NEWMOA and NERC with Partners Release Anaerobic Digestion Roadmap and Regulatory and Community Engagement Guides to Support Increased Diversion of Food Waste in the Northeast

May 23, 2024

The past two years, Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA) and Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) have worked collaboratively along with partners Clean and Healthy New York and the Connecticut Coalition for Economic and Environmental Justice (CT EEJ) to develop informative resources for anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities to be able to effectively navigate the regulatory requirements and engage with communities when siting and operating an AD facility.

The project was aimed at expanding awareness of AD as an option for diverting food waste across the northeast. The project was funded by a grant from EPA Region 2.

Four free webinars were hosted by NEWMOA and NERC to provide information on how to reduce wasted food, the process of siting an AD facility, AD operators’ perspectives, and best practices for engaging environmental justice communities when siting and operating an AD facility. Over 970 individuals registered.

Additionally, the following resources were developed in collaboration with the project steering committee.

The regulatory guide provides a breakdown of the regulatory landscape around anaerobic digestion for the U.S. and the eleven northeast states. This includes information about air, water, waste, and environmental justice requirements, and contact information for different state agencies.

The community engagement guide offers best practices for engaging with environmental justice communities and describes the steps to take to endure a successful relationship with the community to achieve success in launching or continuing operations.

Informational flyers were developed in English and Spanish to support outreach efforts of AD operators in engaging communities in which they seek to operate in.

To learn more about the project and view all of the resources, visit: https://www.newmoa.org/projects/anaerobic-digestion-project/.

Contacts:

Melissa Lavoie, Executive Director, NEWMOA, mlavoie@newmoa.org

Megan Schulz-Fontes, Executive-Director, NERC, megan@nerc.org

About Partner Organizations

NEWMOA provides a strategic forum for effectively solving environmental problems through collaborative regional initiatives that advance pollution prevention and sustainability, promote safer alternatives to toxic materials in products, identify and assess emerging contaminants, facilitate adaption to climate change, mitigate greenhouse gas sources, promote reuse and recycling of wastes and diversion of organics, support proper management of hazardous and solid wastes, and facilitate clean-up of contaminant releases to the environment.

NERC is a multi-state 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose programs emphasize source reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP), and decreasing the toxicity of the solid waste stream in the 11-state region comprised of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. NERC’s mission is to minimize waste, conserve natural resources, and advance a sustainable economy through facilitated collaboration and action.

Clean+Healthy is a nonprofit organization with a mission to build a just and healthy society where toxic chemicals are simply unthinkable. We work to enact and implement laws that protect human health and the environment, foster positive changes in the national marketplace, and empower people to engage on their own behalf. Based in Albany, NY, their work telescopes from community engagement to national impact.

CT CEEJ works to eliminate or mitigate the environmental injustices borne by low income and communities of color and to provide a seat at the table where rules, laws, and policies regarding the environment are formulated and implemented. The mission of Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice is to protect urban environments primarily in onnecticut through educating communities, through promoting changes in local, state, and national policy, and through promoting individual, corporate and governmental responsibility towards our environment.

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Waste Advantage: Northeast Recycling Council: Q1 2025 Shows Slight Recovery in Commodity Values

May 28, 2025
Waste Advantage NERC’s Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) Commodity Values Survey Report for the period January – March 2025 showed a slight jump in the average commodity prices for Q1. The average value of all commodities increased by 9% without residuals to $102.34 and 8% with residuals to $89.62, as compared to last quarter. Single stream increased by 12% without residuals and 11% with residuals, while dual stream/source separated increased by 10% without residuals and 9% with residuals compared to last quarter. The average percentage for outbound tons marketed per commodity in calendar year 2024 showed decreases for all commodities as compared to 2022, except for polypropylene and bulky rigids, which increased by 40% and 29%, respectively. We also see an increase in mixed glass and residue, as compared to 2022, by 31% and 8%, respectively, further offsetting the decreases in marketed commodity percentages across the board. Notably, green, brown, and clear glass had the largest fall with clear glass decreasing by 77%. Changes in calculation methodology may affect these trends. Percentages are derived from tonnages reported for calendar year 2024 as opposed to percentage breakdowns in previous years. This is the 24th quarterly report in NERC’s series of reports on the market value of commodities from MRFs in the Northeast. This report includes information from 19 MRFs representing twelve (12) states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia. These survey results reflect the differing laws and collection options in the participating states. Five of the states included in this report have beverage container deposit laws. As a result, fewer glass bottles, PET bottles and aluminum cans are processed in MRFs in those states. Those MRFs are also likely to have less revenue from those recyclables. In addition, the report reflects a mix of single stream, dual stream, and source separation to collect recyclables with single stream being the most common approach. The type of collection used will have an impact on MRF design and operation. Thus, the data from this report reflects the unique blend of facilities and statewide laws in the reporting states. Residual refers to the incoming material that cannot be marketed and goes to disposal. The value without residuals reflects the value of a perfect ton of marketed material, while the value with residuals reflects the value of each ton processed with the costs associated of disposing unmarketable material. Note: In many cases, recovered glass goes to market but at a negative value. This data is not intended to be used as a price guide for MRF contracts. NERC’s database represents single and dual stream MRFs, states with and without beverage container deposits, a wide variety in markets and geographic access to markets, and variety of materials collected for processing at the participating facilities. As a result, it represents the diversity of operating conditions in these locations and should not be used as a price guideline for a specific program. For more information, contact Megan Schulz-Fontes, Executive Director, at megan@nerc.org or visit www.nerc.org .

Q1 2025 Shows Slight Recovery in Commodity Values

By Megan Fontes • May 22, 2025
2024 Average Percentage of Outbound Tons Marketed per Commodity Published; New Format: Report Includes Q1 2025 Individual Commodity Average Prices

Maryland webinar gives tips on countering misinformation

By Antoinette Smith • April 1, 2025
In recent years, the recycling industry has seen negative media coverage that has not only perpetuated myths but also contributed to public mistrust of collection and recycling – and ultimately could be contributing to lower collection rates. To help counteract the misinformation, the Maryland Recycling Network presented a March 27 webinar featuring Gretchen Carey, president at MassRecycle, and Chaz Miller of Miller Recycling Associates. Misinformation about recycling was merely “background noise” to Carey until October 2022, when Greenpeace published a scathing report about the failings of plastic recycling. Soon NPR and The Boston Globe picked up the story and compounded the issue with statements like “not even plastic water bottles are recyclable,” Carey said, calling this “a patent lie.” Carey and her colleagues were “crushed,” but after overcoming her initial anger, she reached out to NPR and the Globe to rebut the story. She also tried to get other local publications to publish her written response to the negative coverage but was rebuffed. Seeing that these efforts weren’t going far, MassRecycle invited members of the media and the general public on MRF tours at several sites in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Providing real-time evidence of recycling infrastructure helped industry outsiders step out of the echo chamber and hear a contrasting perspective, Carey said in the webinar. “You can talk the game, but them seeing for themselves is the important part,” she explained. During the tours, the public attendees learned that throwing away recyclables deprives the community of valuable commodities, she said, and that state guidelines restrict what can be put in the landfill. Carey added that the tours brought home the message by explaining that recycled materials need a consistent end market to justify collection and processing. For example, Ardagh closed its glass bottling facility in Massachusetts in 2018. The closure eliminated a key end market for recycled glass and caused collector Strategic Materials to stop taking local recovered glass. Local MRFs subsequently lost that revenue stream. When residents don’t trust recycling infrastructure, they put fewer items in their curbside bins, and ultimately paper, metals and glass wind up as collateral damage, Miller said. So it’s vital to make sure the public knows where their recyclables and that end markets exist to use these materials. Read the full article.
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