National Zero Waste Conference

The National Zero Waste Conference 2026, organized by Zero Waste USA with partners TRUE, GreenEducation.US, the Zero Waste International Alliance, Race to Zero Waste, and Zero Waste San Diego, is an annual two-day virtual conference held October 21–22, 2026 via Zoom. The event convenes waste diversion practitioners, municipal officials, business sustainability leaders, institutional managers, and zero-waste advocates across two focused tracks: Zero Waste for Businesses and Institutions (October 21) and Zero Waste Communities (October 22). Sessions address circular economy design principles, food waste reduction and composting systems, recycling program optimization and contamination reduction, product redesign and sustainable packaging innovation, and policy tools including plastic bans, extended producer responsibility, and variable-rate pricing mechanisms. The conference emphasizes landfill methane mitigation through waste diversion, aligns zero-waste strategies with municipal climate action plans, and facilitates networking among practitioners advancing the circular economy transition.