They say trash is the invisible service - roll it out to the curb and it disappears. But for those of us in the industry, it is anything but invisible. It is many things; it is trash, recyclables, organics, hazardous materials, C&D, and e-waste. It can live forever in landfill, get a new chance at life as a different product made from recycled materials, or be the feedstock for the production of electricity.

                At the SWANA Western Regional Symposium (WRS) the first week of April in Palm Springs, we'll have the opportunity to talk trash, trade ideas, learn from the successes and mistakes of others, and most importantly, connect on a personal level with people who love trash with a passion the way we do.

                WRS is jam-packed with 35 presentations covering a diverse range of topics as well as featuring more than 30 prominent service and product providers ready to help you conquer challenges and be even more successful. It would be impossible to do justice to each of the experts presenting and to cover all the important topics, but there are a few special guests we'd like to tell you about.

                Lee Silber is a dynamic entrepreneur opening the WRS on Tuesday morning telling us 'to take this job - and love it!' Lee has an unshakable belief in the creativity and innovative spirit of the American employee and knows that everyone is able to contribute to the growth and success of the organization. We need to give them the opportunity to help us all succeed!

                We've heard the saying "buy locally." What about "dispose locally"? Trash is not, actually, a local issue - it's global.   The founders of Project Kaisei will be on hand to teach us about their scientific work related to the Texas sized patch of garbage floating in the Pacific Ocean. How can it be returned to land and repurposed? It will be interesting to hear their thoughts on the Japanese tsunami debris anticipated to arrive on the west coast during the coming year.

                Qualcomm participated with MIT on the Trash Track project which tracked how far waste actually traveled after the consumer disposed of it via inGeotm GPS technology. (You will be surprised!)

                Various WRS sessions will look at the complex area of organics: how to plan facilities, implement collection programs, discuss the legislation and changing regulations, and even address the sticky question - is compostable picnic ware really compostable?

                Landfill covers and landfill closures are certainly areas of interest to many of us and will be discussed by a variety of professionals. We'll also get an update on Puente Hills' closure.

                Partnering and integrating complimentary functions has garnered a lot of attention the past few years. One session is dedicated to discussing how the waste and energy industries can beneficially work together. We are also fortunate to feature a hot new entrepreneurial company 'ecoATM.' Their shopping malls kiosks conveniently recycle old cell phones and disburse payment to the recycler.

                Connect with http://www.socalswana.org/western.html to see the entire program of events via the link under Technical Sessions. WRS-Palm Springs is an event not to be missed!

                Join us the first week of April for these presentations and many other exciting sights and sounds (but not smells) of trash - the invisible service that is anything but invisible to us!