Attending Wastecon is a great opportunity to renew old acquaintances and make new friends. As anyone in the solid waste industry will tell you the people in the business tend to stay in the business, they just change companies every so often as the industry changes or grows. Attending Wastecon gives you an opportunity to collect new business cards from old friends and find out what part of the industry they are currently focused, where they are now living and what changes have occurred in their personal lives. It's a time to sit down and talk about the good old days, weather that was last year or 20 years ago. A great time to tell war stories and learn what not to do.
Why I remember back in the day moving a 500 gallon propane tank from one test site to another in northern Jersey. My union crew wanted to help out and move the tank before I arrived on site, when I got there they were just starting to lift the tank onto a flatbed truck, when the tank spun and a lifting chain caught the fill valve and tore it off the tank, did I mention the tank was almost full? Anyway when the valve came off, it let out a deafening roar as propane escaped from the hole left by the broken valve, the loader operator lifting the tank bailed off his machine and headed for the hills, as did me and everyone else nearby. We took cover behind a dirt berm, I immediately called the propane company and shouted for help, they arrived within 15 minutes and joined us behind the dirt berm assessing the situation. The smell of propane was thick in the air, when one of the propane companies men crept out from behind the berm and moved toward the tank slowly. When he got to the tank he pulled out a wooden plug and a large brass hammer and pounded the plug into the screaming hole, everything got very quiet and the ordeal was over. I'll never do that again. That story while 100% true is only the tip of the iceberg . Come to Wastecon see old friends and hear many more stories with lessons well worth the price of admission.
bp