Where the Illinois recycling community shows up.
Connect with recycling professionals across Illinois through educational webinars, facility tours, workshops, and networking events — all year long.
Flexible films: market insights, recyclability, and EPR
Join the Illinois Recycling Foundation and the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) for a planned one-hour webinar exploring FPA’s forthcoming report on flexible films in the U.S. market and what its findings can mean for Illinois.
Tentative: Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 2–3 p.m. Central. Date and presenter are pending confirmation. Live online via Zoom; registration and access details coming soon.
Proposed presenter: Dan Felton, Flexible Packaging Association, with presentation development by Kyla Fisher, FPA.
What the session will explore
- The types of flexible films in the U.S. market, including polyethylene, polypropylene, and multilayer packaging.
- How the report defines recyclability across film-to-film recycling, durable products, and advanced recycling, including current limitations.
- Opportunities and challenges for incorporating post-consumer recycled content.
- How market and recyclability findings can inform realistic extended producer responsibility (EPR) goals and policy design in Illinois.
Designed for recycling coordinators, local governments, collectors, processors, manufacturers, educators, and others interested in flexible-film recovery. The presentation will focus on the report’s data and practical implications for recycling and policy.
Report access: The webinar is planned to follow the report’s public release so attendees can download it and explore the findings. The report link will be added when available.
Presented by IRF with sponsorship support from the Flexible Packaging Association.
More in the series · Topics under development
- Retail collection and verification: A potential FFRA session on the plasticfilm.org directory, its developing validation framework, downstream tracking, and the Minnesota consumer campaign planned for 2027. A government perspective is also being explored.
- End markets: A possible panel connecting collection, processing, and manufacturing, including film-to-film, durable-product, and advanced-recycling perspectives. Topics may include material specifications, transportation economics, and demand for recovered material.
- Reduction and reuse: A possible future session on practical strategies and reusable-bag initiatives.
These follow-up sessions are proposals. Dates, speakers, and sponsorships have not been finalized.
Questions? Contact IRF.
The 2027 Illinois Circularity Conference
Two days with the municipalities, haulers, processors, and policymakers shaping recycling in Illinois.
June 2–3, 2027 in Springfield — connect with the statewide materials management community.
Missed 2026? Read the recap or browse the 2026 archive.
Title sponsorship for 2027 is open.
The conference reaches the people who actually move material in Illinois — recycling coordinators, public works directors, haulers, processors, manufacturers, and state agency staff. Connect your organization with the statewide recycling community.
Explore title sponsorship, additional sponsorship levels, and exhibitor opportunities on the conference website.
Register for ICC 2027
Attendee and sponsor registration for the Illinois Circularity Conference, June 2–3 in Springfield. Choose your registration type below.
Three ways to plug into the network
Educational webinars
Learn from industry experts about the latest recycling technologies, policies, and best practices shaping Illinois' circular economy — with member benefits available by membership level.
Facility tours
Visit recycling facilities and see operations firsthand. Network with professionals and gain insight into how modern recycling actually runs.
Networking events
Connect with recycling coordinators, haulers, processors, and sustainability advocates at community gatherings and the statewide conference.
The best seat in the house is a member's.
Explore membership options for event benefits and Material Matters in your inbox each month.