SWANA and National Recycling Coalition Announce Circularity Forum Co-Located at RCon® 2026

Full-day forum on September 28 in St. Louis will bring local, regional, and national leaders together to advance practical circularity solutions, EPR implementation, and cross-sector collaboration.

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and the National Recycling Coalition (NRC) today announced that the Circularity Forum will be co-located with RCon® 2026, powered by SWANA, on Monday, September 28, at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

The full-day forum, hosted by the National Recycling Coalition, in partnership with CircularSTL, Race to Zero Waste, MidAmerica Clean Future Alliance, and the Illinois Recycling Foundation, will convene circular economy stakeholders for an interactive day focused on regional action and national impact. 

"Circularity is built through action, and communities are looking for practical ways to reduce waste, recover more materials, and strengthen local economies,” said Carolyn F. Muller, Acting CEO of SWANA. “By co-locating the Circularity Forum with RCon, SWANA and NRC are creating an important opportunity for professionals across the system to connect national policy discussions with the real-world work happening in cities, counties, facilities, and organizations across North America.”

The Circularity Forum is designed to create space for dialogue, facilitated breakouts, and practical examples that attendees can take home and put to work. Programming will explore local government action, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), recycling system challenges, recovery barriers, and the partnerships needed to strengthen circular economy systems across communities.

"The NRC is proud to be part of RCon and host a co-located Circularity Forum on Monday, September 28,” shared Charles Kamenides, Executive Director of the National Recycling Coalition. “This collaboration brings together world class presentations from two of the nation's longest standing solid waste and recycling organizations who lead sustainable materials management and industry change.” 

Teresa Bradley, Co-Founder & Coalition Co-Chair of CircularSTL, shared the enthusiasm, stating, “CircularSTL is excited to showcase many circularity efforts taking place in the St. Louis region at the upcoming Forum.”

Afternoon sessions of the Circularity Forum will be convened by the MidAmerica Clean Future Alliance.

"The Circularity Forum gives cities the tools, data, and accountability frameworks they need to cut costs, strengthen contracts, and finally get transparent performance from the systems they fund,” shared MidAmerica Clean Future Alliance Executive Director, Jennifer Wendt. “When we align around smarter policies and real market realities, we can reduce plastic pollution in ways that are economically grounded, locally driven, and built to last."

RCon® 2026 will take place September 29–October 2, at America’s Center in St. Louis, with the sold-out exhibit hall open September 29–October 1. The Circularity Forum is scheduled for September 28, immediately before the main RCon program, giving attendees the opportunity to participate in a dedicated day of circularity-focused discussion before joining the broader waste and resource management community for RCon. Circularity Forum attendees are eligible for a discount on their RCon registration. 

Learn more and register at National Recycling Coalition Circularity Forum and at https://swana.org/events/rcon2026. 

About the National Recycling Coalition Circularity Forum

Hosted by the National Recycling Coalition (NRC) and in partnership with SWANA, CircularSTL, Race to Zero Waste, and MidAmerica Clean Future Alliance, and the Illinois Recycling Foundation, the NRC Circularity Forum 2026 will be co-located with SWANA’s RCon®. Local, regional, and national leaders will attend an interactive day focused on practical solutions, local government action, Extended Producer Responsibility, and the collaboration needed to move the circular economy forward. Learn more and register at nrcrecycles.org/circularity-forum.