Speakers will be shared here as the program is confirmed in the next two months
Keynotes
Crystal Dreisbach
Upstream
Crystal Dreisbach has spent 15 years proving that reuse must transform from niche alternative to economic norm. As an early operator of reuse systems, she developed first-of-its-kind solutions including tech-enabled logistics, commercial wash infrastructure, and municipal integration models. Her core insight: treating reusable packaging as circulating assets — not disposable commodities — builds economically resilient systems while addressing the climate crisis. She now leads Upstream, a nonprofit organization that creates the enabling conditions for the reuse economy to scale through policy, financing, and cultural transformation. Crystal’s work has been featured on PBS, NPR, Fast Company, The Guardian, The Washington Post, and Packaging Dive. She holds an MPH and is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer.
Session Speakers
Alicia Aikens
Fashion Takes Action
Alicia Aikens is the coordinator of the Canadian Circular Textiles Consortium, a multi-stakeholder initiative conveened by Fashion Takes Action. She is a passionate organizer and researcher with nearly a decade of experience in the Environmental and Social Sustainability space. While working with FTA she has contributed to the development of resources such as the Canadian Circular Design Toolkit, a Circular Textile Map, and ongoing research for the CCTC’s Made in Canada Solutions and Circular Business Models projects.
In 2019, she co-founded Solacene, a multifaceted project dedicated to imagining and empowering a future that is sustainable, beautiful, and tactile. Inspired by the historic role of fashion in social movements, she approaches fashion as a tool for addressing the ecological and humanitarian crises we are facing today. Her work blends creative expression with interdisciplinary thinking, rooted in a belief that meaningful change must be both grounded and imaginative.
Charles Binks-Collier
Circulr
Charles is the Chief Executive Officer of Circulr, a reuse service provider specializing in the Consumer Packaged Goods sector. In this role, leveraging his previous experience at Lactalis Canada, Charles collaborates with producers and retailers to develop highly effective reusable packaging programs. Circulr is a partner solution provider for The Reuse City Canada Project and other active reuse systems. Charles holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Charlotte Genge
Charlotte Genge is an engineer, entrepreneur, and circular economy strategist specializing in the intersection of waste systems, research, and organizational strategy. As Owner and Principal of EnsembleCo Consulting and Senior Project Manager with the National Association for Charitable Textile Recycling (NACTR), she works with nonprofits, businesses, governments, and industry partners to turn complex sustainability challenges into practical strategies.
Charlotte leads applied research on textile waste, reuse, recycling, consumer behaviour, and downstream markets, including Textile Transformation Nova Scotia, a multi-phase initiative examining the infrastructure and market conditions needed to advance textile circularity. Her broader consulting work spans waste management, strategic planning, social enterprise, sustainability, and the built environment.
She is also the founder of The Great Swap, a community reuse initiative demonstrating how local action can extend product life, divert textiles, and strengthen communities.
Christina Seidel
sonnevera international corp.
Christina holds a PhD in Engineering Management and has an extensive background in Circular Economy and waste reduction. She operates sonnevera international corp., a waste reduction consulting firm, and was the Executive Director of the Recycling Council of Alberta for over 30 years, where she was very involved in the waste management policy development arena and led Circular Economy and EPR advocacy efforts. She chaired the Canadian Standards Association Plastics Recycling: Definitions, Reporting and Measuring technical committee and is also an adjunct professor in the Engineering Faculty at the University of Alberta
Claire Theaker-Brown
Theaker Co.
Claire’s work bridges industry, policy, and academia in pursuit of a scalable, inclusive Canadian circular textile economy. In her consulting practice, Theaker Co., she equips teams with internal and external circular textiles education, practice, and programming. Claire is also researching the viability of industry-scale textile repair practices, and maintains an advisory role at her B Corp-Certified brand, Unbelts.
Known for finding common ground among diverse stakeholders and for her multi-dimensional approaches to solving “wicked problems,” Claire is an Edify Top 40 Under 40 alumna, TEDxShanghai presenter, and Edmonton Community Impact Award recipient. She lives in Edmonton with her spectacular kiddos, Penelope and Theodore.
Ed Gugenheimer
Alberta Recycling Management Authority
As Chief Executive Officer of Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA), Ed Gugenheimer draws on his nearly thirty years of experience in executive leadership, fiscal governance, and operational expertise to shape Alberta’s waste management future.
In his role, Ed has been instrumental in advancing the organization’s mission and long-term impact. Under his leadership, ARMA adopted its forward-looking vision, Inspiring a Future Without Waste. Thanks to his expertise in financial management, risk oversight, and building strong organizational cultures, ARMA continues to advance government and industry policy and approaches in sustainability and recycling.
ARMA’s work, guided by Ed’s leadership, demonstrates his ingenuity and commitment to delivering results for Alberta. Most notably, Ed oversaw the successful launch of Alberta’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system—an innovative program that shifts the responsibility for recycling from municipalities to producers. Ed has also led the expansion of electronics recycling to more than 500 devices and was recently selected by the Government of Alberta to steward North America’s first renewables recycling program, including solar panels, EV batteries, and wind turbine electrical components.
Looking ahead, Ed is keen to build on ARMA’s 34-year legacy through innovation and a shared perseverance to secure Alberta’s position as a global leader in the circular economy.
Ed is a Chartered Professional Accountant with strong financial acumen and a history of supporting organizations across diverse sectors. Outside work, Ed enjoys time at the lake and is actively involved in leadership, stewardship, and community development through volunteer work. He lives in Edmonton with his wife, Leanne, and their son, Addison.
Elena Mantagaris
Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR)
Elena Mantagaris has over 30 years of experience establishing partnerships with Canada’s governments and communities to advance large-scale projects subject to regulatory review and public scrutiny in the energy, chemistry & plastics, mining, transportation, technology, and cultural sectors. She has led the development of strategies, communications plans, and public affairs approaches for organisations.
As lead for Canada’s plastics industry association, she advocated for extended producer responsibility programs and investments in recycling infrastructure to divert materials from landfills and transform waste into a resource. Working with federal and provincial jurisdictions across the country, she helped reshape the relationship between the sector and governments by positioning industry as a partner and technology solution provider with a shared vision for zero plastic waste in a low-carbon circular economy.
Elena’s current work with the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) in Canada is aimed at advancing government policies focused on creating recycled content minimum requirements informed by preferred design and traceability requirements, as represented by the APR Design® Guide and APR PCR Certification program. In addition, she leads collaboration efforts with Canada’s Producer Responsibility Organisations resulting in national adoption of the APR Design® Guide and joint government advocacy on issues of shared interest, particularly as it relates to stabilising volatile recycling markets.
Emma Swabey
Delve Recycled
Emma is a community builder, emergent strategist, and micro-recycler. She founded Delve Recycled in 2024, a micro-recycling studio that collects local plastic waste and transforms it into products, programs, and possibilities. LoopLAB, Delve’s mobile recycling studio, visits classrooms and communities to chase one moment – the sparkle in someone’s eye when they flip into creativity mode around plastic waste, recycling, and climate action. Emma brings the perspective to this year’s RCA conference that small-scale actions, like micro-recycling, are a way to engage community, inspire action, and be a case study/example/experience that makes our customers, clients, and community feel that big change is possible, and that they’re part of it.
Hakim Habani
ECO Canada
Hakim Habani is a Project Coordinator within ECO Canada’s Professional Services division. For nearly two years, he has been a key contributor to Project IGNITE, a national initiative focused on advancing workforce development and accelerating the adoption of practices and technologies that support Canada’s transition to a low-carbon economy.
In this role, Hakim has delivered training programs across Canada in greenhouse gas (GHG) management, GHG measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), and low-carbon technologies. He works closely with organizations across a range of sectors, including waste management and the broader circular economy, helping them build the internal capacity to measure, manage, and report emissions in alignment with leading frameworks and standards, including the GHG Protocol, ISO 14064, and IPCC guidance.
Hakim holds a Bachelor’s degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences and a Master’s degree in Geosciences from the University of Lorraine, France. His academic background provides the scientific foundation for his practical, evidence-based approach to emissions management, climate action planning, and sustainability training.
At the 2026 Recycling Council of Alberta Circular Economy Conference, Catch the Wave, Hakim will present a session on GHG Management. Participants will be guided through the key components of developing and managing a credible GHG inventory, from establishing organizational and operational boundaries to identifying emission sources and prioritizing reduction opportunities. Drawing on a case study from the waste and circular economy sector, the session will demonstrate how organizations can transform emissions data into practical, defensible reduction strategies while supporting compliance, circularity objectives, and net-zero commitments.
Lori Koebel
ABCRC
Lori Koebel is Vice President, Sustainability & Stakeholder Relations at the Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation (ABCRC), where she leads sustainability, communications and stakeholder engagement initiatives supporting Alberta’s beverage container recycling system.
She works closely with industry and research partners on practical approaches to improving recycling outcomes and advancing circularity. Lori serves on the Circular Plastics Taskforce and on boards and advisory groups across Canada’s recycling and sustainability sector.
She brings extensive experience in deposit return systems, extended producer responsibility and stakeholder engagement, with a practical perspective on how policy, system operations and industry collaboration can drive better recycling outcomes
Mackenzie Brown
Warrior Women
A multidisciplinary creative, Kamâmak is a muralist, painter, traditional crafts artist, drummer, and singer. She performs nationally and internationally with Warrior Women, a performance and teaching duo she created with her mother. Her work is grounded in Cree culture and language, which she continues to revitalize through public art, education, and weekly Cree-language classes. Recognized with numerous awards — including Calgary Mayors indigenous Artist of the Year 2025 and Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 — she is dedicated to fostering connection, understanding, and cultural pride through every facet of her practice.
Marika Smith
City of Victoria
Marika Smith is the Lead for Solid Waste Reduction for the City of Victoria’s Zero Waste Team, where she leads the single-use items reduction and reuse policy work. She has a background in industrial compost science and a MSc with a research focus on microplastics contamination in soil systems, with additional certifications in behavioural science as it applies to waste reduction.
Martha McCabe
Prolink Insurance
Martha McCabe (PROLINK) is a risk advisor specializing in technology and green sector organizations, helping companies turn risk management into a strategic advantage. As a two-time Olympian, and entrepreneur, she understands firsthand the challenges of building resilient organizations while pursuing growth and innovation. Drawing on her experience in elite sport and business leadership, Martha helps founders and leadership teams anticipate risk, protect company value, and focus on scaling with confidence.
Peter Duck
Peter holds a Master Degree in Environmental Studies with a background that ranges from hydrometeorology to wildlife ecology and environmental impact assessment. He his career has included working for the Canadian Parks Agency’s interpretive program in Banff and Jasper National Parks planning and producing a variety heritage interpretation exhibits and programmes. Mr. Duck has also worked independently as an interpretive naturalist and natural history instructor for many years.
Past activities have also included serving as a wildlife technician for ecological land classifications including caribou and grizzly bear habitat evaluations. Peter is active as an advocate for environmental sustainability and has served on a number of local and national environmental advisory committees. Following his retirement from 16 years as Regional Coordinator for the Bow Valley Waste Management Commission he has continued as president of the Bow Valley Naturalist Society which has been promoting ecosystem ecological integrity in Banff National Park since 1967. In 2025 Peter was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his community work in environmental protection.
Rustam Punja
Heidelberg Materials
Rustam Punja is the Alternative Fuels Manager with Heidelberg Materials who has spent more than 14 years in the cement industry advancing circular economy solutions through the beneficial reuse of waste materials. Based in Western Canada, he works with municipalities, industry partners, and suppliers to source and commercialize alternative fuels and raw materials, including RDF, plastics, and construction waste, supporting Heidelberg Materials’ Edmonton cement plant and its decarbonization goals.
Sam Punian
Alberta Bottle Depot Association
Samreet (Sam) Punian is an Edmonton-based entrepreneur who leads operations across his family’s beverage container recycling facilities in Alberta, driving the sustainability initiatives, process automation, and operational strategy behind their day-to-day recycling operations. He holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alberta and began his career working on large-scale infrastructure projects with EllisDon and Colas Canada, including the Southeast Valley Line LRT, the Stadium LRT Redevelopment, and Valley Line West LRT.
Samreet serves as Vice-Chair of the Alberta Bottle Depot Association, where he engages with provincial stakeholders and contributes to industry policy on behalf of Alberta’s depot operators. He also sits on the board of the Edmonton Community Adult Learning Association, a non-profit that funds adult literacy and upgrading programs across the city. Drawing on his background in engineering and infrastructure delivery, Samreet brings an operator’s perspective to the recycling and sustainability challenges facing Alberta’s circular economy — from waste diversion and material recovery to the practical realities of running a depot at scale.
Shawn Samborsky
CORE Environmental
Shawn Samborsky is the President of CORE Environmental, an Edmonton-based environmental services firm with operations from Whitehorse to St. John’s. He has spent 30 years in contaminated sites, hazardous materials and waste management. Shawn’s view is that the best outcomes come from getting clients, stakeholders and regulators into the same conversation. CORE’s key strength is working out an elegant solutions to difficult problems.
At CORE the focus is on valorizing waste rather than burying it. That means recovering value from the streams most people write off, designing recycling and reuse in before the first piece of equipment shows up on site, and delivering outcomes instead of paperwork. The team does the hard work in the hard places. A lot of that is in northern and remote communities, where hauling everything south was never much of an answer. CORE’s Indigenous partnerships aren’t a checkbox. They’re structural to how the company operates.
Shawn is proud of the team he has built and spends a good part of his time mentoring the next generation of environmental professionals. Outside of work he is a dad, a Rotarian, a trail runner and a traveler.
Stephanie Mah
City of Toronto
Stephanie is a Senior Project Lead, Incubation & Design in the Environment, Climate & Forestry Division at the City of Toronto. She contributed to the development of the City’s first 10-Year Circular Economy Road Map, Circular Toronto, which was adopted by Council in November 2025. As part of implementation of Circular Toronto, her work focuses on embedding circular practices into the City’s policies, procurement, design, planning, construction, and operations, collaborating city-wide to reduce waste and encourage sustainable consumption. With over a decade of experience in sustainable city-building, Stephanie brings expertise in systems thinking, strategic planning, circular construction, regenerative design, community engagement, and climate justice.
Stephen Ross
Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
As Collections Supervisor with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB), Stephen Ross oversees a team of 22 employees and a fleet of 18 collection trucks providing curbside service throughout Fort McMurray. From scheduling and weather contingencies to equipment coordination, safety, training and regulatory compliance, his role is as much about leading people as it is about managing operations.
In 2025 alone, Stephen’s team completed more than 1.1 million curbside bin collections. Behind that number is a dedicated team working every day to keep collection services safe, reliable and on schedule.
Over his 12 years with the RMWB, what Stephen is most proud of is the way his team supports one another. Whether covering different areas of the community, responding to operational challenges or stepping in to keep service moving, they consistently demonstrate teamwork and pride in the service they provide. Stephen and his team have worked through some of the most challenging conditions Northern Alberta can deliver, from extreme winter weather to the 2016 Horse River Wildfire, known as “The Beast,” which marked its 10th anniversary this spring. Through it all, the focus has remained the same: supporting one another and providing reliable service to the resilient Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.
Wathma Jayathilake
CSA Group
Wathma Jayathilake is the Program Manager of Environment and Climate Change at CSA Group with over 8 years of standards development experience. Wathma leads the development of standards and standards-based solutions focused on areas like circular economy, reuse, recycling, climate adaptation, environmental management, social sustainability, regenerative agriculture, among other critical topics.
