The 30th Annual Recycling Update Call for Speakers is now live!

The 30th Annual Recycling Update Call for Speakers is now live! The tentative date is March 25, 2026. Official date and SF venue to be confirmed soon!

How to Apply: Submit your proposal by COBD – Monday, December 1st, 2025.

Application portal: https://bit.ly/RU2026Speaker

For additional questions, feel free to contact our office.

The Northern California Recycling Association (NCRA) is seeking dynamic speakers for its annual Recycling Update (RU), our fast-paced, high-energy event that showcases what’s new and innovative in the world of waste reduction and Zero Waste. We welcome proposals from those who haven’t yet presented at RU, as well as from experienced speakers eager to share their cutting-edge ideas and insights.

With over 500 attendees, including local government recycling staff, policy makers, consultants, haulers, and processors from across Northern California, RU is an ideal platform to showcase your work in front of a highly engaged audience. This is your chance to highlight the latest programs, policies, and projects shaping the future of our industry.

Presentation Format:

Each speaker is allotted 10 minutes for their presentation, followed by a 2-minute Q&A session.

The event features a single-track format, ensuring that all attendees hear your presentation—no breakouts, no missed opportunities.

Timeliness is crucial. Speakers must be well-prepared and adhere to their time limits.

Key Focus Areas: We encourage proposals that reflect NCRA’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, incorporating these values in both the content and design of presentations. Additionally, the selection committee is especially interested in presentations that explore reuse, repair, state and local policies, edible food recovery programs/ enforcement, extender producer responsibility, and recycling markets.

Zero Waste Entrepreneurs Lessons Learned, 4/25

 Recording link []

Join us for a compelling conversation with three SF Bay Area Zero Waste entrepreneurs — Matt, Amy, and Nikki — as they reflect on the struggles, lessons, and adaptations that came with the COVID-19 lockdowns. From brick-and-mortar shops to online school supply sales, these local changemakers share how they weathered the storm and what the future holds for businesses rooted in Zero Waste values. 🌱

Let’s learn from their journeys and support the success of businesses that are building a better, waste-free world. ♻️

Agenda:

5 PM – Networking

5:30 PM – Interview

6:15 PM – Audience Q&A

Professor Discusses Recycling In Ancient Cultures, 2/25

Recording Link []

The ZWAC Show is hosting Prof. Allison Emmerson of Tulane University to explore recycling in ancient cultures! A Roman archaeologist, she studies waste, urban margins, and marginalized communities in ancient cities. Professor Emmerson is particularly interested in the “marginal” aspects of ancient urbanism, not only literal city edges and the activities they attracted, such as waste management and the treatment of the dead, but also the people who have been marginalized both in ancient life and in modern reconstructions of it, including women, the enslaved, and the subelite.

Professor Emmerson’s first book, Life and Death in the Roman Suburb, was published by Oxford University Press in 2020 and was awarded the Archaeological Institute of America’s James R. Wiseman Book Award in 2022. Emmerson directs the “Pompeii I.14 Project,” an excavation that examines the development of the city prior to the catastrophic eruption of 79 CE, focusing especially on issues of social interaction and civic infrastructure.

Agenda:⁠ 5:00 PM Networking⁠ 5:30 PM ZWAC Show begins⁠

Litigation as a Tool for Change, 1/25

Recording link []

Join us for an inspiring conversation with two trailblazing attorneys leading the charge for a sustainable future. Sumona Majumdar, General Counsel at Earth Island Institute, and Lori R. Mendez, legal counsel for the Save the Albatross Coalition, will share their insights on using litigation and policy to tackle plastic pollution, corporate greenwashing, and climate justice.⁠

From advancing racial equity goals to championing Zero Waste and circular economy initiatives, these legal experts are driving impactful change at the intersection of law and environmental advocacy. Discover how their work shapes policies, empowers communities, and protects natural resources for generations to come.⁠

Recycling Archives Interview will feature John Moore, ZWAC Show Host, Former NCRA Board Member and General Legal Council.⁠

Agenda:⁠
5:00 PM Networking⁠
5:30 PM ZWAC Show begins⁠
5:40 PM Interview with Sumona Majumdar⁠
5:55 PM Interview with Lori R. Mendez⁠
6:15 PM Recycling Archives Interview with Susan Kinsella and John Moore⁠

Hot Date with NCRA ZFW, 2/25

Come prepared on February 14, 2025, 1-2 PM via Zoom to share your ideas for regulatory / legislative fixes to the SB 1383 edible food recovery system!

What would make SB 1383 regulations more effective at reaching Zero Food Waste?⁠ ⁠ We want to hear all your ideas! Anyone affected by SB 1383 edible food recovery regulations is welcome to join.⁠ ⁠

RSVP today 👉 []