Sunny ESF

Sophie Leone • August 19, 2023

We are pleased to welcome The Center for Sustainable Materials Management at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry as an advisory member of NERC

Located near the campus of Syracuse University in central New York state, NERC’s new Advisory Member is engaged in training the next generation of sustainability experts. SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is home to approximately 2,000 graduate and undergraduate students who are focused on the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable future.


The New York State Center for Sustainable Materials Management (Center) was established at ESF in the spring of 2020 through a NYS Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) grant administered by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The Center places ESF, DEC, and their partners in a leadership role regarding materials (waste) reduction, reuse, and recycling in New York and the US. The mission of the Center is to inspire, lead, and connect a diverse group of people and organizations that will collectively challenge the concept of “waste,” through redefining and reimagining how we procure, produce, consume, manage, and market materials.

The Center’s success is rooted in ESF’s mission to educate future environmental leaders of all backgrounds, advance knowledge, and skills necessary to promote scholarship and stewardship of the natural to designed environments, and act both locally and globally to improve our world. According to ESF’s Office of Sustainability, “Transforming and maintaining a culture of operational sustainability on campus requires commitment from all members of the community.” Therefore, students and staff are offered numerous opportunities to contribute to sustainability. Student employees, for example, “serve as peer educators, tend to the campus garden, develop and implement engagement programs, compile and analyze data, perform research and assist with a variety of sustainability-related certification programs.” In addition, faculty and staff are encouraged to integrate sustainability into their teaching, research and actions.

Examples of sustainability focused policies at ESF include a Green Purchasing and Break Free From Plastic Policy, which led to the publication of a Green Purchasing Guide. A Sustainable Facilities Maintenance & Renovation Policy is supported by the provision of diversion logs and information on local construction and demolition recycling. As a state agency, ESF must maintain compliance with a number of sustainability focused SUNY and New York State policies.


NERC welcomes ESF to its small but growing roster of education institutions that are Advisory Members. It is an honor to have a hand in the development of our next generation of sustainability experts, and look forward to a mutually beneficial learning experience.



For more information about the Center for Sustainable Materials Management click here

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Rethink Resource Use 2026

By Sophie Leone • November 4, 2026
What We Learned in Princeton

Northeast recycled commodity prices rise in Q2

By Keith Loria | Resource Recycling • October 30, 2026
Recycled commodity values at Northeast MRFs increased for the second consecutive quarter as Q2 2026 figures show gains across most materials outweighed a 61% drop in PET, according to the Northeast Recycling Council. In the latest report, average blended values reached $93.03/ton without residuals, up 11.1% from Q1. Including residuals, the value climbed 15.24% to $76.37/ton, NERC said. The gains extended a recovery from Q4 2025, when average values fell to five-year lows of $68.41/ton without residuals and $52.49/ton with them. Values rebounded 22.37% and 26.26%, respectively, in Q1 2026 , though the latest increases came at a slower pace. That late-2025 trough followed declines in OCC, mixed paper, aluminum cans and several plastics grades. Natural and color HDPE were among the exceptions, posting gains during Q4. The new results therefore show a broader recovery in commodity pricing, though PET has continued moving lower through the first half of 2026. PET averaged $40.48/ton in Q2, with reported prices ranging from $8.47 to $70. The resin also declined in Q1, when most other commodities began recovering. Other plastics posted substantial increases. Color HDPE rose 122% to $293.63/ton, while natural HDPE increased 10% to $1,471.31/ton. Polypropylene climbed 72% to $345.37/ton, and mixed plastics Nos. 3-7 advanced 39% to $186.52/ton. OCC increased 17% to $99.21/ton, while mixed paper fell 5% to $45.57/ton. Aluminum cans gained 5% to $2,171.29/ton, and steel cans rose 4% to $221.29/ton. Glass remained mixed. Clear and green container prices declined, brown glass held steady, and three-mix glass carried a negative average value of $37.71/ton, meaning MRFs paid to move the material. The quarterly survey collected commodity pricing from 19 MRFs across 12 states. Two facilities were excluded from the blended average because they marketed insufficient material during Q2 to provide a representative comparison. That calculation included 13 single-stream and four dual-stream or source-separated facilities. Single-stream values rose 12.3% to $91.28/ton without residuals and 11.37% to $74.74/ton with residuals. Dual-stream and source-separated values increased 8.04% to $98.65/ton without residuals and 28.33% to $81.62/ton with residuals, remaining above single-stream values on both measures. Residuals are incoming materials that cannot be marketed and require disposal. The measure without residuals reflects a ton of marketed recyclables; the measure including residuals accounts for managing unmarketable material in each ton processed. Disposal costs increased during Q2, although facilities may calculate those costs differently, NERC noted. The report covers Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia. Collection systems and state policies affect which materials reach participating facilities. Beverage container deposit programs, for example, divert some glass bottles, PET bottles and aluminum cans away from MRFs, reducing potential revenue from those materials. Single-stream collection remains the most common approach represented in the survey. NERC cautioned that differences in collection programs, market access and operating conditions limit how the regional averages can be applied locally. “This data is not intended to serve as a price guide for MRF contracts,” the organization said. Read on Resource Recycling.

Northeast Average Commodity Value Continues to Increase Despite PET’s Sharp Drop in Q2 2026

By Megan Fontes • October 29, 2026
NERC’s Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) Commodity Values Survey Report for April – June 2026 reflects the continuing rise of commodity values across the Northeast after several quarters of decline. Dual stream/source-separated MRFs continued to report higher average commodity values than single stream MRFs. The average blended commodity value increased by 11.1% to $93.03 per ton without residuals and by 15.24% to $76.37 per ton with residuals in Q2 2026 compared to Q1 2026. Single stream values increased by 12.3% to $91.28 per ton without residuals and by 11.37% to $74.74 per ton with residuals. Dual stream values increased by 8.04% to $98.65 per ton without residuals and by 28.33% to $81.62 per ton with residuals.