Tackling Plastic Waste

Organized by the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC) and Master Recycler volunteers, this event will bring together experts, industry leaders, and community members to explore innovative strategies and solutions for reducing plastic pollution.

Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn how we can all take actionable steps to combat plastic waste in Metro Vancouver and beyond.

Speaker line-up:

• Fetisha Villamin, RecycleBC
• Emily McGill, Compostable Field Testing Program and MRV facilitator
• Andrea McKenzie, City of Vancouver
• Meg O'Shea, Canada Plastics Pact
• Sadie Fox, Sustainable Fox
• Gillian Orris, Gillian Orris Consulting / Canada Games Council

Finding Innovations and Solutions

This full-day online event takes place on Sunday, January 19 from 10am to 4pm, via Zoom.

Register

trellis.org/masterrecyclerconference2025

Our Speakers

Emily McGill, 
Compostable Field Testing Program / BSIbio

How well does certified compostable foodware break down in real-world compost operations? Come hear the results of 10 years of field testing data from across North America. Emily will present the Compostable Field Testing Program's interactive dashboard, share key takeaways from the field test results, and discuss the implications for composters, highlighting the value of real-world data and both the promise and problems with compostable products.

Andrea McKenzie, 
City of Vancouver

Zero Waste 2040 progress report
Andrea will provide an overview on the progress of the Zero Waste 2040 strategic plan which envisions Vancouver as a zero waste community by 2040. This 5-year update highlights progress since 2018, including a 36% reduction in landfill and incinerator waste compared to 2008. The City, alongside residents, governments, businesses, and non-profits, has advanced numerous zero waste initiatives and is focusing on strategic actions like collaboration, external funding, expanded outreach, and low-cost programs to overcome resource constraints and competing priorities.

Meg O'Shea, 
Canada Plastics Pact

Canada's Plastic Flows: Data and Industry Action Against Plastic Pollution
Meg's session will explore critical data from CPP’s Progress Update to their baseline study, revealing insights into plastic volumes, locations, and end states across Canada. Meg will highlight strategies being implemented by CPP Partners to:

•  Reduce overall plastic use
•  Eliminate harmful plastics
• Increase use of recycled plastics
•  Improve recycling systems

Conference Details

The Conference will be held on Zoom. Please ensure that you have the latest version of Zoom before the Conference. 

Zoom Notes:
- You are not required to be on video, or to speak at any time unless you want to!
- You can always mute your sound as needed to take a break
- Each session will have built-in Q&A time
- The Conference and sessions will not be recorded
- Please do not share the Zoom link to keep the Conference to registered guests :)

Why does the MRV Conference exist?
You may have heard of a little event called the Vancouver Zero Waste Conference and maybe even have attended it. The conference is now a high powered corporate event with innovating and exciting international and local speakers. Over the years, the cost has risen and attracted a corporate and government attendance, making it difficult for the community to access this culture.

To address this, members of the SPEC Zero-Waste Committee and Master Recycler Vancouver have created a conference tapered to the local community rather than to industry. The vision finally came to fruition in 2020 albeit in a surprisingly different format than originally planned, and that was quite alright! The first conference featured 10 sessions, attracted over 50 attendees from all cohorts and the community, and was a much needed connection point for Master Recyclers and the community alike.

We are thankful to bring this virtual space into existence with your help and support!