Call for Presentation Abstracts

The Illinois Counties Solid Waste Management Association (ILCSWMA), Illinois Recycling Foundation (IRF), and the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) Land of Lincoln Chapter request presentation proposals for the Illinois Circularity Conference, to be held on Tuesday, October 14 and Wednesday, October 15 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in East Peoria.

The Conference Committee will consider proposals on any relevant topic but is especially interested in presentations in the following areas as they relate to materials management:

Topics of Interest

• Sustainability and environmental practices
• Technology innovations and advancements
• Digital resources including AI, social media, and associated design and production tools
• Community based social marketing and education/outreach approaches
• Food rescue and food scrap management
• Plastics, bioplastics, and microplastics
• Product stewardship and extended producer responsibility
• Material markets
• Composting and anaerobic digestion
• Management of specific materials (e.g., HHW, electronics, batteries, paint, sharps, construction and demolition debris, mattresses, bulky wastes)
• Green jobs in materials management
• Regulatory realities, including PFAS, greenhouse gas emissions, permit requirements, data reporting, etc.

Please complete the Call for Presentation Abstracts submission form available (here) with a description of your presentation topic and speaker biography information. Abstracts must be received no later than March 28, 2025.

All submitters will be contacted by May 30, 2025 regarding the status of your proposal. The Conference Committee reserves all rights in the selection of sessions and speakers.

Selected speakers will be expected to submit their presentation to the Conference Committee in early October; additional information regarding session times, speaker collaboration, and presentation submittal will be communicated with selected speakers as the conference approaches. All presentations will be placed on the Joint Conference website following the conference. Speakers will receive complimentary registration for the day they are speaking and a reduced conference registration rate to attend the full conference.

Questions about the Joint Conference may be directed to Nathan Mihelich, IRF Executive Director, at info@illinoisrecycles.org.