Waste Expo 2014
Just went to the Waste Expo that is being held here this year in Atlanta. And since Soap Warehouse in just the past few years has been moving in to this industry to sell cleaning products I decided to go and check it out.
This is three day event with the first day starting with a normal Key note followed by different class offerings and panels. Day two and three also have break out meetings but most of the attention shifts to the Exhibit Hall.
I walked the entire floor, some isles more than once, passing every one of the over 540 exhibitors. There was every thing to do with the Waste Industry, from safety gear for the workers to every type of waste container you could imagine big and small, trash cans of all styles and type, many lockable to keep out everything from rats to raccoons and bears. Trash receptacles for events that are reusable to disposable. Larger commercial containers, some in the same old steel varieties to many made of newer lighter space age plastics that even them selves can be recycled.
Just like at the trucks shows we go to there where the large booths of motorized equipment from small vacuum litter collectors to massive Caterpillar landfill movers. Compactors and Shredding machines for everything from paper to cars. Not to mention all the different sizes and types of waste, aka garbage trucks, that are currently being made. There were top loaders, side loader, home trashcan pick up and dump machines of all sorts, mini trucks to collect in small areas like tight motor home parks. Not to mention all the machines made to move containers, like roll loaders, hook and hoist trucks.
Going Green and recycling was a big part of this show with one entire area, 12 exhibitors, devoted to new types of recycling, Organics and Composting, from home size units to turning entire landfills into one gigantic compost methane gas/energy producing farm. The rest of the recycling was through out the show with things like separators, sorters, and trucks that could pick up and separately store different types for transportation, thus eliminating multiple runs with multiple vehicles to cover the same route.
Another large number of booths at this show was soft ware, programs to manage fleet routes, maintenance and entire waste management systems in Quickbooks style called WasteBooks and a major industry player Soft-pak.
And although the cleaning industry was not left out it was not a large segment either. The companies that were in attendance where less than 10 in number; Hotsy, Aaladin, Power Kleen, Hydro Chem, InterClean, Neptune Wash, Concrete Washout, Aaqua Tools and Fleetwash.
The swag at this show was also cool, over a dozen different types of garbage truck, cans and equipment stress squeezers, mini trash cans metal and plastic, the usual candy, pens and drink coozies, new smash lights (flattened led flash lights), items for your smart phone from phone stands, screen wipe pads to my favorite a Smart Wallet (a rubber stretchable pouch that attaches to the back of your phone to store 1-2 cards like an ID and Credit card). Even big items like ear buds, safety glasses, work gloves, tumblers, plastic trash containers for your car, T-shirts, ball caps, biker dew caps, and stuffed animals. One company RDK Truck Sales even was giving away no less than $200 every half hour (had to be present to win) at their booth for both days.
All in all this was a jam packed day for me from 10-3 with just 20 minutes for a quick lunch but I can say it was educational and interesting to see what the Waste Industry has to show. Now I can only work and see if the 7-8 company contacts I made become Soap Warehouse customers.
