They Might Not Be Crazy: Working With People You Disagree With (And Might Not Even Like)

Most workplace conflicts don’t come from bad intentions—they come from misunderstanding. When tension and disengagement are at an all-time high, the best leaders don’t avoid tough conversations; they master them. In this engaging and eye-opening keynote, Dallin Cooper reveals how to transform conflict into connection, build a culture of collaboration, and lead with confidence.

PROP is excited to welcome Dallin Cooper to the annual conference. He is a down-to-earth, straight shooter, with a golden nugget of a message, and we cannot wait for you meet him.

Join us for our 35th Annual Recycling & Organics Conference on July 23 - 25, 2025 to hear the latest recycling market news, attend sessions to build your knowledge on educating the public, find solutions to challenges, and network with colleagues.  Conference Attendees and Exhibitors will enjoy the networking, sessions, plenaries, and certification classes that will be available. Preconference Certification & Organics Track Classes will be held on Tuesday, July 22nd.

The Conference Committee has been hard at work building an outstanding program for the 2025 Conference.  We are currently working on speakers / presenters for each of the subjects that were chosen with suggestions from the committee and evaluations from the 2024 conference. Scroll to the bottom of the page to Register for the conference.

We have a designated Organics Track this year at the conference. In coordination with the PROP Certification Committee, the PROP Organics Committee is starting our Certified Compost Professional (CCP) Certification.  Starting in February 2025 through the PROP Conference you will have opportunities to take classes and attend events to acquire the amount of credits/hours of training to sit for a test at the PROP 2025 Conference, pass the test, and have your Certified Compost Professional (CCP) Certificate awarded to you at the PROP Awards Banquet on Thursday July 24th.

Conference Schedule / Attendee Information / Exhibitor Information
Sponsorships Available / Booklet Advertising / Sponsorship Perks

A brief overview of what each day looks like:

Pre-Conference, Tuesday July 22: Certification classes:

• Multi-stop Reuse Tour: Construction Junction / Pittsburgh Center for Reuse / Michael Brothers
• “Can You Hear Me Now?”  How to Identify and Communicate with Your Diverse Cultural and Linguistic Communities Using Easy-to-Access Tools
• Organics | Tour, Hands-on, Onsite, & Theory (Required for CCP)

Wednesday, July 23:

• Breakfast & Meet the Exhibitors
• Recycling Multi-Family Units / Apartments
• Organics | Siting the Compost Facility / Design & Layout (Required for CCP)
• Keynote Message | They Might Not Be Crazy: Working With People You Disagree With (And Might Not Even Like)
• Land Reclamation Repurposing Session
• Organics | Compost Business and Economics (Required for CCP)
• Anti-Littering & Recycling Enforcement
• Recycling Coordinators Corner / Town Hall
• PROP Annual Picnic at Knob Hill Community Park

Thursday, July 24:

• Breakfast with the Exhibitors
• Morning Plenary - Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Recycling
  
• Organics | Odor Generation & Control, Surface Water Control (Required for CCP)
• HHW Collections – Multi County Event Based Programs
• Glass Recycling Session
• Contract Development
• Battery Session #1 - PA RMC & PA DEP
• Lunch & Members Meeting
• Legislative Updates Plenary
• Waste Management for Events & Venues
• Battery Session #2 - Steinert US & Call2Recycle
• Circular Economy – Bridging the Gap Between Traditional Recycling & Circularity
• Youth Education – Updates to the State Environmental Standards
• Thursday Evening Reception/Banquet & Awards Ceremony

Friday, July 25th

• Breakfast
• Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center Plenary
• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Plenary