Waste World

In this episode of the Waste World Podcast, Gage Edwards spoke with Alexis Wells Carpenter, Chief Innovation Officer at AxNano, about how PFAS are impacting the industry and what it will take to address them. Carpenter highlights how AxNano is focused on moving beyond traditional containment methods by developing technologies that can fully destroy PFAS, particularly through on-site, point-source...

Bank mergers are usually covered in terms of size, speed and regulatory approval. Yet sometimes the most important part is what they mean for the industries those banks serve. That’s what makes this conversation with Joe Ursuy, Executive Vice President, National Businesses for Energy, Renewables, and Waste, so valuable. Following Fifth Third’s acquisition of Comerica, Ursuy finds himself leading a...

In this episode of the Waste World Podcast, Gage Edwards spoke with Valerie Bedrock, Senior Specialist, Material Profiling, Reworld, about how lithium-ion battery fires start and why they are becoming more frequent. Bedrock explained that once batteries are damaged, crushed, or exposed to heat, they can ignite quickly, often in collection trucks or processing facilities where they are difficult to...

In this episode of the Waste World Podcast, Gage Edwards spoke with Stacy Grace, co-founder and CEO of KENT, about how the apparel industry contributes to plastic pollution and what it takes to create truly circular, compostable products. Grace shared that at least two-thirds of clothing today is made from synthetic materials, many of which contain hidden plastics that consumers may not even reali...

In this episode of the Waste World Podcast, Gage Edwards spoke with Joseph Blackman, founder of Vitendo Training Solutions, about how video-based training can help utilities capture knowledge and pass it on to the next generation of workers. Blackman’s approach focuses on turning real-world expertise from veteran operators into short, practical training videos that can be accessed in the field whe...

Cybersecurity is becoming an increasingly critical issue for utilities and infrastructure sectors as digital tools and artificial intelligence reshape operations. In this episode of the Waste World Podcast, Gage Edwards spoke with Brian Westnedge, who leads tech alliances and strategic partnerships for Red Sift, about the growing cybersecurity challenges facing water and wastewater utilities. With...

This week’s episode of the Waste World podcast features a session from WasteExpo 2025 titled “Culture at the Core: Driving Success in the Waste Industry.” The discussion centered on one of the most influential forces behind organizational performance: company culture. From safety and accountability to employee engagement and growth, panelists shared how culture shapes not only internal operations...

In this episode of the Waste World podcast, Gage Edwards sits down with Todd Mathes, CEO of Denali, to explore the fast-evolving world of organics recycling and food waste diversion. The conversation dives into how companies are rethinking waste as a resource and why landfill diversion is gaining urgency across the U.S. Mathes brings more than three decades of operational experience across food ma...

In this episode of the Waste World podcast, Gage Edwards sits down with Jim Cocita and Sam Keenan to unpack the forces shaping mergers and acquisitions across the environmental services sector. The podcast covers what defined 2025, how investor priorities are evolving, and why consolidation continues to reshape the industry.  Jim Cocita, managing director at Brown Gibbons Lang & Company, bring...

On this episode of the Waste World podcast, Gage Edwards recaps his time at Compost 2026 in Sacramento and two Waste360 features that captured the industry’s biggest conversations. Gage breaks down how California’s SB 279 is designed to work alongside SB 1383 to expand composting capacity, ease permitting challenges, and address the state’s growing “homeless biomass” problem.  The episode also hig...

On the Waste World podcast, Gage Edwards chats with Sara Burnett, executive director of ReFED, about why momentum is finally building and how bipartisan policy, private-sector engagement and consumer behavior shifts are starting to move the needle on a system-wide challenge that still sees a large share of food go uneaten. Burnett spent nearly two decades at Panera Bread, where she led clean food,...

In this episode of the Waste World podcast, Gage Edwards is joined by Todd Thomas to examine how AI-driven growth is reshaping waste measurement, material recovery, and private-sector climate leadership. The conversation focuses on why 2026 is shaping up to be a turning point for construction sustainability. Todd Thomas is the founder and CEO of Woodchuck, a climate-tech company using artificial i...

Construction and demolition debris continues to be one of the most significant contributors to global waste generation, presenting both environmental challenges and opportunities for innovation. This episode of the Waste World Podcast features the WasteExpo 2025 panel session titled “C&D Recycling Landscape: The What’s Now & What’s Next,” which brought together industry leaders to examine...

The importance of safety in the waste and recycling industry can’t be more obvious, but some of the most impactful risks are also the easiest to overlook. This episode of the Waste World Podcast features the WasteExpo 2025 session titled “Safety Within Your Walls & Beyond – Shop, Fleet/Equipment & On the Street,” which brought together industry leaders to explore how safety must be address...

As 2025 comes to a close, the Waste World podcast takes a look back on a year of interesting and consequential news from the waste and recycling industry. In this special year-end episode, Gage Edwards counts down the Top 10 most impactful stories published on Waste360.com in 2025, highlighting the top stories from across the industry.  From fire safety and recycling economics to policy shifts, co...

On this episode of the Waste World Podcast, Gage Edwards is joined by Adam Peer, senior director of plastics sustainability at the American Chemistry Council (ACC), for a wide-ranging discussion on how policy, data, and technology are shaping the future of plastics recycling in the U.S. Peer leads ACC’s Plastics Sustainability Team, where he works across the value chain to advance policies and par...

AI is booming and the waste and recycling industry is beginning to see where AI can deliver real, measurable value. From improving fleet safety and operational efficiency to enhancing material sorting and consumer engagement, AI-powered technologies are reshaping how waste is collected, processed, and managed. This week’s episode of the Waste World podcast features a WasteExpo 2025 session titled,...

On this episode of Waste World , Gage brings Andrew Johnston, Vice President of Industrials at Divert, on the show for an in-depth conversation on how Divert is scaling industrial food waste solutions nationwide. Johnston brings a blend of engineering expertise and commercial strategy to one of the most complex areas of wasted food infrastructure, and this episode explores what it really takes to...

In this episode of the Waste World Podcast, Gage Edwards chats with Ben Kuethe Oaks, VP and GM of Retail at Divert, to explore how one of the country’s fastest-growing food waste technology companies is reshaping the retail landscape. With more than 7,500 grocery locations using Divert’s programs today, Ben walks through how retailers are rethinking waste, the operational challenges they face insi...

In this episode of the Waste World Podcast, Gage Edwards is joined by Spencer Williams, CEO and founder of West Paw, a Montana-based pet products company redefining what circularity looks like in the pet industry. The podcast explores the massive volume of pet product waste entering U.S. landfills each year, the misconceptions consumers have about pet toy durability and recyclability, and why the...

From fast fashion to single-use seasonal clothing, millions of garments are produced, purchased, and discarded at a pace our waste systems simply can’t handle. In this episode of the Waste World podcast, Gage Edwards is joined by Lexy Silverstein to dig into the realities behind the clothes we wear, what happens to them after we’re finished, and why it is essential for consumers to act sustainably...

On this episode of The Waste World Podcast, Gage Edwards chats with Joe DiNardi-Mack, CEO and Co-Founder of Sourgum, also known as “the Amazon of waste and recycling.” The podcast explores how the waste and recycling industry can modernize without losing its operational roots. Joe breaks down the challenges of fragmentation, the struggle with contamination, and what technology (including AI and ma...

In this episode of the Waste World Podcast, Gage Edwards chats with Michael Marmo, CEO of CurbWaste, to discuss how AI is reshaping operations for independent waste haulers. As the industry faces increasing regulatory pressure, rising costs, and the push for digital compliance, AI is emerging as a powerful tool to improve efficiency, reduce errors, and enhance service. Marmo brings a unique perspe...

This episode of the Waste World Podcast, Gage Edwards explores how leading waste and recycling companies are addressing the growing global challenge of electronic waste. He examines efforts by organizations such as Blancco Technology Group, ERI, Redwood Materials, MBA Polymers, Upcycle USA, CWG, and Call2Recycle to build a more circular electronics economy.  Gage highlights innovations in secure d...

This episode of the Waste World podcast revisits the panel discussion “Battery Risk Management in the Waste Stream: Detection and Communication Tactics,” where industry experts tackled one of the most urgent safety challenges facing the waste and recycling sector—battery-related fires. The conversation examined how batteries can be identified and managed throughout the waste stream, from curbside...