OARA and ARC executive director Wally Dingman says Canadian recyclers returned from this year’s United Recyclers Group conference facing many of the same operational and regulatory pressures as recyclers in the United States.
The annual conference, held May 7 to 9 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, included sessions covering insurer relations, recycled-parts sales, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, inventory management, production efficiency and digital workflow systems. The program also featured vendor exhibitions, networking events, production and sales training sessions and meetings involving Team PRP recyclers.
Speaking after the event, Dingman said one of the most useful aspects of the conference was the breadth of recycler-oriented educational sessions.
“I liked the multiple room sessions running concurrently — maybe a few too many as it was impossible to get to them all,” Dingman said. “The content for recyclers was great.”
According to Dingman, discussions in Denver reinforced how closely aligned Canadian and American recyclers remain on industry concerns.
“Our issues are very similar,” he said. “We face the same issues, including the frustration over cross-border issues.”
Dingman said staffing shortages and changing legislation remain major concerns on both sides of the boarder.
“They are the same — staffing issues, evolving legislation that could negatively affect recyclers.”
Conference sessions covered insurer relations, recycled-parts sales, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, inventory management and production systems.
Electric vehicle dismantling and recycled-parts sales were discussed during the event, although Dingman said the level of EV-related discussion was lower than expected.
Artificial intelligence remained a major topic throughout the conference.
“AI was a big part of the sessions and discussions — similar to the recent OARA convention,” Dingman said.
Despite ongoing operational pressures, Dingman said discussions with recyclers from across North America left him optimistic about the industry’s direction.
“Talked to a lot of smart people who are very engaged and putting in the effort,” he said. “I am optimistic.”
