Alexandria, Va. – The Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS) and 5th Intercontinental Landfill Research Symposium (ICLRS), held consecutively and in cooperation, on September 7-12, 2008 at the Copper Mountain Conference Center, Colorado served as a forum for the presentation of both applied and fundamental research and case studies on solid waste management and landfills. Participants included designers, facility owners and operators, policy makers, university researchers, government agencies, waste service companies, consultants, vendors, members of leading trade organizations, and scientific foundations. The symposiums attracted more than 600 people from the national and international community.