Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) Publishes Chemical Recycling Policy Position

Megan Fontes • May 29, 2025

The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) published its Chemical Recycling Policy Position on May 30, 2025. The purpose of the policy statement is to articulate guiding principles for environmentally responsible chemical recycling of plastics. NERC supports the conservation of natural resources, waste minimization, and recognizes the role of recycling in reaching these goals. Plastic is a prevalent material for packaging and other products due to its material properties. Producing virgin plastic from fossil fuels is an extractive process with negative environmental and social impacts. Therefore, NERC supports reduction, reuse, and recycling processes that displace virgin production in plastics where environmentally preferable. You can view the policy statement here: https://www.nerc.org/chemical-recycling.

 

The Policy Position was developed by the Subcommittee of the NERC Chemical Recycling Committee. Participants on the Subcommittee included Committee Chair Tom Metzner, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP); Claudine Ellyin, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP); John Fay, Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association (NEWMOA); Anthony Fontana, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), Retired; Michael Fowler, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP); Timothy Kerr, Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), Left MDE; Shannon McDonald, Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE); Chaz Miller, Ex-Officio, NERC Board; Elizabeth Moore, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP); Marc Moran, Pennsylvania Department Of Environmental Protection; Michael Nork, New Hampshire Department Of Environmental Services; Megan Schulz-Fontes, Northeast Recycling Council (NERC); and Richard Watson, Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA).

 

NERC created the Chemical Recycling Committee in 2022 with the goal of sharing information on new technologies called “chemical recycling.” The Committee shares information on the efficacy, cost, and impacts of these new technologies. Our Policy is the result of those efforts. The Committee is open to NERC state members and several advisory member organizations whose participation has been approved by the state members serving on the committee.

 

NERC has published several other policy positions including the Post-Consumer Recycled Content Policy (2019) and Product Stewardship and Producer Responsibility Policy (2018), which can be found among others on NERC’s website: https://www.nerc.org/policy-positions-and-statements.

 

For more information, contact Megan Schulz-Fontes, Executive Director, at megan@nerc.org.


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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
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Planet Aid

By Sophie Leone • January 20, 2026
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