2026 Circularity Forum

2026 Circularity Forum

CircularSTL has partnered with MidAmerica Clean Future Alliance (MACFA), Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), Race to Zero Waste, and the National Recycling Coalition (NRC) will host a Circularity Forum at RCon on September 28th, 2026.

Join local, regional and national leaders for an interactive day focused on practical circularity solutions, local government action, Extended Producer Responsibility and the partnerships needed to move the circular economy forward.
Afternoon sessions convened by MidAmerica Clean Future Alliance and will be interactive with breakout sessions.
The Circularity Forum connects those real-world experiences with national research, industry perspectives and emerging policy to explore where circularity is going — and how we get there.
Topics will include model local policies and ordinances, green procurement, EPR, cost sharing with municipal impact, and plastic reduction strategies.
Strengthen connections across our community

Join us September 28th from 8:45 AM - 5 PM at the America's Center Complex in downtown St. Louis

Free registration for local St. Louis City & County Resident

Networking lunch will be provided at the Embassy Suites St. Louis for a $50 fee.

Program

8:45-9:00 AM Welcome & Opening
The Executive Director MidAmerica Clean Future Alliance & NRC President & CircularSTL Co-Founder will kick off the Forum SPEAKERS / LEAD: Jennifer Wendt & Teresa Bradley

9:00-9:30 AM Keynote

"What Do I Do with This?" series explores the lifecycle of everyday items and their environmental impact. SPEAKERS / LEAD: Brooke Butler; Senior Managing Producer; Nine PBS - What Do I Do with This?

9:30-10:05 PM Panel Discussion

Circularity in St. Louis Learn from local experts who are taking the lead on circularity initiatives in the St. Louis region. SPEAKERS / LEAD: Dr. Jess Watson from earthday365, Lynne Scott from Principia HS, and Caran Hanks from MACFA. Moderator: Magdalen Sparrow

10:05-10:20 PM Bio & Coffee Break

10:20-10:30 PM Passback Lightning Talk

Learn how one local St. Louis non-profit is creating a circular economy for sports gear so every kid can play. SPEAKERS / LEAD: Magdalen Sparrow with Passback

10:30-10:45 PM STL Regional Circularity Spotlight

Learn how Washington University in St. Louis is paving the way towards a campus-wide Circularity Hub SPEAKERS / LEAD: Washington University with Cassie Hage; Assistant Director of Sustainability

10:45-11:30 PM Speaker Spotlight & Panel Discussion

Circularity in Academia

Learn how students from around the globe as they present about waste issues in their home communities such as India and Bangladesh. It will follow with a panel discussion by professors who lead sustainability classes and initiatives at three universities. SPEAKERS / LEAD: Webster University Students present followed by a panel discussion with Katy Mike from Webster University, Kynan WittersHicks from Principia College, and Betsy from University of Illinois (Champaign). Moderator: Delaney Demro

11:30-11:55 PM Keynote

Theatre production can produce a lot of waste! Come learn how the Riverside Theatre Project has pledged to reduce its waste over 60% and how they make reuse as part of their culture. SPEAKERS / LEAD: Christinia Rios with Riverside Theatre Project

12:00 - 1:30 PM NRC Networking Lunch at Embassy Suites by Hilton St. Louis Downtown

NRC will be providing a networking lunch. Full lunch with sandwich wraps, salad, pasta salad and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided. Cost to attend is $50.

1:35 - 2:20 PM Keynote

Heidi Sanborne will be discussing EPR in general, not specific to packaging

MIDAMERICA CLEAN FUTURE ALLIANCE SESSIONS

Sessions below led by MidAmerica Clean Future Alliance

2:20-3:00 PM Local Levers for Change Panel Discussion (25 min) and Breakout Session (30 min)

A paneled discussion followed by a breakout session of facilitated discussion with local officials, MRF operators, haulers, local ordinance, contract specialists, and policy experts focused on identifying operational, contractual, and ordinance-based actions that communities can take independently of state or federal policy. SPEAKERS / LEAD: See below FOCUS: Discussion of local actions that can be taken to reduce plastic pollution

2:45 - 3:15 PM • COMPONENT 2: BREAKOUT SESSIONS (30 min)

Breakout Session topic: Recycling Reporting requirements SPEAKERS / LEAD: Led by Todd Rullo FOCUS: What reporting is required now? What needs to be reported for EPR readiness (and better tracking of services)

Breakout Session topic: Model Solid Waste (Recycling) Contracts SPEAKERS / LEAD: Led by Cody Marshall FOCUS: What should be included in a contract for recycling services that best benefits local government?

Breakout Session topic: Model reuse policy/practices/ordinances SPEAKERS / LEAD: Led by Upstream, tbc FOCUS: What policies/procedures can be taken at the local level to encourage reuse/refill?

Breakout Session topic: Model circularity policy/practices/ordinances SPEAKERS / LEAD: Led by Jenny Wendt or Jenna Jambeck FOCUS: What policies/procedures can be taken at the local level to improve recovery and reduce solid waste costs?

2:45 - 3:15 PM - Local Levers for Change Component 3 - Breakout sessions Report Out (15 min)

Overview of outcomes of breakout groups SPEAKERS / LEAD: Led by Jenny Wendt FOCUS: Discuss potential solutions.

3:30 - 4:45 PM • EDUCATION SESSION Packaging Policy EPR

What EPR means to Local Government Bob Gallagher, Mayor, Bettendorf, IA SPEAKERS / LEAD: Background of MRPPI and representation at national and global discussions, how EPR is an economic benefit to local government.

How does it look during implementation? Todd Rullo, Thorton CO, Deputy Infrastructure Director SPEAKERS / LEAD: Discuss how the process is going in Colorado

How do the various state EPR policies differ? Cody Marshall, Chief Programs Officer, The Recycling Partnership SPEAKERS / LEAD: Comparison of EPR policies

What a federal EPR policy could look and what that means to local, state, federal entities? Jeff Bezzo, Executive Director - Plastic & Packaging Sustainability, SC Johnson SPEAKERS / LEAD: Overview of federal EPR, why it's beneficial economically to all stakeholders

Open Q&A and participant discussion Led by Jenny Wendt, MACFA SPEAKERS / LEAD: Input from participants, answer questions, open dialogue

5:00 - 7:00 PM MIDAMERICA CLEAN FUTURE ALLIANCE CIRCULARITY SOCIAL AT THE NATIONAL BLUES MUSEUM - Drinks and heavy appetizers will be provided.

The National Blues Museum

615 Washington Ave
St. Louis, MO 63101

How to register for the Circularity Forum

There are limited spaces available to attend the event, and a special code to attend for free or a discounted rate of $50 for both speakers and attendees to attend lunch and the entire program. We welcome all who are interested in learning about CircularSTL and the Circularity Forum to join us on September 28th at the America's Center Complex in St. Louis.

All speakers and attendees who are CircularSTL coalition members, MACFA members, or St. Louis City/County residents must fill out this form to gain access to any discount codes in order to register for the event! Once this form is complete a member from our team will send you registration instructions and the discount codes. We are partnering with the National Recycling Coalition as a ticketing partner, and to gain access to the discount codes you must fill out this form. Otherwise ticketing to the event is $275.00 which includes lunch and a deep discount to RCon's other weekly events.

Requests to get discounted ticketing will be made available until September 26th by using the Circularity Forum Form below.

Circularity Forum Form

Venue

America's Center Complex

701 Washington Ave, Downtown Saint Louis, MO

The event will be held on the the first floor, rooms 100-101

Public Transportation

You can travel to the America's Center by MetroBus or MetroLink.

MetroLink: MetroLink has a direct service to the America’s Center area. The closest MetroLink station is Convention Center Station, which is about a 5‑minute walk from the Dome at America’s Center.

From other MetroLink stations: You can also reach Convention Center Station via the MLR (MetroLink Red) line, which also serves the area.

The Moovit app is a good resource to use when using public transportation in the St. Louis area.

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Biking

Currently there are no bike racks located around the America's Center.

If you are planning to visit and need to bring a bike, you may need to:

Park in the surrounding streets and bring your bike into the venue.
Check with the event or rental company if they provide bike storage or valet services for guests.
Look for nearby bike racks in the downtown St. Louis area, as some hotels, restaurants, and attractions in the vicinity may have them.
Use a bike rack map service like BikeRackMap.com to check nearby racks in the downtown area bikerackmap.com.

In short, bike racks are not listed as a standard feature at America’s Center, so you’ll likely need to arrange alternative bike storage or transport.

Parking

If you plan to drive, please use this webpage to learn more about the parking options around of near the venue.

See you there!

October is Zero Waste Month!

The Circularity Forum & RCon is featured on the global Zero Waste Month events map. Learn more and add your zero waste event to the map by visiting zerowastemonth.org.