June 2021

January 1, 2021

New & Renewing Members

New Supporting Members

Renewing Sustaining Member

Renewing Supporting Member


State Updates


MassDEP 2020 Municipal Recycling & Solid Waste Survey Data Now Online

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has posted the first round of 2020 Municipal Recycling and Solid Waste Survey data online at https://www.mass.gov/lists/recycling-solid-waste-data-for-massachusetts-cities-towns. This information is reported by municipalities on a yearly basis and includes annual trash and recycling tonnages, solid waste program and service descriptions, waste reduction elements and types of recyclables, difficult to manage and hazardous materials collected, and more. Note: When you open the spreadsheet file, there is a sheet titled “Read Me” that provides descriptions of each data field in the spreadsheet. The spreadsheet includes data from municipalities that submitted their reports by February 15, 2021. Municipalities are required to submit their 2019 and 2020 data through the online platform Re-TRAC Connect™ in order to be eligible for Sustainable Materials Recovery Program (SMRP) grants.


MassDEP’s Sustainable Materials Recovery Program Grant Awards Announced 

On May 6, 2021, the Baker-Polito Administration announced $1.3 million in Sustainable Materials Recovery Program (SMRP) grants to 34 municipalities and regional districts to increase the diversion, reuse, composting and recycling of materials in the solid waste stream. This is the second round of awards through the SMRP, which was created under the Green Communities Act and is administered by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). An alphabetical list of the city, town, regional group or non-profit that has been awarded, as well as additional grant information can be found on our SMRP program webpage.


Recycle Smart MA reaches 28,000 Followers

MassDEP continues to work to get the word out about what items should and should not be placed in recycling bins through our Recycle Smart MA (RSMA) program. You can read our most recent newsletter, “It’s in the bag…” here, or view our archive. And, if you would like to help get the word out about how to reduce contamination and improve the quality of our recyclables, you can sign up as a Recycle Smart MA partner here. Follow RSMA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and please feel free to share our content!


MassDEP-hosted Home Composting Webinar Available on YouTube

In honor of Earth Day, MassDEP’s composting guru Ann McGovern hosted a home composting webinar for general audiences. The webinar, titled “Home Composting for Zero Waste (Everything You Wanted to Know about Composting but Were Afraid to Ask),” was well attended and Ann answered dozens of audience questions related to home composting. The webinar was recorded and can be found on MassDEP’s YouTube channel:​ https://youtu.be/Sd3dE3ZHSVo. The video has a few technical glitches in the beginning (till about the 6 minute mark) but stick with it because it becomes more pleasant to watch and it is very informative. It ends with an original compost song. 


MassDEP Implements Minimum Performance Standard for Construction & Demolition (C&D) Handling Facilities 

MassDEP is continuing to work with our C&D Handling Facilities – processors and transfer stations – to implement our Minimum Performance Standard (MPS) for waste ban compliance by these facilities. Implementation of the MPS will ensure a level playing field that will result in consistent separation of C&D materials across the industry. For more information, please visit this Mass DEP web page as well as a frequently asked questions document. 


RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts Compost Training 

The RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts program provided a training workshop for compost site operators in April. The presentation, training materials, and a recording of the workshop are available online here. Scroll down to Compost Site Operator Workshops to view these materials, as well as materials from past workshops.


Upcoming Webinar: Green Your Bottom Line in Food & Beverage Businesses

RecycingWorks in MA, in collaboration with the UMass Amherst Center for Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Companies (CEERE), will be hosting a free webinar on the topic of preventing, rescuing, and diverting food waste on June 18 (1pm-2pm). In this hour-long webinar, RecyclingWorks will share program information and resources with food manufacturers and distributors, and make connections to facilitate further food donation activity between food recovery organizations.


Companies that manufacture or process food and beverages are increasingly important to the New England economy. While products and facility size vary, they all use and pay for energy, water, chemicals (cleaning products or others) and waste management. Reducing these costs can help to sustain and expand a business, while ensuring that products are safe for consumption.

Green Your Bottom Line is an initiative to support food and beverage businesses in making improvements to their facilities and processes, which will benefit both their businesses and the environment.


For more information, please visit Green Your Bottom Line.


DEC & SUNY ESF Partner to Improve Recycling Quality Statewide

The New York State Center for Sustainable Materials Management (NYS Center for SMM), based at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), launched a first-of-its-kind statewide recycling website to address residential recycling confusion and contamination across the State. Visitors to RecycleRightNY.org will learn about the value of everyday materials and why it is important to recycle correctly.


The Recycle Right NY campaign was originally launched by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) after a series of recycling stakeholder meetings in 2018 to jump start discussion aimed at addressing challenges facing New York's recycling system. Campaign management was transitioned to the Syracuse University Center for Sustainable Community Solutions (SU-CSCS), a core partner with the NYS Center for SMM. The SU-CSCS team worked with more than 100 New York state recycling professionals to further build out this important resource.


The Recycle Right NY site features new resources such as a search tool to help visitors easily find their local recycling guidelines, as well as a "Recyclopedia" - an encyclopedia for recycling - that will provide waste reduction, reuse, and recycling tips for more than 300 common household items. Together, these resources will help residents to learn more about what is and is not recyclable, and how best to reduce, reuse, and recycle in their communities.


"So many people ask me: Can any item with the recycling symbol on it be recycled? Recycling can be confusing and often leads residents to "wish-cycle," or optimistically place items in their recycling bin even if it is not an acceptable recyclable item. Meanwhile, municipalities face complex challenges to properly collect, sort, and market clean recyclable materials. I am thrilled that the Recycle Right NY effort will reduce contamination of recycling streams across the State by offering direct support to community leaders on how their residents can improve their recycling habits," said Gary Carrel, NYS Association for Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling (NYSAR3) Board President and Erie County Solid Waste Recycling Specialist.


"Our goal is to make recycling easy to understand and simple to do. We hope to shift the perception of used materials as 'waste to be discarded' to 'resources to be recovered '", said Melissa Young, Assistant Director for Syracuse University's Center for Sustainable Community Solutions, "Beyond recycling, we hope to inspire and empower New Yorkers to reduce and reuse items when possible, which will greatly aid us in our journey to becoming the lowest waste producing state in the country."


In addition to the new recycling website, the Recycle Right NY campaign has launched its own social media pages and e-newsletter, and will develop new educational resources such as short videos, a resource locator map, and much more.

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Apparel Impact

By Sophie Leone • February 12, 2026
Established in 2015, Apparel Impact has been working within their community to reduce textile waste, fight clothing insecurity, create jobs, and ensure those in the community in need of clothing never go without. This family and veteran owned company is built on the foundation of disruption for good. The Apparel Impact team has been working to make real changes in an industry that has remained the same for many decades. They continuously push for transparency, accountability, and working solutions in the field. Today Apparel Impact works with over 1,800 partners and locations, including schools, towns, nonprofits, national brands, and small businesses across six states. Apparel Impact is also working to bring textile sorting and grading capacity back to the Northeast, while launching upcycling brands aimed at scaling textile reuse across the region. For Apparel Impact, it is all about “changing the way people think about clothing, proving a for-profit company can still put people and communities first, and making sure what we collect helps someone’s life, not a landfill.” Their impact and reach continue to grow every year. “Textile recovery only works at scale. It takes leadership, accountability, and real collaboration across states and sectors. We joined NERC because we believe in building infrastructure that actually changes outcomes, not just talking about it. We’re proud to stand with the NERC and others in the Northeast who are ready to move the industry forward.” NERC is excited to welcome Apparel Impact to our growing group of textile focused members. We look forward to amplifying their voice and helping to expand textile recovery in any way we can. For more information on Apparel Impact visit.

Sensoneo

By Sophie Leone • February 12, 2026
For more than a decade, Sensoneo has been driving innovation across the waste and recycling industry worldwide. Headquartered in Europe and active in more than 80 countries, the company has recently expanded into the United States by opening its Boston office. From the outset, its mission has been clear: to help cities, businesses, and governments address two of the sector’s most pressing challenges—operational efficiency and data transparency. Sensoneo brings proven, large-scale experience, operating nationwide end-to-end IT platforms for deposit return systems (bottle bill programs) in nine countries and supporting Extended Producer Responsibility programs with robust data management, reporting, and compliance tools. Its smart waste solutions power the world’s largest deployment of sensor-based waste-monitoring technology, enabling municipalities and facilities to optimize collection operations. “With the launch of our U.S. subsidiary, we are excited to expand collaboration with organizations advancing sustainable materials management and stronger recycling systems,” said Martin Nestepny, CEO of Sensoneo USA. “As a global technology partner, Sensoneo supports PROs, recyclers, and policymakers with actionable data to enhance program performance, ensure regulatory compliance, and deliver measurable environmental outcomes - priorities that closely align with NERC’s mission.” NERC is pleased to welcome Sensoneo to its growing membership and looks forward to supporting the company’s work to improve performance and drive greater effectiveness across the waste and recycling industry. For more information on Sensoneo visit.

Planet Aid

By Sophie Leone • January 20, 2026
Planet Aid is a nonprofit established in 1997 to divert clothes and shoes from the U.S. waste stream and fundraise for community development programs around the world. With thousands of donation bins and centers across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, Planet Aid’s mission is to inspire positive change by making it easy for donors, partners and communities to take small steps that add up to a big impact. Over three decades, Planet Aid has collected more than two billion pounds of clothes and shoes for reuse. These donations have helped Planet Aid raise more than $100 million to fund community-led projects in the U.S., Africa, Asia, and Latin America. With headquarters just outside Baltimore, MD, Planet Aid serves thousands of communities in 14 states, including New York, New Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and more. For those without a yellow collection bin or white donation center nearby, they've developed a donation through mail option. By partnering with Give Back Box, you can pack up and mail your donation items directly to their thrift store. This inclusive approach allows them to reach more communities, diverting even more waste that may have gone to a landfill or incinerator. “Planet Aid is excited to join NERC, an organization that shares our goals of minimizing waste, conserving natural resources, and advancing a sustainable economy,” said Uli Stosch, Planet Aid’s Chief Officer of Strategic Development. “We looking forward to collaborating with NERC’s members to help U.S. communities in the Northeast minimize textile waste while maximizing reuse to limit the negative impacts of fast fashion.” NERC is excited to welcome Planet Aid into our growing group of nonprofit members. We look forward to helping share the excellent work they are doing in the NE and around the world. For more information on Planet Aid visit.