | Concurrent Session 2: What a Pane in the Glass - Exploring Solutions to Glass Recycling

Connecting post-consumer glass with end-markets remains a top challenge for many recycling programs across the State. Single-stream glass is often contaminated with other residuals, its weight makes it  an expensive material to transport, and there are limited processors and recyclers within the State. In this session, attendees will learn about the flow of post-consumer glass across the State, end-markets that NYS-based programs are currently accessing, processing and cleaning technologies, emerging end-uses, and other strategies that recycling leaders can use to connect collected glass to higher and better uses than alternative daily cover.

Cynthia Andela Andela Products

Dr. Laura Markley Syracuse University CSCS

Sarah Shea Pennsylvania Resources Council

Ethan Woodfill Pennsylvania Resources Council

Stuart Yaniger Alfred University

10:30AM–12:00PM

Iroquois Room | Concurrent Session 3: Reducing Food Waste in Commercial Kitchens - Sponsored by Erie County

Erie County is partnering with NEWMOA (Northeast Waste Management Officials Association) , Leanpath, and Metz Culinary Management to measure and reduce food waste at five health care facilities in and around Buffalo. Leanpath is a sophisticated system that combines a physical scale with a camera and customizable software to categorize and measure food waste from different mealtimes and activities. The Leanpath tool is implemented at seven locations in five health care facilities, ranging from large public hospitals to a mid-size assisted living facility. Some facilities have retail cafeterias in addition to providing meals to patients. This presentation will cover the importance of food waste reduction, food preparation and waste at the five facilities, the Leanpath experience and reduction results, lessons learned, and practical recommendations for institutional settings. A virtual demonstration of the Leanpath tool in use and the output data produced will be included in the presentation. If available, representatives of Leanpath and Metz who have participated in the Project will also attend and participate in the presentation.

Stephanie Frisch NEWMOA

Jennifer Griffith NEWMOA

Tyler Hamilton Erie County

Robb White LeanPath, Inc.