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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Rowan University

By Sophie Leone • June 9, 2026
Rowan University, located in Glassboro New Jersey, was founded in 1923 and has since evolved into a public research institution that is ranked among the top 100 in the nation. As a fast-growing institution, Rowan is committed to high-quality affordable education. Rowan offers over 100 bachelor's programs and has 15 colleges and schools for students to specialize in their degrees. Rowan also has multiple institutes and center specializing in a plethora of multiple areas of study. One such institute is its Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Institute (AMMI) where cutting edge science and engineering is occurring to improve upon materials and the processes with which we make, utilize, and reuse them. AMMI was founded by Dr. Joe Stanzione, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Rowan. Dr. Stanzione recently received a two-year New Jersey DEP grant which would expand the university's glass recycling effort. The goal of this two-year project is to “grow the recently established Glass Education, Research, and Recirculation Program (GERRP) that is a partnership between Rowan's Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Institute (AMMI) and Bottle Underground.” GERRP works to recirculate waste glass and connect end-users on Rowans' campus and the surrounding local economy to the supply. “With its rich history in innovative glass science and revolutionary glass manufacturing, it makes sense to explore, implement, and grow game-changing glass recirculation strategies in Southern New Jersey, strategies that we hope can be emulated regionally and adopted globally,” states Joe Stanzione. NERC is excited to welcome Rowan University and the Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Institute to our growing academic community. We look forward to supporting their efforts in the glass industry. For more information on the Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Institute (AMMI) at Rowan University visit.

Andela Products

By Sophie Leone • May 27, 2026
Founded by Cynthia Andela, Andela Products is a leader in Glass Recycling. Since its inception, Andela Products has expanded into designing complete systems to pulverize, clean and screen post-consumer waste glass. Andela uses cost-effective systems to transform waste glass into usable, high-value materials. Andela provides multiple applications such as a Pulverizer, Crusher, Laminated Glass, CleanGlass Cleaup Systems, and Single Stream Recycling. The variety in systems allows Andela to reach a diverse network of businesses and expand their reach. In addition to equipment, Andela has a detailed library of resources and safety information on the recycled glass market. Providing the community, and those in the industry, with details on glassphalt, sand and aggregates, glass sand as soil amendments, PCR, best practices and much more. Andela features testimonials on their websites, showcasing the prestige and easy operational use of their equipment by customers. With some customers stating, “We are incredibly satisfied with the GP-MegaMini from Andela Products — it is efficient, reliable, and its performance has exceeded our expectations” and “We appreciate the ease of ordering wear parts and value the attention and service we receive from Andela Products, it’s a true partnership”. NERC is excited to welcome Andela Products into our growing glass community. We look forward to supporting an organization committed to innovation and advancing technology while promoting education and best practices. For more information on Andela Products visit.

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