The Illinois Recycling Foundation is proud to bring businesses involved in reuse, recycling and
composting together with government, educators and environmentalists for a two day in-person conference on August 30 and 31, 2022 in Joliet, Illinois!
Register Now
Schedule of Events
| August 30 |
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August 31 |
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| 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. |
Conference Registration & Exhibitor Set-up
Arrival Light Refreshment, Coffee, Tea |
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. |
Conference Registration
Hot Breakfast Buffet in Exhibitor Hall |
| 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. |
Guided Tour of Campus Environmental Features |
9:15- 10:15 a.m. |
Textile Recycling Tracking;
Paint: Now and with EPR;
Education for Residents & Students |
| 10:00 – 11:15 a.m. |
Opening Plenary and Keynote Address |
10:45 – 11:00 a.m. |
Mini Break—Visit Exhibitors |
| 11:30a.m. – 12:30p.m. |
Social Justice/Environmental Justice & Recycling Sites; Reuse Markets (non-textile);
C&D & Carpet Markets & Updates |
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
Scrap Metal Markets; Batteries; PFAs |
| 12:45 – 1:45 p.m. |
Awards Lunch and Annual Meeting |
12:15 p.m. |
Box Lunch and Board Bus for Tour |
| 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. |
Curbside Market Update & Commercial Glass;
Electronics Recycling Commercial & Residential;
Campus Sustainability Challenges |
12:30 – 4:00 p.m. |
Tours |
| 3:15 – 4:15 p.m. |
Certification Efforts;
Legislative Challenges;
IEPA Inspections for Permitted vs Non-Permitted Sites |
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| 4:30- 5:30 p.m. |
Packaging EPR Efforts; Compost Markets & Food Scraps; Polystyrene Recycling Options |
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| 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Silent Auction, Social Event at Heroes West |
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Sponsorship Opportunities
Sponsoring or exhibiting is the most effective way to build
recognition for your business or program. As a sponsor or exhibitor,
your support will assist in ensuring a highly successful conference,
while enabling you to market your company or organization to 200
anticipated attendees throughout Illinois and the Midwest.
Each sponsorship level provides a multitude of benefits that allow
you to showcase your organization, products and services, with great
opportunities to interact with attendees. Exhibitor information and
sponsorship levels include the following:
Platinum Sponsor
Double Booth in preferred location
Up to 20 Full Conference Registrations
Full Page Program Ad, On-Site Signage
Premiere Website Listing, Newsletter
feature, and social media recognition |
Gold Sponsor
Booth in preferred location,
Up to 10 Full Conference Registrations
Half Page Program Ad, On-Site Signage
Premiere Website Listing, Newsletter,
and social media recognition |
Silver Sponsor
Exhibit Booth
Up to 3 Full Conference Registrations
Quarter Page Ad in Program, On-Site
Signage, Premiere Website Listing,
Newsletter, and social media recognition |
Bronze Sponsor
Exhibit Booth and One Full Conference
Registration, Business Card Program Ad,
On-Site Signage, Newsletter, and social
media recognition |
| $10,000 |
$5,000 |
$2,500 |
$1,500 |
Silent Auction
Up to 2 Conference Registrations,
Program Listing, On-Site Signage
Website, Newsletter, and social media
recognition |
Awards Luncheon
Up to 2 Conference Registrations,
Program Listing, On-Site Signage
Website, Newsletter, and social media
recognition |
Hot Breakfast
A Full Conference Registration,
Program Listing, On-Site Signage
Website, Newsletter, and social media
recognition |
Box Lunch & Tours
A Full Conference Registration,
Program Listing, On-Site Signage
Website, Newsletter, and social media
recognition |
| $3,000 |
$2,750 |
SOLD OUT |
SOLD OUT |
Exhibitor Opportunities
On or After August 1: $500 Member; $650 Non-Member Member Rate applies to any current member in good standing of IRF. Basic exhibitor fees are all-inclusive and entitle one company representative from your organization to attend sessions, receive conference registration materials, meals, and a listing in the exhibitor section of the conference program. Registration for extra booth staff is available.]
Attendee Information
[Attendees will be offered presentations from respected and notable professionals on a variety of topics impacting the reuse, recycling and composting sectors in Illinois and around the globe. Deluxe Registration Includes Full Conference Registration, meals and choice of Tour. $ 200 Member; $ 275 Non-Member Late Fee A $30 late fee will be charged for registration after August 15, 2022.
National Recycling Coalition President,
Bob Gedert
Bob Gedert is the current President of the National Recycling Coalition and a Cincinnati-based
consultant with 40+ years of experience in guiding communities toward sustainable materials management through a systems approach, bridging recycling best practices and sustainability toward local circular economies. He has experience in building local economic development practices with zero waste goals through private-public partnerships that utilize local markets for recyclables through innovative entrepreneurships and collaborative business networks.
Previously, Bob served as department director of Austin Resource Recovery, leading the city toward zero waste goals through the city provided services of recycling collection, trash collection, household hazardous waste collection, yard and food waste collection, storm debris collection street sweeping, and litter abatement. In addition to his tenure at Austin, he has served in the leadership of resource recovery in many communities including the City of Fresno, CA as chief of recycling operations; the Counties of Auglaize and Highland in Ohio; the City of Cincinnati in Ohio and communities across Indiana as Chief of Source Reduction and Recycling with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
Pre-Event Tour
Andrew J. Neill, Biology professor closing out his 30 years of teaching, will lead attendees on a tour of JJC’s Natural Areas, a valuable natural resource for teaching lessons in biodiversity, land stewardship and conservation. The Prairie & Forest Trails include exposed bedrock formation, erratics, deciduous forest, vernal pond, Rock Run Creek, an oak savannah, and more. This walking tour along mowed and rocky foot paths, will traverse oak-hickory woodlands and dolomite limestone prairie with an intimate experience of a rare calcareous fen. For some, this can be a life-changing experience. Meet at the registration desk, students will walk attendees to the Cafeteria Patio at 8:30 am. Dress appropriately for the weather and terrain. Bring your reusable water bottle and a hat.
August 31 Tours, Noon – 4 p.m.
The Compost Tour will feature three stops: The JJC Culinary Art Institute school in downtown Joliet which utilizes an AD system to compost some of the budding chef’s food scraps. There will be a stop at Lewis University in Romeoville where students and staff are composting food scraps at the main cafeteria through their waste collection contractor. The remaining stop will be at Willow Ranch Composting Facility, also located in Romeoville, where participants will see food scrap and lawn materials being composted together.
The Recycling Tour will be going to Morris to see Cardinal Recycling and FAMCe. Both members of IRF, these companies recycle entirely different materials. Check back for more details soon.
The JJC Campus Sustainability Tour will be led by JJC’s campus sustainability professional and Professor of Architecture, Maria Anna Rafac. Check back for more details soon.
Event Site
Featuring the first LEED Greenhouse in the nation, two buildings with geothermal systems to reduce energy use, EV Charging and an abundance of efficiency features, as well as a native fen and being adjacent to a Forest Preserve, Joliet Junior College is within a mile of Route 80. Hotels are adjacent to the property, with a casino a few minutes down the street.
Event Brochure
Download the PDF: 2022-Conference-Hotel-Brochure-8-22
