"I saw a couple of talks in AI from past two, three years… The talk that I heard from you is completely different. Of course, it's an excellent talk."
Raj Sunkara
Co-director and Director of Events, CO IN Symposium
Case study · RECYNOVA 2026
Helping an industry navigate AI without the hype.
At RECYNOVA 2026 in Las Vegas, Galina delivered a keynote designed to replace AI anxiety with practical confidence for the people who run critical recycling infrastructure.
- Event
- RECYNOVA 2026 · Las Vegas, Nevada
- Keynote
- How to Keep Up When Technology Rewrites the Rules
- Panel
- From Innovation to Commercialization: Accelerating the Future of Recycling through Industry, Startups, and Strategic Partnerships
- Audience
- Recycling and waste management executives, researchers, sustainability leaders and industry professionals
The challenge
Innovate without breaking what works.
For organizations operating critical infrastructure, adopting new technology isn't as simple as moving fast and breaking things.
Recycling and waste management professionals oversee expensive equipment, complex operations, environmental compliance and the livelihoods of their employees. Meanwhile, constant AI headlines, predictions about job displacement and pressure to adopt the latest tools can leave even experienced leaders feeling behind.
The approach
From anxiety to practical confidence.
Drawing on enterprise AI experience and firsthand interviews with business operators through Artificial Reality, Galina explored:
- 01What's working: Real examples of companies using AI to eliminate repetitive work and improve productivity.
- 02What's broken: Where AI falls short when it meets complex workflows, industry-specific requirements and human judgment.
- 03What comes next: Practical AI opportunities for recycling and waste management, from material recovery and regulatory research to new markets for recovered materials.
Rather than advocating disruption for its own sake, Galina introduced a five-step approach: understand the work, solve one meaningful problem, learn together, preserve human judgment and measure the results.
AI is not a replacement strategy. It's an enablement strategy.
Galina also joined the panel From Innovation to Commercialization: Accelerating the Future of Recycling through Industry, Startups, and Strategic Partnerships, bringing the operator's view of adoption to the conversation about moving recycling innovation into the market.
In the room
The keynote and the panel at RECYNOVA 2026.
From the organizer
Mahi M
Conference Manager, RECYNOVA 2026
"We are absolutely thrilled to feature Galina Fendikevich. Her dynamic presentation brought phenomenal energy to the stage, sharing crucial insights on how to adapt, innovate, and stay ahead when rapid technological advancements rewrite the rules of our industry."
The audience response
A message worth bringing back to the team.
Kate Bartelt planned to bring the message about manufactured urgency back to her colleagues, along with an Artificial Reality interview showing how engineers used AI to eliminate repetitive work. Alka Bhide intended to take the small-steps approach back to her organization.
"One of the pieces that really stood out to me was the conversation around urgency… I think that's really going to land well with myself and my team."
Kate Bartelt
Sustainability and Resiliency Lead, HDR
"Galina was very interesting in her presentations here at this conference, and I love how she covers so many different subjects and is so versed at all of them."
Doug Kobold
Executive Director, California Product Stewardship Council
"I really liked Galina's talk specifically on how technology can improve efficiencies by automating processes that are existing pain points."
Alka Bhide
Head of Climate Research, Glass Lewis
"One of the most important takeaways I walked away with was there's no need to panic… After hearing Galina's talk, there are quite a few use cases."
Rahul Khandelwal
Business Director, GTC Vorro Technology
"I like the point that AIs are not going to replace you. They will make you work much more effective… a better worker and more efficient at your job, rather than worrying about you losing your job to AI."
Upendra Singh
Former VP of Research and Chief Scientist at the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC)
The takeaway
Technology changes. Successful adoption starts with the people who understand the work.
Professionals don't need another warning about disruption. They need credible examples, practical guidance and confidence that they can navigate change, without dismissing the expertise they've spent years developing.
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