NERC’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Journey

January 19, 2024

The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC)’s work on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) began approximately 20 years ago and continues today. The effort, spearheaded by Mary Ann Remolador, Assistant Director and Conference Organizer, started with the realization that NERC’s events were comprised of one-dimensional presenters and attendees. NERC knew it needed to diversify its constituency to gain different perspectives in conversations and obtain a deeper understanding of the issues facing Sustainable Materials Management (SMM).


In 2003, NERC began a concerted effort to invite women from its member states and organizations to submit abstracts for presentations and to attend events. This resulted in a significant increase in the number of women participating in our events. Today, not only are more than half of the members of NERC’s committees' women; NERC’s latest conference in the fall of 2023 featured women that made up over half of the presenters. Women play an influential role in guiding project work and discussions on topical issues at NERC.

Five years later, the NERC team added students to their outreach demographic to increase the number of younger participants at its conferences. Colleges and universities throughout the 11 Northeast states were given information about NERC’s events. By 2010, NERC had launched a student scholarship program that allowed interested students to attend its conferences at no cost. To date, a total of 39 students participated in the program, who expanded their professional network and gained direct exposure to the field of SMM.


It was then, NERC turned its focus to ensure that more people of color were represented across presenters and attendees to support equal representation of individuals across the industry. To continue with diversifying NERC events, the team widened its scope of groups to reach out to, which included Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and student groups such as Asian, Latino, and LGBTQ+ at colleges and universities. As a result, 16 individuals from HBCUs were provided scholarships to attend NERC conferences.

This past Fall, NERC launched the Emerging Professionals Program which invites state agencies and industry organizations to sponsor professionals new to the field from their workforce to participate in the Conference. The initial cohort included three emerging professionals.


In March 2021, NERC developed a four-part Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Training series for those working in SMM across the country. The trainings were free and open for anyone to attend. The topics explored in the series included Making the Case for DE&I, Recognizing & Addressing Unconscious Bias, Creating a DE&I Path, and Engaging with Diverse Communities. Attendees totaled 800 from 37 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Canada.


By the end of the training series, the NERC Board recognized the need to establish a DE&I Committee to formally work on incorporating DE&I into its operations and work. Additionally, a commitment was made to ensure at least one session about DE&I is featured in all conferences. Moving forward, DE&I and environmental justice (EJ) considerations will also be woven into every conference session as is relevant.


The DE&I Committee was first tasked with developing a DE&I mission statement. The statement, which was formally adopted by the NERC Board in 2023, is outlined below:


NERC works to minimize waste, conserve natural resources, and advance a sustainable economy through facilitated collaboration and action. We are dedicated to representing our diverse world while fostering equitable access to effective sustainable materials management. We are committed to building a culture based on the values of equity, respect, accountability, and trust rooted in our organizational decision-making, programs and operations, and the communities we serve.


The DE&I Committee, chaired by Jessica Levine, Diversity & Inclusion Manager at The Recycling Partnership, led the development of NERC’s latest spring conference Building a Diverse Workforce for Sustainable Materials Management, which included sessions, such as Clearing Pathways for Underrepresented Individuals and Creating Retention Strategies for an Inclusive Workplace.


“NERC's dedicated effort to integrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) into its core mission reflects a significant leap forward in aligning organizational values with the evolving needs of today's society,” Levine says. “Prioritizing diversity and equity as foundational principles to advancing their mission, NERC demonstrates its dedication to environmental stewardship while also fostering inclusivity. Their mission reflects a purposeful and expanding effort to embed these values across operations and community engagement, underscoring a resolute commitment to creating a more inclusive and sustainable future.”


As NERC continues to work on embedding DE&I into its mission, values, and operations, we welcome ideas, feedback, and other comments on how to better serve the communities in our region and work towards a more equitable and inclusive industry.

All NERC State and Advisory Members are invited to join NERC’s active DE&I Committee. For more information about the DE&I work or committee, please contact Mariane Medeiros.

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Circular Action Alliance

By Sophie Leone • August 25, 2026
Circular Action Alliance (CAA) was founded in 2022 and is a U.S. Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO). As a PRO they are dedicated to the implementation of effective Extended Producer Responsibility laws for paper and packaging. CAA operates as the single PRO in California, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington. Additionally, they are the only organization that is approved to implement U.S. EPR laws for paper and packaging. CAA's dedicated and important work is built off a comprehensive list of strategic operating principles. These principles include delivering cost effective services, supporting and incentivizing innovation in packaging design, supporting responsible end markets, and enhancing the collection of covered materials. CAA not only works with the producers but with the greater industry as well, providing free webinars, public resources, state updates, and more. "We're excited to join NERC and contribute to its long legacy of regional collaboration," said Bridget Anderson, Director of Emerging States at Circular Action Alliance. "As we implement EPR programs in multiple states, organizations like NERC help us better understand regional nuances and trends in the recycling system." NERC is excited to welcome the Circular Action Alliance. As a fellow non-profit, we look forward to supporting their growing impact and the important work they do with EPR. For more information on CAA visit.

G&A's Sustainability Highlights

By Access Newswire • August 20, 2026
We are more than halfway through 2026, making this a good moment to reflect on what stands out from all the recent change in the sustainability landscape. We review news about sustainability all week, every week, but we also work closely with clients in a range of industries who are dealing with the daily work of environmental protection, social advancement, governance integrity, and - perhaps the most complicated aspect - how to talk about it all. So, while the loudest headlines have been about retreat in regulations, target-setting, hiring, and corporate reporting, there is another truth worth telling: what companies do has not changed much. The stories in this issue of Sustainability Highlights explore the two sides of this contrast. In Forbes, Anjali Chaudhry assembles the numbers behind "greenhushing." EcoVadis found 87% of U.S. companies maintained or increased sustainability investment in 2025 and only 7% cut, while 31% of executives invested more and said less. Forbes investigated whether the silence paid off, and found it was not the safe harbor companies expected: 98% of businesses in a 2026 procurement survey had lost contract opportunities for not sharing sustainability credentials. Standard-setters may have a sense of why this is. In Eco-Business, Global Reporting Initiative chief executive Robin Hodess says GRI has seen no decline in reporting numbers, with four in five of the largest global companies still using GRI Standards. Offering a clue about why reporting has stayed strong this year, she makes a business case for robust disclosures: "I've never met an investor who wants less information." The size and tenor of the comment file received by the SEC over the past few months bears out Hodess' view. As Responsible Investor reports, Vanguard - the world's second-largest asset manager - is the largest investor to oppose scrapping the climate rules, telling the Commission there is value in standardized, comparable disclosure of material risks - climate among them. TIAA and Nuveen argued for a simplified rule rather than none, warning of a "mosaic of state-specific requirements." If sustainability were receding, we wouldn't be hearing about more hours for lawyers. Corporate Disclosures picked up Side by Side , our new research with Ropes & Gray, and led with a finding that surprised us too: 39% of the sustainability professionals surveyed now report into the legal department, against 17% reporting to the CEO. According to 87% of them, and 84% of their legal counterparts, interaction has increased because of regulation. California's climate laws and the CSRD each were named by 75% of our respondents as the most pressing reason for greater collaboration between legal and sustainability teams. Majorities in both groups expected legal's role to grow; not a single respondent expected it to shrink. Capital is moving the same way. ESG Dive reports U.S. sustainable funds drew roughly $3 billion in the second quarter - the first positive quarter since 2022, ending 14 straight quarters of outflows and lifting assets to a record $398 billion. But the developments also show signs of caution: the money went to passive strategies, active funds shed $3.6 billion, and 22 funds closed against three launches. Other timely news delves into AI's role in sustainability matters. Inside Climate News reports on applications increasing oil and gas output, MIT Sloan cites the climate costs and benefits of AI tools, and we found two takes on whether data centers and clean power can share a grid. These stories paint the backdrop for our new issue brief on Responsible AI Due Diligence , which is a guide to the OECD's first guidance for the AI value chain. On circularity, the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation is in force this month, including PFAS limits on food-contact packaging. The Northeast Recycling Council has mapped policies on producer stewardship in 11 U.S. states, offering useful context for our resource paper on the EU's PPWR and our EPR support work. Also inside: $20 billion in climate grants unblocked on appeal, and the world's largest carbon removal plant due online by year's end. This is just the introduction of G&A's Sustainability Highlights newsletter this week. Click here to view the full issue. Read on Access Newswire .

Bethlehem First Selectman Provides Update on Disposal of Tires at Transfer Station

By Nancy Dzija Vaughan | Prime Publishers • August 12, 2026
BETHLEHEM – First Selectman Raymond Butkus provided an update to the Board of Selectmen last Tuesday that included an announcement regarding the disposal of tires at the transfer station. Mr. Butkus said the CT Tire Stewardship program has gone into effect, According to the Northeast Recycling Council website, “the Connecticut Tire Stewardship (CTS) is the nonprofit organization responsible for implementing Connecticut’s Tire Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program. Working with municipal transfer stations, tire retailers, auto shops, car dealerships, and other collection partners, CTS helps ensure discarded tires are responsibly collected, recycled, and put to beneficial new uses.” The website goes on to state, “Approximately 3.5 million tires reach the end of their useful life in Connecticut each year. Through its statewide Roll Recycle Renew program, CTS provides residents with free tire recycling opportunities while giving municipalities a practical solution for managing scrap tires. By making responsible disposal more accessible, the program helps reduce illegal dumping, protect waterways and natural resources, and keep tires out of landfills.” Mr. Butkus said town residents will now be able to bring most tires to the town transfer at no cost. Tires will be accepted both on and off the rim. The exception is large tractor tires, tires for construction equipment, or excessively dirty tires. These tires will still ne accepted, however, there will be a fee for disposal. Mr. Butkus also reported that he held a meeting last week regarding the rewiring of the computer equipment at Town Hall. The project is expected to begin this week and will likely be completed by August 20. A new monitor has been located in the hallway of Town Hall. This monitor will be used to display a list of upcoming meetings along with announcements and photographs. Read on Prime Publishers .