Circular Arizona’s 2025 Circular Economy Symposium showcases innovation, collaboration, and community
Nazario Prieto, Phoenix Water Assistant Director, delivers opening keynote. Photo courtesy City of Phoenix.
Phoenix, Ariz. — Circular Arizona hosted its largest-ever Circular Economy Symposium and Vendor Showcase on September 18-19, 2025, bringing together more than 150 industry professionals, local and state leaders, nonprofits, and academics at On Jackson in downtown Phoenix. The annual event highlighted groundbreaking strategies, partnerships, and technologies advancing circularity and waste diversion across Arizona and beyond.
“This year’s Symposium was truly a celebration of momentum,” said Ryan Gurr, Circular Arizona Coordinator. “From public sector leadership to entrepreneurial innovation, we saw inspiring examples of how circularity is taking root in our communities and industries.”
Keynote Perspectives: Expanding What Circularity Means
The Symposium featured an extraordinary lineup of keynote speakers, showcasing the diverse ways a circular economy can take shape:
Nazario Prieto (City of Phoenix) shared how advanced water reuse systems are redefining resilience in the face of drought and scarcity.
Sherri Barry (FABRIC) spotlighted circular fashion models that make sustainable apparel accessible for designers and consumers alike.
Grace Widseth (Arbor Day Foundation) illustrated how trees are the perfect example of circularity in nature, and how urban forestry can contribute to a circular economy in communities.
Tom Mehlert (Grand Canyon University CityServe) reflected on decades of leadership in electronic reuse and the importance of connecting technology access with sustainability.
Colin Tetreault (EY) challenged attendees to address our current “polycrisis economy,” urging a transformation toward sufficiency, equity, systems thinking, and human and planetary flourishing.
Julie Ries (Greater Phoenix Economic Council) emphasized the role of economic development in scaling circular practices across industries.
Ginger Sykes Torres (Local First Arizona), a member of the Navajo Nation, offered an especially moving closing keynote. She reminded attendees that in her culture, “sustainability was simply responsibility,” calling on the audience to view circular practices not as optional innovations, but as essential duties to one another and to future generations.
Ginger’s words, coupled with the breadth of perspectives shared by keynote speakers, left attendees inspired to imagine a circular economy that is not only efficient but also just, inclusive, and deeply rooted in responsibility.
Attendees collaborate during a reuse ecosystem workshop.
Sessions, Startups, and Collaboration
Throughout the Symposium, more than 40 speakers led sessions on:
National-scale reuse systems at Grand Canyon National Park — Upstream
Circular design and construction practices — Goodmans, Imagine General Contracting, 180 Degrees Design + Build, WoodSyn, Circular Earth
Circular textiles through cross-sector collaboration — WM, Goodwill of Central & Northern Arizona, Reju
Circularity initiatives on university campuses — Republic Services, Arizona State University, Grand Canyon University
Sustainable remodeling and the Triple R Certification program — Stardust
Tribal Nation leadership in sustainability — San Carlos Apache Tribe, Navajo Nation, Local First Arizona
Storytelling, public education, and marketing to advance circularity — Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Church & Dwight Co., Inc.
Food waste and organics diversion — City of Flagstaff, Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, Compost Crowd, City of Phoenix, City of Tucson
Advancing circularity through municipal–brand collaboration at Phoenix’s MRF — City of Phoenix, Church & Dwight Co., Inc.
Policy leadership from Arizona municipalities — City of Tempe, City of Mesa, Swire Coca-Cola
Building a regional reuse ecosystem — Stardust, City of Phoenix
The program also featured a fast-paced Circular Startup Speed Dating session, where Arizona entrepreneurs (RecyKleap, Reframe Waste, MyMatR, and RokPaper) pitched innovative business models that advance reuse and recycling.
Attendees explore Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona’s Retail Operations Center.
Day Two: Tours and Experiences
On Sept. 19, participants explored Phoenix’s circular economy in action with immersive tours, including:
Bold Reuse Wash Hub, showcasing reusable packaging systems and sports partnerships.
Keep Phoenix Beautiful’s Pierson Street Community Garden, a community hub for sustainable agriculture.
Arizona Worm Farm, a leader in regenerative agriculture and composting.
Bike Saviours Bicycle Collective, a volunteer-run bike repair and reuse hub.
Goodwill’s Retail Operations Center, where donations are sorted for maximum reuse and recycling.
Westech Recyclers and ER2 Phoenix, advancing electronics reuse, secure recycling, and IT asset recovery.
Becca Cho and Karen Weinstean, RecyKleap, smile at the vendor showcase.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Circular Arizona extends deep gratitude to the sponsors who made the Symposium possible:
Gold Sponsor: Swire Coca-Cola
Meal Sponsors: Circular Services, Kary Environmental Services, Inc., Arizona Product Destruction, Postmates
Event Sponsors: Salt River Project (SRP), Waste Connections of Arizona, Friedman Recycling Companies, NewGen Strategies and Solutions, LLC, Republic Services, SCS Engineers, Stardust
Vendor Showcase Partners: Kary Environmental Services, Inc., WM, Mill x R.City, Westech Recyclers, RecyKleap, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Rehrig Pacific Company, Anco Sanitation Systems, Impact Environmental Group/Olympic Equipment, GreenLight Solutions
Zero Waste Partners: City of Phoenix, Arizona State University’s Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service, Recycled City, Bold Reuse, GreenLight Solutions, Gilded Gatherings Catering
Thanks to our zero waste partners, who supported composting, recycling, reuse, bin guarding, sustainable catering, and materials management strategies, this year’s event achieved a 90% waste diversion rate — preventing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to charging 34,000 smartphones or driving more than 1,000 miles in a car.
Looking Ahead
Circular Arizona will continue building on the success of this year’s Symposium with ongoing programming, resources, and collaborations to accelerate Arizona’s transition to a circular economy — and planning for our next Circular Economy Symposium on March 18-19, 2027!
Circular Arizona envisions an equitable circular economy for a sustainable Arizona. Learn more about our mission at https://circulararizona.org/.
