ESS Expo 2026 has wrapped up, and we had a brilliant two days at the NEC Birmingham.
Across 16–17 September, thousands of people from across the environmental services sector came together to catch up with colleagues, meet new contacts, discover new technology and solutions, and share ideas about what’s next for the industry.
And there was a real buzz around the show floor from the moment the doors opened.
A busy show floor, packed with conversations
With seven co-located events taking place under one roof, there was plenty going on across the two days. From waste and recycling to energy, water, air quality, land remediation and geotechnical engineering, visitors could explore a huge range of products and services, meet suppliers and make new connections.
We were joined by organisations from right across the environmental sector, including FCC Environment, Veolia, Grundon Waste Management, JCB, TOMRA Sorting, Greyparrot, AMP, Environment Agency, Xylem, Emerson, Hach, ENGIE UK, Honeywell, Valmet, Gasmet Technologies, Puragen, Cura Terrae, SoilFLO and many more.
There was plenty to see on the stands too, from AI-powered waste sorting and new waste collection technology to water quality monitoring, autonomous surface vehicles, flood resilience solutions and decarbonisation technologies.
“Extremely productive and worthwhile. Found a load of new suppliers and solutions for my workplace.”
— ESS Expo visitor
For exhibitors, that combination of visitors, conversations and connections was equally valuable:
“2026 was an excellent show, it provided a great opportunity to catch up with existing clients and key people in the industry, as well as meet some new faces from the UK and further afield.”
— ESS Expo exhibitor
Two days of insight and learning
There was just as much happening away from the stands, with a packed programme of sessions across the show.
Visitors had the chance to hear from industry experts, policymakers and sustainability leaders on some of the big issues affecting the sector, with topics including:
- PFAS and ‘forever chemicals’, with Toby Perkins MP, Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, discussing the Committee’s PFAS inquiry and the Government’s PFAS Action Plan.
- Operational resilience, investment and innovation across the waste sector, with industry leaders looking at how the sector is responding to a changing landscape.
- The future of waste collection, including fleet decarbonisation, digital transformation and improving collection performance.
- Scope 3 and supply chain decarbonisation, exploring practical ways businesses can tackle emissions beyond their direct operations.
- Carbon pricing and the expansion of the Emissions Trading Scheme, looking at what changing carbon markets could mean for industry and investment.
- Industrial decarbonisation and carbon capture, including the latest projects moving towards construction.
- easyJet and Google’s work on aviation contrails, exploring how AI and atmospheric data could help reduce aviation’s climate impact.
- Sustainable remediation, looking at how decisions around materials, energy, carbon, waste and cost can be brought together when tackling contaminated land.
- Water innovation, flood resilience and biodiversity, with sessions including Protecting Our Waterways, Raising the Bar on Flood Resilience and Small Sensors, Big Data: Putting AI to Work for Biodiversity, featuring speakers from organisations including the Environment Agency, Southern Water, Northumbrian Water Group, Jacobs, Bristol Water and Imperial College London.
- Air quality and emissions, with sessions covering the 2026 revision of ISO 14001, greenhouse gas compliance, indoor air quality, local government accountability and air pollution and public health.
And that was just a snapshot of what was happening across the theatres, with sessions covering everything from circular economy and biodiversity to net zero, environmental monitoring, geotechnical engineering and the future of sustainable business.
“A great learning experience where you can learn so much in one space, at one time, with everyone who is anyone in waste in the same place.”
— ESS Expo visitor
“The ESS expo provided a great opportunity to meet a wide variety of business across waste and resource management. The talks were accessible and concise, the atmosphere was welcoming, and everything ran smoothly from start to finish.”
— ESS Expo visitor
Take a look back at ESS Expo 2026
The best way to see the atmosphere for yourself is to take a look through our ESS Expo 2026 photo gallery here.
From busy stands and packed theatres to networking, demonstrations and conversations across the show floor, there are plenty of moments to look back on.
Can you spot yourself or your colleagues?
Join us at ESS Expo 2027
And just like that, we’re already looking ahead to next year.
ESS Expo will be back at NEC Birmingham on 15–16 September 2027, bringing the environmental services sector together for another two days of insight, networking, new ideas and connections.
Interested in joining us on the show floor as an exhibitor? Get in touch with our team to find out more about exhibiting opportunities and how you can get involved.
Planning to join us as a visitor? Register your interest for ESS Expo 2027 and be the first to hear when registration opens.
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