Each year, one of the main industry events we look forward to is WasteExpo. Hosted by Waste360, WasteExpo (or “Expo,” as our team refers to it) is North America’s largest solid waste, recycling, organics, food waste recovery and sustainability tradeshow for public and private sectors. From manufacturers to haulers, managed waste service providers to global suppliers, Expo brings nearly the entire industry—and more importantly, our team—together under one roof.

The excitement of reconnecting face to face with colleagues spread across the country and engaging with partners and vendors current and new was palpable as our team and more than 13,000 other participants, brands and buyers, converged in Las Vegas amid the city’s vibrant atmosphere for this year’s show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Over the course of four days, the 2024 WasteExpo event program was stacked with educational talks and training centered on key focus areas in the industry—everything from operations, organics recycling, fleet management and safety, sustainability and much more. A few fun activities, like a “Trashion” show and refuse truck test driving sessions, were sprinkled in to make a memorable time for attendees.

Apart from partaking in discussions around the latest successes in sustainable waste and recycling practices, previewing new advancements in technology and meeting waste and recycling peers, experts and industry media contacts, our main purpose in attending year after year is to engage with clients, partners and vendors to understand their needs, potential challenges and how we can partner together to help achieve their goals.

Under our unique broker model, we work consistently with haulers and vendors to understand their business inside and out, working diligently on streamlining systems, communication protocols and tools as well as new opportunities for growth in areas such as installation of temporary roll-off and open-top containers. It was standing room only at our booth for nearly three days straight as we negotiated competitive rates and new bids, detailed our streamlined service offerings and identified how we can best support our partners as they continue to grow and diversify their business.

Certainly, many partners were curious to hear the latest news surrounding our merger progress and pending rebrand, but while those details are forthcoming, we have to keep our lips sealed for just a bit longer as details are being finalized behind the scenes. However, even with the absence of a new brand name, Expo served as a moment to reinforce our united front as one company under a shared mission and vision for the future. Right before the event began, we announced that Robert “Bob” Boucher, a veteran of the industry, has been named chief executive officer of the company. Bob made a special appearance at Expo, with the event serving as his first official day on the job, and there was a queue of people interested in connecting with him onsite as he stepped into his new role to lead our company through this period of transition.

Overall, WasteExpo was busy, productive and an enjoyable time all around for our team, and we’re excited by what lies ahead for us and our partners.

Mira Bell, vice president of vendor relations and procurement sums it up: “The industry is starting to see us as somebody of scale and size and growth and opportunity. We have the experience and skillsets we can bring to the table to show how we’re becoming more specialized and growing to be a bigger player in the industry, which is exciting.”