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RCon Roundup

Welcome to RCon™ Roundup, where you will find all the latest news, stories, and features about SWANA's premier conference.

Contact SWANA’s marketing team at marketing@swana.org with questions or RCon media inquiries.

Videos

RCon™ 2026: A Destination for Foodies & Sustainability Champions

When you think about RCon™, you think sessions, connections, and ideas. However, there’s another experience waiting outside the convention center: food. SWANA staff visited Rooster, a restaurant recognized by the Green Dining Alliance as reducing waste and adopting sustainable practices - a natural extension of SWANA's community values.

Reinvention Rooted in Reuse at City Museum

The City Museum reflects St. Louis’s commitment to creativity, reinvention, and sustainability. City Museum is perhaps one of the most creative examples of innovation through reuse anywhere in the US. In a former shoe factory, this downtown attraction transforms repurposed materials— salvaged steel, tiles, and structural remnants—into immersive, interactive art exhibits and an imaginative playground designed for both children and adults.

The Official RCon™ 2026 Preview Trailer

Get a first look at what’s ahead at RCon 2026 and why this year’s experience is not to be missed! New city. New energy. RCon heads to St. Louis, the Gateway City—known for innovation, reuse, and reinvention. From iconic landmarks to a vibrant downtown, St. Louis sets the stage for a reinvigorated RCon experience.

A Warm Welcome to RCon™ 2026 Attendees in St. Louis

SWANA's flagship event experience, RCon™ is headed to St. Louis, Missouri, September 29 - October 2, 2026. Explore St. Louis President & CEO Brad Dean shares this warm welcome to the waste and resource management industry professionals expected to gather in the iconic city of the Gateway Arch.

Blog Posts

RCon™ 2026: A Destination for Foodies & Sustainability Champions

May 28, 2026

When you think about RCon™, you think about cutting-edge sessions, connections, and big ideas shaping waste and resource management. However, there’s another experience waiting just outside the convention center doors: the food in St. Louis.

Reinventing the Gateway: St. Louis Welcomes RCon™ 2026

April 15, 2026

From its role as the Gateway to the West to its modern-day emergence as a hub for technology, manufacturing, and sustainability, St. Louis has always been a city defined by innovation. That spirit of reinvention makes it the perfect city for RCon™ 2026.

News Releases

WM Joins SWANA as a Corporate Partner to Help Advance Waste Industry

Feb 12, 2026, 13:00 by Kathryn Deen

February 12, 2026 — Silver Spring, MD

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) announced today that WM, formerly Waste Management, has joined as its newest corporate partner as part of efforts to advance safety and best practices across the waste and resource management industry.

WM is North America’s leading provider of comprehensive environmental solutions with sustainability central to its business. For more than 50 years, WM has played an essential role in keeping communities clean and safe, with many of its customers SWANA members. Across the US and Canada, WM has the largest disposal network and collection fleet, is the largest recycler, and is a leader in the beneficial use of landfill gas, with a growing network of renewable natural gas plants and an established portfolio of landfill gas-to-electricity plants, as well as the largest heavy-duty natural gas truck fleet in the industry.

“WM is such an important part of the industry and an important supporter of SWANA over the years. Many WM employees have been active SWANA volunteers and leaders, supporting SWANA Technical Divisions, chapters, training courses, the board of directors, and more,” shared SWANA CEO Amy Lestition Burke, MA, FASAE, CAE.  “This new partnership is the natural next step, providing more opportunities for WM to share thought leadership and technical expertise while supporting SWANA’s new initiatives, including RCon™ and our upcoming safety workshop.”

“WM provides essential services to communities across North America, and with SWANA we are able to provide additional industry insight and support to our municipal customers,” said Susan Moulton, WM’s senior director, Public Sector Solutions. “We look forward to working with SWANA to help solve important issues that affect recycling, landfills, collections, and other aspects of our industry.”

Through this new corporate partnership, WM is expected to participate in SWANA’s key initiatives throughout this year, including the SWANA Safety Workshop to be held in Washington, DC on March 19, and RCon, scheduled to take place in St. Louis, MO, September 29 to October 2.

Together, SWANA and WM will continue working to promote safer operations and best practices across the solid waste and recycling industry, strengthening the future of resource management in North America.

RCon 2026 Spirit!

The SWANA community is sharing their excitement for RCon 2026 across North America!

See a Roundup of RCon 2026 Spirit »