Renewing Sustaining Members
· Newspaper Association of America
NERC NEWS
· NERC’s Fall ‘07 Conference Planning is Well Underway
· NERC Continues Work On EPP For Businesses
· Spring Board of Director Meeting Minutes Posted
STATE UPDATES
· What’s in Your Medicine Cabinet?
· Keeping the Mercury from Rising
· Upcoming
NEW
· DEP Commissioner Promotes Recycling Policies
· Classroom Presentations & Tours Break Attendance Records
· Next Steps in Vermont’s Waste Prevention Planning Process
· The First Annual
NEWS FROM ADVISORY MEMBERS
· CRRA Upgrades
its
OF GENERAL INTEREST
· Job Opening
– Executive Director, Association of
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NERC's mission is to advance an environmentally sustainable economy by promoting source and toxicity reduction, recycling, and the purchasing of environmentally preferable products and services. |
State and Advisory Member Updates are provided as submissions to NERC and may not reflect the policy or position of the Northeast Recycling Council, Inc.
TOPICS
We are very pleased to share with you the following:
Renewing
Sustaining Members:
· Newspaper Association of America
Thank you!
It is through the active participation and support of its Advisory Members that NERC is able to provide the strength of multi-stakeholder involvement and problem solving.
To see a listing of Advisory Members and the benefits of membership, visit the NERC Advisory Membership web page.
It is the broad spectrum of interests represented by NERC’s Advisory Members and Board Members and their willingness to participate that significantly contributes to the unique and important role that NERC plays in recycling in the region.
New Office Manager Joins NERC Staff
We are delighted to announce that Mr. Moon Morgan ofMoon brings more than 25 years of professional
experience in nonprofit management to his position at NERC. He was General
Manager for Creative Classrooms Inc. and Walnut Hill Seminar House in
Please join us in welcoming Moon to the NERC staff.
NERC’s Fall ‘07 Conference Planning is Well Underway
NERC staff would like to
thank the
Contact Mary Ann Remolador, NERC’s Conference Organizer, if you have any questions regarding the Fall Conference.
Northeast States’ Boat Wrap Survey Prompts Interest in Starting New Boat Wrap Collection & Recycling Program
As part of the preparations
for NERC’s Spring ’07 Conference, staff surveyed the ten Northeast
states on the boat wrap collection and recycling programs being implemented in
each state. Directly after the
Conference, the summary of survey responses was posted on NERC’s website
at http://www.nerc.org/adobe/BoatWrapCollectionSurveyResponses_FINAL.pdf. As a result, a woman from
This inquiry is a great
example of an ad hoc request we get at NERC, the process used for responding to
inquiries, and how the responses can lead to recycling market development
opportunities. Inquiries from
the general public account for approximately 25% of the calls we get. In this case, NERC staff knew from the
survey that there is no specific person working on boat wrap in
For additional information, contact Mary Ann Remolador, NERC’s Assistant Director
NERC Continues Work On EPP For Businesses
NERC staff continues to promote its Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Peer-to-Peer Business Mentoring project and tools by making presentations at state events--the Federation of New York Solid Waste & Recycling Conference on May 8, and the 7th Annual South Texas Resource Recovery Roundtable on Green Purchasing on June 8. The PowerPoint presentation from these presentations will be available on NERC’s website in mid-June.
A Guide to EPP Mentoring is available that describes the peer-to-peer mentoring process and how it can be replicated.
For additional information, contact Mary Ann Remolador, NERC’s Assistant Director
Spring Board of Director Meeting Minutes Posted
Minutes from the March 15, 2007 NERC Board of Directors meeting are now posted.
Advice from
the
Have you looked in your medicine cabinet lately? You might find unused prescription medicines, expired over-the-counter products like aspirin, cold remedies, vitamins and supplements, even pet medications. Do you think that flushing them down the toilet or the sink is the best way to get rid of them?
Drugs in the water, even in highly diluted concentrations, can have adverse effects on fish and other aquatic wildlife. For example, estrogen and estrogen-mimicking compounds have been shown to cause a “feminization” of some kinds of fish.
Health care facilities and businesses are regulated and have systems in place to safely dispose of pharmaceuticals and hazardous wastes. But individuals have fewer options. However, we can do our part to prevent environmental damage by disposing of these products in the best way possible -- by safely putting them in the trash.
The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection recommends that you carefully follow these steps before you put any medicines in the trash:
1. Keep the medication in its original container.
§ To protect privacy and discourage misuse of the prescription, cross out the patient’s name with a permanent maker or duct tape the label.
2. Modify the medications to discourage consumption.
§ For solid medications, such as pills or capsules: add a small amount of water to at least partially dissolve them.
§ For liquid medications: add enough table salt, flour, charcoal, or nontoxic powdered spice, such as turmeric or mustard to make a pungent, unsightly mixture that discourages anyone from eating it.
§ For blister packs: wrap the blister packages containing pills in multiple layers of duct or other opaque tape.
3. Seal and conceal.
§ Tape the medication container lid shut with packing or duct tape.
§ Place it inside a non-transparent bag or container such as an empty yogurt or margarine tub to ensure that the contents cannot be seen. Do not conceal medicines in food products because animals could inadvertently consume them.
4. Discard the container in your garbage can. Do not place in your recycling bin!
To find out how to dispose of other medicines and medical supplies, go to www.ct.gov/dep/p2 under the Individuals/Family section and look for the table in Disposing of Prescription Medicines and Over-the-Counter (OTC) Products.
You may know that the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection has a new plan in place to manage the state’s trash through the year 2024. However, what you may not know is that you can play a big role in helping accomplish the goals set out in the State’s Solid Waste Management Plan by being part of the Advisory Committee.
CT DEP needs creative ideas to meet some very challenging goals that have been set, like doubling the current rate of recycling, dealing with issues such as electronic wastes, getting the toxics out, reducing the amount of packaging, and composting.
Membership in the new Advisory Committee is open to anyone. Meetings will be held on the fourth Tuesday of each month. For more information on getting involved visit the website at www.ct.gov/dep/swmp or contact Tessa Gutowski.
Mercury has become a household word. Statewide, there has been a
tremendous effort over the past five years to educate residents about the
dangers of mercury, and laws have been put in place to ban the sale of many
products that contain mercury. Mercury thermostats, blood pressure cuffs and fever thermometers are
among those products that are no longer available in
While most people know that thermometers and thermostats have mercury, many may not realize that compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) also contain a small amount, about 5 mg, and need to be disposed of properly. However, since CFLs are much more energy efficient than regular (incandescent) bulbs, and last almost 10 times longer, using them reduces mercury emissions. This is because burning fossil fuels to produce electricity releases mercury into the environment, and incandescent bulbs use more electricity.
When CFLs burn out they should be recycled at a
household hazardous waste (HHW) collection and not just thrown in the
trash. To find out when
Significant statutory changes to the Massachusetts Toxics
Use Reduction Act (TURA) now allow resource conservation planning and
environmental management systems (
The TURA statutory changes provide new flexibility for TURA filers that may not have significant remaining TUR opportunities to focus on source reduction opportunities in water, energy, solid waste, or non-TURA regulated chemicals and to identify facility improvements that result in both economic and environmental benefits. The first opportunity for alternative planning will be the 2008 TURA planning cycle.
The TURA planning regulations are now being revised by MassDEP, along with specific guidance materials. MassDEP expects to go out to public comment with these changes in July 2007 with the goal of issuing final regulations and guidance in January 2008. Proposed regulations will be posted on the MassDEP web site at http://www.mass.gov/dep/service/regulations/newregs.htm. For more information on TURA visit http://www.mass.gov/dep/toxics/toxicsus.htm. For more information or questions on the planning changes, please contact Julia Wolfe.
The next Massachusetts WasteWise Forum will be held on Thursday, June 21st at Worcester State College. The theme of the forum is "Don't Waste Our Climate". Speakers will be discussing relationships between waste and climate. Learn how to calculate your greenhouse gas emissions and ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Case studies presented by WasteWise members will demonstrate corporate climate change initiatives taking place locally. A tour of Worcester State College's "single stream" recycling program will be conducted after the technical session. This event is open to current and prospective WasteWise members. For more information, contact Morgan Harriman.
In keeping with its theme Gaining Ground in Organics Recycling, the MassDEP's 7th Organics Recycling Summit held on March 6th, experienced its largest attendance yet, with nearly 220 attendees from 16 states. Conference participants were able to visit with 22 exhibitors, hear presentations on anaerobic digestion, commercial organics collections programs, expanding municipal yard waste programs to include food waste and purchasing biodegradable food service ware. In addition, MassDEP incorporated biodegradable plates and cutlery into all meals. MassDEP also offered site tours the following day to WeCare Organics, a commercial composting facility in Marlboro, Whole Foods Market in Bellingham, a MassDEP certified supermarket and Groundscapes Express in Wrentham, a compost facility and erosion control and landscape company. PowerPoint presentations can be obtained by contacting Morgan Harriman.
NEW
DEP Commissioner Promotes Recycling Policies
The Garden State remains a national leader in reducing the amount of solid waste it sends to landfills but must do more to reverse sagging municipal recycling rates, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson said during ceremonies marking the 20th anniversary of the landmark law that made New Jersey the first state to make recycling mandatory.
“Two decades ago, New Jersey became the first state to require recycling because we were facing a dire shortage of landfill space,’’ she said during ceremonies commemorating the Statewide Mandatory Source Separation and Recycling Act of 1987.
“Recycling remains just as relevant today, and has implications for the future of our entire planet,’’ she continued. Equally important in the battle against global warming, making products from recycled aluminum, paper and glass requires a small fraction of the energy needed to make the same products from raw materials, Commissioner Jackson added.
Meanwhile, the Department’s Reinvigorating Recycling Work Group has recommended an action plan that includes development of a new “branded” recycling message; increased enforcement for achieving recycling goals; and development of legislative initiatives to, among other things, reduce packaging and increase recycling of electronics.
DEP’s Bureau of Recycling and Planning has also commissioned a survey of state residents to help state and local governments better understand what levels of convenience and other factors would boost public involvement in recycling. Survey results will be released later this year.
More information on recycling in New Jersey, including county-by-county breakdowns of recycling rates, visit http://www.nj.gov/dep/dshw/recycling/.
Commissioner Jackson recognized the following during the recycling law commemoration:
The Association of New Jersey Recyclers - For more than 20 years, ANJR has represented the interests of hundreds of local recycling coordinators in New Jersey.
Converted Organics - Converted Organics was issued a permit to build and operate an in-vessel digesting facility at Bayshore Recycling Corp. in Woodbridge. This will be the first of its kind on a large scale in the nation. It will take 500 tons per day of food waste and convert it into a soil amendment for farming.
Hesstech, LLC - Since its inception 10 years ago, Edison-based electronics recycler Hesstech has maintained a policy of not sending toxic materials to landfills or overseas. The company has more than tripled its processing facility, and now utilizes more than 50,000 square feet of processing space.
PSEG - As a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency WasteWise Hall-of-Fame member, PSEG has reduced waste dramatically since forming its Resource Recovery Group in 1993. PSEG has always been a premier member of the New Jersey WasteWise Business Network and is a member of DEP’s Reinvigorating Recycling initiative.
Steel Recycling Institute - Steel is the most recycled material in North America, surpassing the tonnage of recycled paper, plastic, aluminum and glass combined. The Steel Recycling Institute is dedicated to lessening the environmental impact of steel production.
Rutgers University - Rutgers finished in first place overall in this year’s RecycleMania, a nationwide recycling competition held on more than 200 college campuses. Rutgers recycled 50 percent more than the next finisher. The University was tops in the food-service recycling category and took second place in the collection of bottles and cans.
Valerie Montecalvo of Bayshore Recycling Corp. - Montecalvo started Bayshore Recycling Corporation in Woodbridge in 1995. Since that time, she has developed the company to include the Converted Organics facility.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2 - EPA’s regional office in New York City has assisted New Jersey’s Reinvigorating Recycling initiative by dedicating the services of its WasteWise contractors to provide technical assistance to promote and refine recycling practices for businesses. Using the NJ WasteWise Business Network as a forum, technical assistance will be offered to businesses interactively through workshops.
Zozzaro Industries - Zozzaro Industries is a 65-year-old company and recycling pioneer in New Jersey. In a single shift, the Clifton facility generates more products per square foot than any other recycling plant in the country. They are already the single largest paper processor in the state, managing the paper marketing responsibilities for more than 100 New Jersey counties and municipalities.
For further information, contact Dana Coyle.
Classroom Presentations & Tours Breaking Attendance Records at R.I. Resource Recovery
At Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, tours of the Central Landfill and MRF have been more popular than ever since the beginning of this fiscal year.
Since July 1, they have welcomed 152 classroom
tours. Educators also travel to classrooms to speak to schools that are
unable to visit RIRRC headquarters. To date, 318 presentations have been given at schools throughout
“We’ve broken all records with attendance so far this year,” said Paul A. Caccia, education/waste prevention coordinator at RIRRC. “Between our tours and classroom presentations, we have reached more than 60,000 students with our educational programming here at our facilities and out in the classrooms. Up until a few years ago, we were reaching 8,000-10,000 students annually, which was a number to be proud of. But the program has really grown by leaps and bounds in the last two years, allowing us to accommodate many more visitors.”
In 2005, the tour of the Central Landfill was named “Best Field Trip” by Rhode Island Monthly.
Next Steps in
Over 100 people participated in the Agency of Natural Resources Waste Prevention Forum on April 12. The Forum was the first step of the Agency’s stakeholder driven process to develop a state wide waste prevention plan.
As a follow-up to the Forum, the Agency is forming a statewide Waste Prevention Steering Group to include representatives from each of the major stakeholder categories (including environmental, retail, manufacturing, groceries, ski areas, hospitality, healthcare, waste haulers, disposal facilities, waste managers, institutions, education, colleges/Universities, legislature, agriculture, food service, offices, builders, contractors, reuse and C&D businesses, architects, engineers). The Steering Group’s charge will be to work with DEC to guide the development of an action-oriented Vermont Waste Prevention Plan.
If you missed the Forum, but are interested in seeing the presentations, they are now posted on the Waste Prevention Planning page at http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/wastediv/R3/conference.htm.
The Waste Prevention Planning Home Page is at http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/wastediv/R3/DECwpPLAN.htm.
For more information, contact Carolyn Grodinsky.
The First Annual
On March 29, the Agency of
Natural Resources held the First Annual
Vermont Organic Summit - Gearing Up for the Challenge. Over 100 people participated. The
A new web page is under development that will include most of the PowerPoint presentations presented at the conference. If you did not attend the conference but would like to be on future summit and follow-up notification lists please contact Vicky Viens.
The Business Environmental Partnership, in conjunction with Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and the Vermont Environmental Consortium, is launching a free environmental networking series. Quarterly events will focus on creating a venue for Vermont business to network and learn about a variety of environmental topics. Future events will focus on “green” purchasing, energy efficiency, climate change, “green” building, and others.
Does your organization utilize an outside printer for jobs like annual reports, business cards, marketing materials, and letterhead? Did you realize there are ways to make your print jobs more environmentally friendly? Come learn from the experts what options are available to “green-up” your print jobs. Representatives from Hull Printing will cover how to pick a “green” print shop and detail environmentally preferable paper and ink options.
Contact Peter Crawford to register.
NEWS FROM ADVISORY MEMBERS
CRRA Upgrades
its
The
Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority (CRRA) has received a modified solid waste permit to construct and operate an intermediate processing facility in
New processing equipment includes an eddy current separator for segregating aluminum, and infrared optical scanner for sorting plastics, a disc screen for segregating cardboard from other fiber, and a glass beneficiation process designed to produce a marketable glass product. The new equipment will significantly enhance the facility’s operational efficiency. This modification increases the facility’s daily capacity from 210 tons per day (TPD) to 560 TPD.
This
facility will continue to support CRRA’s Mid-Connecticut Project, which
provides solid waste recycling, resource recovery, and disposal services to 70
municipalities in
For more information, contact Peter Egan, Director of Environmental Affairs & Development
From
Curbside Value Partnership – and so can you! In the spot, consumers are educated on
the ease and importance of curbside recycling and are asked to go on-line to
find out how they can participate locally.
And… it works! Since December, when it was launched,
the “Desperate Housewives” PSA has already aired almost 1,000
times. The RE3 program in
Earth911.org.
Communities interested in ordering their free copy should log-on to www.recyclecurbside.org.
WeRecycle!,
Inc., is expanding its recycling capacity by opening a new facility just
outside of
WeRecycle!’s new facility will use cutting edge technology to guarantee data destruction, while recycling in an environmentally responsible manner. The facility’s demanufacturing process will be highly automated, and includes a 300 HP Quad Shredder specifically engineered to process electronics.
For more information, contact Colleen Molloy, Marketing Coordinator, WeRecycle!, Inc.
OF GENERAL INTEREST
Job Opening
– Executive Director, Association of
25-year old, environmental,
non-profit based in
