*Agenda Subject to Change
2026 Conference Agenda
Sunday, February 22, 2026
12:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Registration Hours
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Welcome Reception
Sponsored by our Gold Sponsors
Monday, February 23, 2026
7:00 AM
Registration Opens
7:00 AM - 8:15 AM
Breakfast
8:30 AM to 9:45 AM
Welcome & In Conversation with John Casella
9:45 AM to 10:00 AM
Coffee Break & Poster Viewing
Sponsored by GHD
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Session 1
Track A: Evaluation of Liners (Room: Desert Vista 1)
- Effect of Polymer on Water Retention Behavior of Bentonite-Polymer Geosynthetic Clay Liner
Kuo Tian, George Mason University - Geocomposite/Geomembrane Interface Shear Testing: Implications for a California Landfill
Lindsey Angell, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. - Stability Takes Work: Energy Required to Shear Geocomposite-Geomembrane Interfaces
Jeffrey Kuhn, TRI Environmental - Are Subtitle D Liners Effective in Containing PFAS?
Craig H. Benson, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Track B: Leachate Management & Treatment I (Room: Desert Vista 2)
- Case Study: Iterative Solutions for H2S in Leachate
Samuel Nicolai, Casella Waste Systems - Photodegradation of Landfill Leachate Induced Refractory Dissolved Organic Nitrogen and Its Impact on Algal Growth in Estuaries
Renzun Zhao, North Carolina A&T State University - Enhancing Landfill Operations Through Leachate Data Management Solutions
Xin Peng, Geosyntec Consultants - Integrated Foam Fractionation and Supercritical Water Oxidation for PFAS Remediation in High-Volume Waste Streams: Field Application Results
Rick Gillespie, Revive Environmental
Track C: Temporal & Geospatial Variability in Methane Emissions (Room: Grand Salon E-H)
- A Survey of Methane Emissions from North American Municipal Solid Waste Landfills using High-resolution Greenhouse Gas Emissions Monitoring from Space Provided by GHGSat
Halley Brantley, WM - Investigating Fugitive Methane Emissions from Different Landfill Covers and Evaluating Diurnal Variability
Tawsif Sultan Raaz, University of Delaware - Active Work Face Emissions: An Important Opportunity for Reducing Methane Emissions in Waste Management
Meaghan Amaral, FluxLab - Temporal Variability of Subsurface Landfill Gas Composition: Implications for CALMIM Model Accuracy and Emission Calculations
Ramin Yazdani, University of California at Davis-Air Quality Research Center
11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Lunch & Poster Viewing
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Session 2
Track A: Managing Elevated Temperatures in Landfills (Room: Desert Vista 1)
- Heat Generation, Storage, and Retention Mechanisms in Elevated Temperature Landfills: Insights from Site-Scale Modeling and Field Data
Terry Johnson, WM, Inc. - Numerical Modeling of Heat Extraction from Elevated Temperature Landfills Using Insights from the Geothermal Energy Industry
Richard Holt, RESPEC Company, LLC - Evaluation of ETLF Progression Through Surface Settlement Analysis
Troy Kechely, Blue Ridge Services
Track B: Leachate Management & Treatment II (Room: Desert Vista 2)
- UF Membrane Operation Best Practices & RO Membranes Capacity Effects on Leachate Treatment Plant Operation
Ronald Overholt, US Water Industrial Group - Landfill Leachate Pre-Treatment: A Case Study
Steve Batiste, Brown and Caldwell - Mobile Leachate Evaporation – 24/7/365 via a Redesigned, Fan-Driven, Attached Evaporative Process
Brad Granley, Leachate Management Specialists
Track C: Methane Emissions: Detection, Drivers, and Control (Room: Grand Salon E-H)
- Analysis of Continuous Monitoring Data with Inverse Atmospheric Models to Improve Landfill Gas Emissions Data and Elucidate Drivers of Emissions
James Tinjum, University of Wisconsin-Madison - Investigating the Relationship Between Landfill Gas Collection and Airborne Methane Emissions
Melinda Sims, LoCI Controls, Inc. - From Above and From Within: Linking Visibility and Control in Landfill Methane Emissions and Gas Collection Performance
Tarek Abichou, FAMU-FSU
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
Coffee Break & Poster Viewing
3:15 PM - 4:45 PM
Session 3
Track A: Settlement & Stability (Room: Desert Vista 1)
- Final Cover Slide – A Case Study
Samuel Nicolai, Casella Waste Systems - Settlement Accommodation Plan Permitting and Implementation at the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill
Matt Reardon, SWACO - Jonathan Niemec, Civil & Environmental Consultants - Final Cover Drainage: Design for Maximum Airspace and Anticipated Differential Settlement
Katie Kinley, HDR - Three-Dimensional Slope Stability Analysis in Support of a Minor Mod Permit Application
Livingstone Dumenu, Geosyntec Consultants
Track B: Connecting PFAS Policy & Operations (Room: Desert Vista 2)
- Connecting PFAS Policy & Operations Panel
Moderator: Anne Germain, National Waste & Recycling Association - Joe Benco, Republic Services - Stephanie Bolyard, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality - Sean McGinnis, COEFFICIENT
Track C: Implications of Microplastics in Waste (Room: Grand Salon E-H)
- Microplastics in Solid Waste Streams: Research Needs and Gaps in Research Methodology
Victoria Hoffmann, UNC- Charlotte - Microplastics in Waste Management
Zhiyong Xia, GHD - Examining the Fate and Persistence of Microplastics During Dry Thermophilic Anaerobic Digestion of Organic Waste Streams
Shera Campini, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Special Session: International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) and the Global Waste Landscape (Room: Desert Vista 2)
Moderator: Morton Barlaz, NC State University
James Law, SCS Engineers & ISWA President
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Reception
Sponsored by The Water & Carbon Group
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
7:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Breakfast
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Session 4
Track A: Landfill Covers (Room: Desert Vista 1)
- Quantifying Electrical Leak Location Testing Effectiveness
Abigail Gilson, TRI Environmental, Inc. - Assessing Field Performance of an Exposed Geomembrane Cover
Donald Hullings, Tetra Tech - New Polymer Modified GCLs for Capping Applications
Michael Donovan, CETCO - Feedback on Long-term Integrity of Multi-linear Drainage Geocomposites Installed on Landfill Final Covers after 10 and 12 years of Operation
Jared Hett, Afitex-Texel
Track B: PFAS Behavior During Water and Wastewater Treatment (Room: Desert Vista 2)
- Evaluating and Implementing a Leachate PFAS Treatment Solution
Arie Kremen, Tetra Tech - Fate of PFAS Compounds in a Leachate Evaporator with a Venturi Scrubber
Russell Keckler, Aptim Environmental & Infrastructure, LLC - Electrochemical Destruction of PFAS in Landfill Leachate-Derived Streams Using Axine’s electraCLEAR™ Technology
Victor Leung, Axine Water Technologies - Investigating PFAS Fate in Anaerobic Processes Via Targeted and Non-Targeted Characterization
Christelle Bou Nehme Sawaya, University of Southern California
Track C: SWM Planning & Modeling (Room: Grand Salon E-H)
- Solid Waste Master Planning: Unique Challenges and Creative Solutions for Remote Areas
Sean O'Donnell, Geosyntec Consultants - Life Cycle Assessment of Municipal Solid Waste Management Options in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Nepal
Mohan B. Dangi, California State University - Promoting Education and Engagement in Solid Waste Services: Leveraging Data to Highlight Landfill Contributions to Local Community Sustainability
Kate Howe, Weaver Consultants Group - The Friction of Sustainability: From Proximity to Spatial Potential in Neighborhood Waste Planning
Ga-In Sim, EPFL
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Coffee Break & Poster Viewing
Sponsored by Vecoplan
10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Session 5
Track A: Emissions Measurement & Monitoring (Room: Desert Vista 1)
- Fixed Point Methane Monitoring for Landfill Emissions Detection
Md Elius, University of California Berkeley
- Estimation of Whole-Landfill Emissions Using Surface Emissions Monitoring (SEM) Data Coupled with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Modeling
Raf Crowley, University of Central Florida - Addressing Emission Variability in Landfills: A Multi-Site, Multi-Tier Methane Monitoring Approach Using Satellites and Aircraft
Krishna Kataria, GHGSAT - Ami Bryant, WM - Advances and Uncertainties: Understanding the Performance of Landfill Methane Measurement Solutions in Controlled Release Experiments
Tarek Abichou, FAMU-FSU - Regina Gonzalez Moguel, FluxLab
Track B: PFAS Storage & Cycling (Room: Desert Vista 2)
- Investigating PFAS Content and Leaching Potential of Automotive Shredder Residue
Erin Bulson, WM Inc. - The Unique Distribution Pattern of PFAS in Landfill Organics
Syeed Md Iskander, North Dakota State University - Digging Deeper into PFAS in MSW: Large-Scale Extraction and Landfill Sequestration Assessment
Milind Khire, UNC Charlotte - PFAS Transport and Mass Balance Between A Wastewater Treatment Plant and A Landfill: Lessons Learned for PFAS Treatment and Management
Lingke Zeng, Sanborn Head & Associates, Inc
Track C: Effectiveness of Recycling Programs (Room: Grand Salon E-H)
- Which Program Has the Cleanest Recyclables? Examining Contamination Levels in Single-Stream and Dual-Stream Recycling in New York State
Firman Firmansyah, Waste Data & Analysis Center, Stony Brook University - A Data-Driven Approach for Predicting and Reducing Recycling Contamination in Single-Family Households
Jiannan "Nick" Chen, University of Central Florida - Flexible Film Recovery in California: 2026
JD Lindeberg, Resource Recycling Systems
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Lunch & Poster Viewing
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Session 6
Track A: Special Applications in PFAS Management (Room: Desert Vista 1)
- Phyto-Enhanced In-Situ Retention of PFAS to Treat Groundwater
Leonard Mankowski, WSP - Novel Wastewater Treatment Process for PFAS Removal
Paul Rodriguez, Emerging Compounds Treatment Technologies, Inc (ECT2) - Benefits of Surface Modified Clays in PFAS Management for Landfills
Michael Donovan, CETCO - Collaborative Approach to Managing PFAS in Biosolids
Andrew Safulko, Brown and Caldwell
Track B: Operations Guided Landfill Design (Room: Desert Vista 2)
- Innovative LF Expansion Case Study- Waste Excavation for MSE Berm Construction
Christopher Dohner, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. - 20-Plus Years of Monitoring of Mechanically Stabilized Earth Perimeter Berms for Landfill Containment
Frank Adams, WSP USA Inc. - Alternate Compaction Criteria for Cap Recompacted Soil Barriers and Relationship to Hydraulic Conductivity
Jeremy Heyerly, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. - Augmenting MSW Landfill Liquid Removal with Integrated Multi-Level Collectors
Brian Barninger, BEL Environmental Engineering
Track C: Case Studies in Composting (Room: Grand Salon E-H)
- Enhancing Circularity and Building Resilience in Compost Facility Design: A Case Study from Tulare, CA
Meggy Gidula, Brown and Caldwell - Challenges and Progress in Composting Facility Permitting in California: A GreenWaste Case Study
Lindsey Angell, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. - Meeting Stringent Contamination Standards in Compost in a Novel Digestion Facility Treating Source Separated Organics
Luc De Baere, Dranco Inc. - Survey, Testing and Mitigation of Persistent Herbicides in Municipal Solid Waste Composts
Frederick Michel, Ohio State University
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Coffee Break & Poster Viewing
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Session 7
Track A: Final Covers & Closure (Room: Desert Vista 1)
- Broome County NY Landfill Reclamation
Bradford Smith, GHD - Optimizing Landfill Closure: A Comparative Evaluation of Synthetic Turf Geomembrane Systems and Application at the Colton Sanitary Landfill
Brian Reyes, SWT Engineering, Inc. - Brownfields Redevelopment of a Capped Former Landfill in Baltimore
Samantha Howell, Geosyntec Consultants - Benefits of Prescriptive Vegetation on Closure Surfaces
Christopher Garaventa, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. - Gretchen Addington, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.
Track B: PFAS in Landfill Gas (Room: Desert Vista 2)
- Characterization and Quantification of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Landfill Gas from U.S. Landfills
Florentino De la Cruz, University of North Florida - Air Dispersion Modeling to Evaluate Downwind PFAS Concentrations from Landfill Gas Emissions
Regan Welch, Geosyntec Consultants - Experience with EPA Other Test Method 45 (OTM-45) for PFAS Emissions Testing at Municipal Waste Combustors
Michael Van Brunt, Reworld - PFAS Behavior in Solid Waste Combustion Treatment at Landfills
Appala Raju Badireddy, University of Vermont
Track C: State CH4 Emission Regulations & the Intersection with Operations Discussion (Room: Grand Salon E-H)
- Veronica Pardo, Resource Recovery Coalition of California - Timothy Taylor, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment - Mike Thomson, GFL Environmental
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
7:00 AM - 8:15 AM
Breakfast
8:15 AM - 9:45 AM
Session 8
Track A: Advances in Anaerobic Digestion (Room: Desert Vista 1)
- Machine Learning for Predicting and Optimizing the Performance of an Anaerobic Digester with Diverse Feedstocks and Operating Conditions
Fei Long, Oregon State University - City of Toronto AD & RNG Facilities
Dilshad Mondegarian, GHD Services Inc. - Performance Evaluation of an Anaerobic Composter for Organic Waste Diversion: Operational Lessons and Future Directions
Kyuhwan "Kevin" Shim, Yolo County Integrated Waste Management Division
Track B: Landfill Gas Management (Room: Desert Vista 1)
- Sustainable, Complete Removal of Hydrogen Sulfide from a Major Construction Waste Landfill
Deane Little, New Sky Energy - Tier 3 NMOC Testing Using New Technologies
Matt Stutz, Weaver Consultants Group - Kinetic Evaluation of the Thermal Decomposition of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Waste Management Systems
Happiness Mbando, University of North Florida
Track C: Applications of AI in Solid Waste Systems (Room: Grand Salon E-H)
- From Stone Age to Space Age: Use of AI in SWM
Bryan Staley, Environmental Research & Education Foundation - Internet of Waste: Low-Cost Sensor Network and Portable AI Model for Quantifying Recyclable Cross Contamination in Saint Louis, MO
Orhun Aydin, Saint Louis University - How AI is Transforming MRF Operations and Efficiency
Sylvain Auger, Machinex Technologies
9:45 AM - 10:15 AM
Coffee Break & Poster Viewing
10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
Session 9
Track A: Odor Management (Room: Desert Vista 1)
- Field Study: Performance Evaluation of Municipal Solid Waste Exposed Working Face Odor Neutralizer (ExWON) Using QuikAir V
Emmanuel Varona-Torres, Weaver Consultants Group - Odor Allocation / Attribution Using Ultra-Low Real Time Analytical Capability and Deep Data Analysis to Fingerprint Facilities
Steven E. Yuchs, PhD, Montrose Environmental Group - Odor Control and Abatement in the Solid Waste Management System
Sarah Ledogar, Environmental Research & Education Foundation
Track B: Foam Fractionation to Remove PFAS in Leachate (Room: Desert Vista 2)
- PFAS Treatment: From Liability to Leadership
Nicolas Ganzon, The Water & Carbon Group - Improved Treatment of PFAS Contaminated Water and Wastewater for Foam Fractionation Utilizing Gas Nanobubbles
Richard Nie, StreamGo Water Solutions Inc. - PFAS Removal from Landfill Leachate: Pilot Study of Efficiency, Air Emissions, and Foamate Management
Lingke Zeng, Sanborn Head & Associates, Inc
Track C: Evaluating SWM Policy & Protocols (Room: Grand Salon E-H)
- Understanding the Efficacy of EPR: Current State of Knowledge
Suzie Boxman, Environmental Research & Education Foundation - Does New York's Bottle Bill Still Work? A Material-Specific Comparison of Deposit and Non-Deposit Containers in Waste Stream’s Composition
Firman Firmansyah, Waste Data & Analysis Center, Stony Brook University - Assessment of Value Chain Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting at U.S. Solid Waste Management Companies
Erica Higa, University of Pennsylvania/Waga Energy
12:30 PM
Golf
Sponsored by Chesapeake Containment Systems Inc. & Pump One Environmental, LLC
