June 2023
NERC’s Advisory Members
Distinguished Benefactors
Benefactors
Sustaining Members
A list of all the logos of our Sustaining Members can be found under Advisory Members
Advisory Member Spotlight
Call for Papers
Northeast Recycling Council's Annual Fall Conference
New & Renewing Members
- Casella Resource Solutions
- Fire Rover
- Scrapp *New
- Ag Container Recycling Council
- Carton Council
- Resource Recycling Systems (RRS)
- SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry *New
NERC In the News
Read the news- US & Canada Collation Shrink Films Market is projected to reach US $1.45M by 2030
- NERC: Bale values showed small decline in Q1
Blog
State Updates
- District of Colombia: Zero Waste DC Team is Hiring for Two Positions
- Massachusetts: Draft Recycling Market Development Action Plan Available for Review
- Vermont: DEC Ensures Safe Battery Collection and Recycling at Transfer Stations
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AMP Robotics raises additional Series C investment from Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund. Investment in AI and robotics technologies reflects growing demand for automation in the waste industry.
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Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority (CCRRA): The Centre Region Council of Governments is hosting a pilot program for more sustainable management of our kitchen waste by establishing five food scraps drop-off sites.
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Delaware River & Bay Authority (DRBA) held its annual World Environment Day on June 1, 2023. Watch a brief video of the event.
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Keurig Dr. Pepper, American Beverage Association & The Recycling Partnership: Residents of Branford are to begin receiving new, large-capacity recycling carts today as part of the beverage industry's Every Bottle Back initiative.
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Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association (NEWMOA) has partnered with the NEIWPCC, the NESCAUM, NERC to organize the Northeast Conference on The Science of PFAS: Public Health & The Environment, which will be held on April 2-4, 2024.
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Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA) debuted its Recycling 101 presentation at the 2023 Annual Recycling Conference & Expo.
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Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) & Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD): Vermont Enacts First-In-The Nation HHW EPR Law.
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Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe (SRMT) will hold its Annual Stop & Swap/ Fix-it Café on July 29th.
ADVISORY MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
We are proud to welcome new Supporting Advisory Member to Northeast Recycling Council: MassRecycle.
In a rebuttal to NPR’s article, authored by MassRecycle’s President Gretchen Carey, she states, “In Massachusetts, approximately 75-85% of the material in the bin is recycled and given a second life as new products.” Since 2021, MassRecycle has hosted tours of local materials recovery facilities (MRF). This vital resource brings the public into the faculties that process their waste and recycling. There is no greater proof that recycling is real than seeing It with your own eyes. They also produce the MassRecycle Podcast, to share the inside stories of solid waste management with a wider audience. Read the full spotlight here.
CALL FOR PAPERS
Northeast Recycling Council's Annual Fall Conference
When: November 1-2, 2023
Where: Hotel Providence | Providence, Rhode Island
Submit your abstract for one of the following topics:
- Product Stewardship and EPR Programs - How Different Programs Work
- Media Literacy As It Pertains to Recycling – Telling Truth from Fiction
- Policies and Regulations to Encourage Small Scale Organics Programs
- Scaling New Recycling Operations in Environmental Justice Communities
- New Approaches to Recycling Market Development
NEW & RENEWING MEMBERs
Membership is key to Northeast Recycling Council's regional and national commitment to circularity and sustainable materials management. For more information about NERC's Advisory Member program, please visit Nerc.org/Advisory-Members/What-Is-A-NERC-Advisory-Member and view our Advisory Membership Brochure.
Thank you to the following members for their support. We appreciate your commitment to Northeast Recycling Council and its mission.
Sustaining Members
Supporting Members
- Ag Container Recycling Council
- Carton Council
- Resource Recycling Systems (RRS)
- SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry *New
- US & CA Collation Shrink Films Market is projected to reach US $1.45M by 2030
- Digital Journal, Future Market Insights | June 9, 2023
- NERC: Bale values showed small decline in Q1
- Jared Paben, Resource Recycling | May 30, 2023
BLOG
State News
District of Colombia
The Office of Waste Diversion, also known as the Zero Waste DC Team, is responsible for providing environmentally healthy municipal services that are both ecologically sound and cost effective. In addition, the coordination and implementation of policy and planning, education and outreach, and innovative programming in support of the mayor’s zero waste goal of diverting 80 percent of the district’s solid waste away from landfills and incineration through reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting. The Team is hiring for two positions:
- Program Manager, Office of Waste Diversion (Job ID 22169): The Program Manager is responsible for leading the District’s efforts to achieve an 80% solid waste diversion rate through the design, implementation, and evaluation of waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting policies, programs, and infrastructure.
- Recycling Outreach Specialists (Job ID: 22254): This entry-level position is responsible for conducting zero waste education, outreach, and technical assistance to multi-family buildings and commercial properties within the District of Columbia to ensure compliance with solid waste source separation requirements.
Read the full job descriptions and apply at careers.dc.gov by searching for the respective Job ID number.
Massachusetts
MassDEP Draft Recycling Market Development Action Plan is available for review here. The Action Plan prioritizes potential investments to address specific material market deficiencies and, where possible, advance opportunities in Environmental Justice Communities and to support the needs of Environmental Justice Populations. MassDEP convened the Recycling Market Development Workgroup in January of 2022 to engage a broad and diverse set of stakeholders and receive input on the development of the Action Plan. Over the course of six meetings, participants exchanged information about successful market development initiatives, discussed barriers to recycling market expansion, and suggested potential solutions. While some recycling markets are regional, national, or even international, the Action Plan is focused on increasing in-state recycling market development opportunities to support efforts to reduce our disposal, while keeping these economic development and job creation benefits within the Commonwealth.
MassDEP is accepting comments through July 31, 2023 and comments can be sent to dep.swmp@mass.gov. MassDEP will post revised plan in Fall 2023 and update periodically as needed to reflect progress and needed shifts and adjustments.
Vermont
To help solid waste and recycling workers safely collect batteries and reduce the risk of fires, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Solid Waste Program has spent $160,000 to purchase and distribute battery collection safety kits to over 160 public and private transfer stations and Household Hazardous Waste facilities. The kits include fire shield blankets, gloves, and packaging to handle and mail back damaged or defective batteries for recycling. DEC is also providing battery safety training in partnership with Call2Recycle, which operates the Vermont battery recycling program on behalf of battery and product manufacturers. Read the full announcement here.
To learn more about battery recycling, go to call2recycle.org/vermont. For questions on special battery recycling or other household or business waste, please contact the DEC Solid Waste Program at vtrecycles.com or call Mia Roethlein at 802-522-5926 or Josh Kelly at 802-522-5897
Advisory Member News
AMP Robotics Raises Additional Series C Investment from Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund: Investment in AI and robotics technologies reflects growing demand for automation in the waste industry. In addition to improving material recovery by boosting productivity, reducing contamination, and addressing labor shortages, advanced technology is key to meeting brands’ post-consumer recycled content and other sustainability commitments. In addition, policy and legislative tailwinds are creating new opportunities for recycling, as more states pass laws raising diversion goals and establishing extended producer responsibility programs. Read more here.
Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority (CCRRA): The Centre Region Council of Governments and the Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority, in partnership with the Borough of State College Borough Compost Facility, are hosting a pilot program for more sustainable management of our kitchen waste by establishing five food scraps drop-off sites. Here’s how to participate:
- REGISTER: you must register (for free) to receive the lock combination to drop off your food scraps.
- COLLECT your food scraps: we will send you a list detailing what to include and what to leave out, as well as tips on how to collect these materials while limiting smells and bugs.
- DROP OFF at one of the designated locations: the sites are locked, but with your combination you will be able to use any site any day.
The pilot sites will remain open through October. Sign up online today or call 814-234-7198.
Delaware River & Bay Authority (DRBA) held its annual World Environment Day on June 1, 2023. The event was a huge success with 90 exhibitors, 6 food vendors and approximately 900 attendees from 4 NERC states (DE, NJ, MD. PA). NJDEP, DNREC, USEPA, USCG, local governments, Authorities and NGOs exhibited a wide range of diverse environmental, healthy living, renewable energy, and sustainability topics. The event was showcased by DNREC Secretary Garvin presenting a proclamation from the Governor’s Office declaring June 1st as World Environment Day in Delaware. The DRBA hosts the annual World Environment Day event as a public outreach, sharing important information and messages on environmental, health and sustainability issues. Watch a brief video of the event: https://vimeo.com/835876141
Keurig Dr. Pepper, American Beverage Association & The Recycling Partnership: Residents of Branford are to begin receiving new, large-capacity recycling carts today as part of the beverage industry's Every Bottle Back initiative. The initiative, which funds projects to improve recycling rates, is investing nearly $140,000 in Branford to replace small curbside recycling bins with 96-gallon carts that can hold more recyclable materials, including the beverage industry’s plastic bottles, which are designed to be 100% recyclable. The investment also includes funds for a community outreach campaign to inform residents about best recycling practices. Read the full press release.
Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association (NEWMOA): The Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA) has partnered with the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC), the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), and others to organize a regional science conference on PFAS. The purpose of the Northeast Conference on The Science of PFAS: Public Health & The Environment, which will be held on April 2-4, 2024, is to:
- Ensure that local, state, and federal action to address PFAS contamination is informed by the most current and reliable science
- Facilitate networking and information-sharing among key stakeholders on PFAS topics
- Identify important gaps in the science and policy to help inform future research
Read more about the Call for Presentations. Submit a proposal to present individually or as part of a session by August 1, 2023 here.
Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA): NRRA debuted its Recycling 101 presentation at the 2023 Annual Recycling Conference & Expo. The Recycling 101 presentation was designed so that ideally any individual, recycling committee member, or operator would be able to give this presentation to interested residents within their community. Notes have been included with each slide. For communities not interested in presenting, the recorded presentation is free to be shared with community groups as well.
Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) & Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD): Vermont Enacts First-In-The Nation HHW EPR Law - “H.67 is the first law in the United States that brings producers of the most toxic and consequently difficult and costly-to-manage portion of the waste stream to the table to develop a plan that creates cleaner land and water for all Vermonters,” said Jen Holliday, Director of Public Policy and Communications for the Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD), chair of the Vermont Product Stewardship Council, and a PSI Board member. “In addition, producers will now be incentivized to develop less-toxic household products.” Holliday has been working on this legislation with PSI since 2017. Read more.
Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe (SRMT): SRMT's Annual Stop & Swap/ Fix-it Café will be held on July 29th. Last year, a total of 1,176.4 lbs of material was collected, diverted from trash, and gifted during three community events. In addition, items are repaired by volunteers. If you'd like to participate, please contact David Casales, Recycling Coordinator, at (518) 358-4632 or david.casales@srmt-nsn.gov and complete the registration form here.
