NERC | Northeast Recycling Council
NERC Email Bulletin – October 2008NERC Celebrates 20 Years of Uniting the Ten Northeastern States
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Eastern Regional Conference |
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TOPICS
MEMBERSHIP
New Sustaining Member
Renewing Supporting Members
- Connecticut Recyclers Coalition
- Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center
- Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
- Rockland County Solid Waste Authority
NERC NEWS
- STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND REGISTER NOW FOR NERC's FALL CONFERENCE!
- Only a Few Exhibit Spaces Left for NERC’s Fall Conference
- Register Now for Free APR Plastics Recycling Workshop
- SEC First Anniversary Celebrated with 3 New Municipal Partners
- Environmental Management Standards for End-of-Life Electronics & Extending Life of Computers Teleconferences
TOXICS IN PACKAGING CLEARINGHOUSE NEWS
STATE UPDATES
MAINE
MASSACHUSETTS
NEW YORK
RHODE ISLAND
ADVISORY MEMBER NEWS
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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.
NERC is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
TOPICS
MEMBERSHIP
We are delighted to welcome a new Supporting Member – the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation. And we welcome the Connecticut Recyclers Coalition, Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and Rockland County Solid Waste Authority as renewing Supporting Members. Thank you!
A hallmark of NERC is the strength of multi-stakeholder involvement and problem solving. This is a direct result of the active participation and support of NERC’s Advisory Members.
To see a listing of Advisory Members and the benefits of membership, visit the NERC Advisory Membership Web page.
The broad spectrum of interests represented by NERC’s Advisory Members and Board Members and their willingness to participate significantly contribute to the unique and important role that NERC plays in recycling in the region.
NERC NEWS
STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING & REGISTER NOW FOR NERC’s FALL CONFERENCE!
Join us on October 28 & 29 for NERC’s Fall Conference at the Hotel Northampton in Massachusetts. And, come one day early to attend the free APR plastics recycling workshop on October 27. Make the most of your budget by attending these two events for the price of one. Full details about the plastics workshop follow below.
NERC’s Conference will address a range of unusual and informative topics:
- Recycling Economic Information Study Update - Get updated on the current economics of the Northeast’s recycling and reuse industries ~ Ted Siegler and Natalie Starr, DSM Environmental Services, Inc.
- Industrial Sectors & Progress in Materials Diversion - Find out how the recyclable materials being generated from industry are being used and the latest information on construction and demolition debris markets ~ Elizabeth Olenbush, Industrial Resources Council and Greg Wirsen, Construction Materials Recycling Association
- Greening the Supply Chain – Learn what private industry is doing to reduce the environmental impact of their core operations ~ Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
- Recycling News Roundtable - An opportunity for business, government, and non-profits to share information on current recycling projects and initiatives.
- Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) Recycling Programs - Learn about best management practices for recycling CFLs, markets for the recovered mercury, and state-sponsored collection programs at hardware stores ~ Terri Goldberg, NEWMOA and Karen Knaebel, VT Department of Environmental Conservation.
- CRT Markets, Issues Affecting Them, & Future Prospects ~ Bob Tonetti, USEPA
- Perspectives on Plastic Bags & Recycling Initiatives – Hear industry and landfill management perspectives on the issues of discarded plastic bags and strategies for dealing with them ~ Sarah Kite, Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation and Patty Moore, Moore Associates
View updates to the Conference agenda and register now online.
Lodging: Rooms are available at the Hotel Northampton by calling (800) 547-3529. Room reservations must be cancelled by noon one week prior to your arrival to avoid charges.
For more information about conference registration and lodging, email Mr. Moon Morgan or call 802 254-3636.
For more information about the Conference agenda or speakers, contact Mary Ann Remolador, NERC’s Conference Organizer and Assistant Director.
Conference Sponsors
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Only a Few Exhibit Spaces Left for NERC’s Fall Conference – Don’t Miss This Event!
Register now to exhibit your company to recycling professionals from the Northeast Region at NERC’s Fall Conference on October 28 - 29 at the Hotel Northampton in Northampton, Massachusetts. No other event gives you the opportunity to display your information in the same room as the conference sessions and gives you the chance to introduce your company with a five-minute presentation.
For more information, go to NERC's conference exhibitor information page.
View the complete agenda and register now online.
For more information about the Conference agenda or exhibit space, contact Mary Ann Remolador, NERC’s Conference Organizer and Assistant Director.
Register Now for Free APR Plastics Recycling Workshop October 27!
| Plan on coming to NERC’s fall conference a day early and join industry experts in a workshop sponsored by APR featuring contemporary issues in post-consumer plastic recycling, including: |  |
Market realities and challenges
- Current status of post-consumer plastic recycling (PET, HDPE, film, other plastic packaging)
- New market drivers (energy prices, corporate initiatives, public policy, import/export)
- Future considerations for a sustainable plastic recycling industry
Creative Outreach – Social marketing-based outreach ideas for boosting participation rates and getting more plastics into the bin
- Defining your actual message (Education? Promotion? Instruction?)
- Identifying the target audience
- Tailoring the message to the appropriate audience
- Identifying barriers and motivating factors
Meet your Markets
- Get the inside scoop during a panel discussion with plastics recyclers
- Question and answer session
This workshop, which includes a free lunch for attendees, will be held at the Hotel Northampton on Monday October 27 from 10:30 to 4.
Sign Up Now to Ensure Your Space and Free Lunch! There is no fee for this workshop, but advanced registration is required to secure your seat. REGISTER ONLINE.
SEC First Anniversary Celebrated with 3 New Municipal Partners
The State Electronics Challenge (SEC) is celebrating its first anniversary! Launched on October 1, 2007, it has been an impressive first year.
- Launch of a comprehensive website
- Resolution endorsing the SEC issued by the Energy and Environment Committee of the Council of State Governments/Eastern Regional Conference.
- 21 Partners (including three new Partners – Windsor, Connecticut, Warwick, Massachusetts, and Brattleboro, Vermont)
- 2 Partner-only teleconferences (with two more scheduled)
- 4 National and regional presentations
- Plans made for the first annual Partner recognition in August 2009.
The State Electronics Challenge is a voluntary program that encourages state, regional, and local governments, including schools, colleges, universities, and other public entities to:
- Purchase greener electronic products.
- Reduce the impacts of electronic products during use.
- Manage obsolete electronics in an environmentally safe way.
Government agencies and organizations participate as "Partners" in the program. The SEC provides Partners with resources and technical assistance for improving electronics management practices, and offers annual recognition to Partners that have achieved specific goals.
For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein. The SEC is funded through a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Two SEC Partner-only teleconferences are scheduled in the next few weeks. Sign-up as Partner and you and your colleagues can be one of the lucky participants!
On October 6, there will be a teleconference focusing on extending the life of computers. The presentation will outline steps that any organization can take to extend the life of computer equipment without sacrificing performance. Come learn about strategies that can save money and reduce the environmental footprint of your organization. The speaker will be Cate Berard of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Ms. Berard assists federal agencies in meeting Executive Order 13423 that requires federal agencies to extend the life of electronics to four years.
On November 5, there will be a call focusing on environmental management standards (EMS) for end-of-life electronics. Carole Cifrino, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and Karen Pollard, EPA, will be the key presenters. Ms. Cifrino will discuss Maine’s EMS standards – how they were developed and how they are used. Ms. Pollard will discuss the much anticipated national Responsible Recycling Practices (R2) certification program.
For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein.
TOXICS IN PACKAGING CLEARINGHOUSE NEWS
TPCH Receives $50,000 SEP in Settlement Agreement
The Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) at California’s Environmental Protection Agency sent a big thanks – and $50,000 in funding – to the Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse (TPCH) for providing information that led to the nation’s first settlement with monetary penalties attached for packaging that violated state toxics in packaging laws.
TPCH alerted DTSC about the potential violation in 2006 after several shopping bags from retailer Forever 21 Inc. screened high for the presence of heavy metals via an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer. DTSC followed up, confirmed the finding, and spent nearly two years pursuing the company to get the bags out of circulation.
The $50,000 Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) given to TPCH resulted from a Consent Order between DTSC and Forever 21. The SEP allows the Clearinghouse to spend the funds for any activity within its mission. “We will certainly spend some of these funds to continue our very successful program to screen packaging for heavy metals, which has yielded significant results in terms of pollution prevention, toxicity reduction, and outreach to industry,” according to Peter Pettit, Chairman of the TPCH. As a result of XRF screening in early 2008, TPCH is now working with over 40 companies whose packaging may be in violation of state laws to educate them about toxics in packaging. “Many of these companies are taking action: they’re changing packaging materials or suppliers; stopping overseas shipments of non-compliant packages; and putting new quality assurance procedures into place to prevent future violations of state toxics in packaging laws.”
The full report on the 2006 TPCH screening project is available on the TPCH website. A second report summarizing the results of the 2008 screening project will be available later this year. For more information on the TPCH, contact Patty Dillon, TPCH Program Manager.
STATE NEWS
MAINE
Program Back Up to ‘Full Staff’
We are pleased to announce that Lana Clough, who was until recently the Manager of the Code Enforcement Officer Training and Certification Program at State Planning, has become our new ‘data management person,’ filling the position formerly held by Hank Tyler, who retired earlier this year. Lana has over 20 years experience in working with communities across the state and is eager to get involved in our program. While it has been a few years since Lana worked in the area of recycling (she worked with George in the late 1980’s in the state’s then new Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling) we are confident she will quickly become a valuable member our of team. For more information, contact George MacDonald.
Summer Project Looks at Factors in Recycling Program Success
This past summer, our capable summer intern Nick Miller, analyzed what makes recycling work better in one town than another. Using a test group of 61 communities (out of Maine’s 495 communities), Nick statistically correlated recycling success in communities based on demographic factors such as age, income, education, etc., and also by specific municipal policies.
Briefly, the study found that the wealthier or more educated that residents were, the more likely the town was to have a high recycling rate. As for municipal policies, the number of materials accepted was by far the best predictor of recycling success of any factor investigated in the study. Simply put, the more materials a community accepts, the more likely it is to have a high recycling rate, and this holds regardless of income or education levels. Accepting bulky recyclable materials and creating venues for reuse were also found to be particularly important in achieving high recycling rates.
A full description of the study is available in the August newsletter ‘Waste Bytes’ and the complete report will be posted to the website shortly. For more information, contact Sam Morris.
MASSACHUSETTS
Recycling Industry Reimbursement Credit Grant Program Announced
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection just released the Fiscal Year 2009 applications for the Recycling Industry Reimbursement Credit (RIRC) Grant Program. The RIRC program provides grants to recycling businesses for specific activities that will help overcome barriers to, or increase throughput of difficult to manage materials. The targeted materials for this year’s program include: food waste residuals, asphalt roofing shingles, gypsum wallboard, carpet, and plastic film/wrap. MassDEP anticipates being able to award up to $100,000 in funding for RIRC grants this fiscal year. The deadline for applications is Friday October 31st at 5:00 pm. For additional information on RIRC, please consult the MassDEP website. For assistance in determining eligibility, or questions on the application process please contact Alissa Bilfield at MassDEP.
NEW YORK
Pete Grannis, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), announced a new initiative to help reduce the growing presence of pharmaceuticals in water bodies. New York’s "Don't Flush Your Drugs” campaign, will raise public awareness and explain how to dispose of medicines properly to help prevent problems with water quality in the future.
Reports Raise Concern: Chronic exposure to low levels of drugs in rivers and streams is altering the behavior and physiology of fish and other aquatic organisms. Recent reports have shown that New York State rivers and streams and drinking-water supplies in a number of American cities contain traces of an array of medicines. These reports indicate that pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, can be found in the drinking-water supplies of 41 million Americans. Philadelphia officials found 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in the city's treated drinking water. Anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications were detected in a southern California drinking-water supply, and three medications, including an antibiotic, were found in the water supplied to Tucson, Arizona. Concentrations of the pharmaceuticals are small-far below typical medical doses-but studies have found problematic effects on wildlife, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has acknowledged that the issue is a serious concern.
An Emerging Environmental Issue: At least 24 major metropolitan areas in the U.S. have been identified as having traces of pharmaceuticals in drinking-water supplies. Scientists say pharmaceuticals get into water in a variety of ways: individuals and institutions flush unused drugs; unabsorbed drugs pass through the human body; pharmaceuticals may not be completely decomposed in septic tanks and drug manufacturers discharge pharmaceutical wastes. Wastewater treatment plants are not specifically designed to eliminate these types of chemicals, so treatment of municipal and industrial discharge is not the entire answer. Drinking-water treatment plants don't necessarily remove all drug residues either.
Preventive Campaign: Flushing is no longer the recommended disposal method. Drugs should be disguised and placed in your household trash. In response to this issue, DEC has launched the "Don't Flush Your Drugs" campaign. Under this campaign, DEC will take steps to educate the public about the potential hazards of pharmaceuticals in water systems and about the proper disposal of unused drugs. Instead of flushing medicines, residents should place their unused, unwanted, or expired drugs in the trash, taking care to destroy or disguise them to prevent their misuse or misdirection. Adding water, salt, ashes, or coffee grounds to unused medications before placing them in the trash can further guard against misuse. Detailed instructions and suggestions are available online.
Coal Combustion Fly Ash Issues in New York State
The use of coal combustion fly ash (CCFA) as an ingredient in cement manufacturing may liberate mercury that is present in the CCFA. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is developing a proposed rulemaking which will eliminate the pre-determined beneficial use determination (BUD) for CCFA used in cement manufacturing within our Solid Waste Regulations. The rulemaking will also propose an additional requirement that precludes increased mercury emissions caused by CCFA case-specific BUDs for cement manufacturing.
The toxic health effects of mercury are well established. Within the Commissioner’s priorities for the DEC, Commissioner Peter Grannis cites “developing strategies for reducing mercury emissions from stationary sources,” both pollution prevention and “end-of-the-pipe” controls, as central to DEC’s mission.
On December 28, 2006, the DEC promulgated 6 NYCRR Part 246, Mercury Reduction Program for Coal Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units. This regulation, which took effect on January 28, 2007, will significantly reduce mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants. Mercury removed by the coal plant air pollution control equipment will be concentrated in the CCFA. If this CCFA is subsequently fed to a cement kiln, the temperatures found in the kiln will liberate the mercury from the CCFA and the environmental benefit of coal power plant emission control for mercury will have been negated.
RHODE ISLAND
R.I. Resource Recovery Awards Revenue-Sharing to Municipalities
In August, Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation presented $2.3 million to 37 R.I. cities and towns at a reception attended by Governor Donald L. Carcieri. When the quasi-public agency’s recycling facility earns profits, it is has the right to distribute them to municipalities that have recycling contracts with RIRRC.
“I applaud the cities and towns for their improved efforts to recycle, helping to prolong the life of the state Central Landfill, while acting to preserve the environment,” said Governor Carcieri. “Today’s check presentations demonstrate the financial advantages of making this important effort to recycle as much of our trash as possible.”
“The recycling facility was built to provide services to Rhode Island municipalities who, alone, could not cost-effectively market recyclables,” said Michael OConnell, RIRRC’s executive director. “Working together, our state’s recycling program is improving and today’s revenue-sharing is proof of that.”
Of the 37 RI municipalities represented, six received checks of $100,000 or more. Shares are based upon each municipality’s recycled tonnage trucked to the RIRRC recycling facility in Johnston during fiscal year 2008. Recycling rates are the percentage of their waste processed at the Materials Recycling Facility in comparison to the amount of their waste sent to the Central Landfill for burial.
The Town of Middletown recently changed its program to a “Pay As You Throw” system whereby residents pay a fee for each bag of landfillable trash but recycle for free. In just nine months, the town has seen its MRF recycling rate increase from 18 percent to 34 percent. They are contractually obligated to waive their revenue share for three years for RIRRC’s upfront investment in their switch to PAYT.
The City of Woonsocket has also seen a sharp increase in its recycling rate because of its new automated collection system. And in the past year, both East Providence and Cumberland adopted a “No Bin, No Barrel” program, where the municipalities refuse to collect trash from households without recycling set-outs. Cumberland’s rate increased from 16 percent to 22 percent in just six months.
ADVISORY MEMBER NEWS
Electronics, Single Stream, Food Waste, & C&D to be Showcased
The Connecticut Recyclers Coalition (CRC) will bring in speakers a variety of hot topics for its annual meeting. The meeting will run 8:30 – 1:00 pm on November 19, 2008. The meeting will be held at the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority (CRRA) Visitor’s Center at 211 Murphy Road in Hartford, CT. All are welcome.
Tom Metzner, CT DEP, will provide the keynote address. He will discuss how Connecticut’s electronics recycling law will be put into practice during 2009. His insight on the rendering of law into actual collection throughout the state will be of great interest and assistance to local and visiting attendees.
Three other speakers will provide case studies of recycling efforts already in progress in Connecticut. A representative from John’s Refuse will discuss food waste collection between New Haven and the New Milford Farms composting facility. The Institution Recycling Network will review its on-going construction/demolition debris recycling from Yale and other locations. The Hartford single stream pilot program will also be profiled. Each speaker will provide nuts and bolts insights into the operational issues of these programs.
The CRC annual meeting will also include a very brief business meeting and a much longer and enjoyable catered lunch. A tour of the adjoining MRF will also be offered. To register e-mail C.J. May or visit www.ctrecyclers.org.