The Organics Recycling Conference (ORC) will run June 15-16, 2027, at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, returning to the city as organizers position the event against a backdrop of tightening organics diversion policy across U.S. states and municipalities.

Recycling Today Media Group, the organizer behind the event, frames the 2027 edition around the scale of the material stream at stake: organic waste currently accounts for roughly two-thirds of the U.S. waste stream. That figure anchors the conference agenda, which targets operators, investors and regulators deciding where processing capacity and infrastructure dollars go next.

The two-day program will cover new and innovative methods for diverting more organic waste from landfills; strategies for determining which streams are easiest and hardest to access; opportunities for taking organic material to its highest and best use; and case studies highlighting successful operations. The agenda reflects the practical questions facing operators — which feedstocks can actually be secured under contract, and which end markets justify the capital cost of processing capacity.

Organizers say the conference connects attendees with decision-makers and influencers driving investments in programs, processing capacity and infrastructure for organics streams. The stakeholder list is deliberately broad. Targeted attendees include waste-to-energy companies, food producers and manufacturers, agricultural and animal feed producers, and recycling and waste management firms. The event also courts regulators, legislators, trade associations and investors, including private equity firms — a signal that organics infrastructure is increasingly viewed as an investable asset class rather than a municipal compliance cost.

The regulatory context gives the gathering its urgency. While some states and municipalities are leading the charge on organic waste diversion, the discussion is widespread and growing nationwide, according to the organizer. Landfill bans, food waste separation mandates and procurement targets in various jurisdictions are pushing waste management operators to build or contract composting and anaerobic digestion capacity, and the conference aims to serve as the venue where those projects find partners and capital.

For operators in the composting, anaerobic digestion and waste-to-energy segments, the program's emphasis on stream accessibility speaks to a persistent constraint: contamination, collection logistics and generator participation determine whether a diversion mandate translates into quality tonnage at the receiving facility. Case studies of successful operations are intended to shorten that learning curve.

Registration information for the 2027 edition will be announced soon. Sponsorship opportunities and additional details are available through OrganicsRecyclingConference.com.

The next milestone to watch is the registration and program rollout, which will show which operators, agencies and investors commit to Nashville — and which segments of the organics supply chain the organizer considers most active heading into 2027.