Waste and Recycling: 2019 in Review

January 7, 2020

January 7, 2020


2019 has been a fascinating year for recycling and waste. Markets continue to stink, plastics are condemned as evil and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) re-embraces recycling. Listed below, in no particular order, are some of the more interesting stories in 2019.


MRFs Go Crazy with Advanced Technology


Recently, I spoke at a recycling conference in Toronto. One of the panels consisted of four companies that manufacture materials recovery facility (MRF) processing equipment. Usually these panels feature over-the-top sales claims and thinly disguised sharp elbows aimed at the competition. This one was the opposite. When the panelists were discussing their latest breakthroughs in sorting technology, especially in robotics and artificial intelligence, they were so polite to each other I thought I was attending a love-in. The reality is that their order books are full, and they all know their technologies are compatible. Their breakthroughs will increase the quality of recyclables for markets while making MRFs safer for workers. Who could possibly complain about that?


EPA Embraces Recycling


In 2017, the EPA budget proposed by the Trump administration zeroed out federal expenditures on solid waste and recycling. Its authors argued that both are state functions not deserving of federal dollars. Congress, instead, chose to maintain funding for those EPA programs at their existing levels. Flash forward two years to America Recycles Day. The EPA-sponsored Innovation Fair featured an array of new technologies and packages. EPA’s Administrator Andrew Wheeler proclaimed the agency’s decision to establish national recycling goals. I guess the federal government has a role in recycling after all.


A Mill Grows in Wapakoneta, Ohio


On October 1, Pratt Industries opened its new recycled containerboard mill in John Glenn’s hometown. This new mill will use 162,000 tons of mixed paper and 68,000 tons of old corrugated boxes as its raw material. The plan is to double the amount used in 10 years. While this mill is not enough to bring life back to depressed recycled paper markets, it is an important first step. Within two years, at least four more new mills will open. I don’t expect recycled paper prices to get close to the dizzy heights of a decade ago. But I do expect that by the end of 2021, the depressed prices we continue to experience will be a thing of the past.


Drone Delivery of Packages Takes a Flight Forward


In September, drones began delivering packages in Christiansburg, Va. Wing, the company whose drones will deliver packages of 3 pounds or less, was the first to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration as an “air carrier.” The certification allows Wing’s drones to carry packages beyond their operator’s sight. If the drones prove cost effective and do not spark opposition based on noise, privacy or other concerns, drone delivery may become common in rural and exurban areas where they will be more cost effective than truck delivery. The drones also will start carrying heavier loads. Clearly, the packaging used for drone transportation will have to be sturdy enough to withstand any wind buffeting and the impact of being lowered to the ground. Which raises the question, what materials will they be made of?


San Francisco Quietly Abandons its Zero Waste Goal


For years, San Francisco has been claiming it diverts 80 percent of its waste from disposal. The city continued to make these claims even as the amount of waste it sent to landfills steadily increased every year since 2012. It now landfills 427,000 tons of trash. With the 2020 zero waste deadline looming, San Francisco quietly abandoned its 16-year-old goal. Now it wants to cut the amount of garbage going to disposal in half by 2030 and to cut per capita waste generation by 15 percent at the same time. As it turns out, San Francisco recycles barely more than half of its trash. This is quite an achievement for a large, densely populated, multi-lingual city with a high percentage of its population living in multifamily housing. But it’s not 80 percent. San Francisco proved that aspirational goals and aspirational accounting can mask reality for only so long.


Plastics as the Root of All Evil


The country, or at least some environmental groups, appears to have gone on an anti-plastic rampage. Driven by horrific pictures of a turtle with a straw in its nostril and water surfaces covered by plastic packaging, a rising tide of fervor is threatening to lead to sweeping restrictions on single-use products. While some of them are made from paper, glass or metals, it’s the plastic ones that are the focus of protest. As I noted in a summer blog, I have a soft spot in my heart for some single-use plastic products. Instead of railing against all plastic products, we need to accept the fact that many bring substantial environmental benefits, including lower greenhouse gas emissions, from cradle to grave, than their heavier, more recyclable competitors. This creates a dilemma. Which is more important? Lowering greenhouse gas emissions or increasing recycling? Until we figure out how to have our cake and compost it, too, we will have to decide. My choice is to use our brains, not our emotions. Lowering greenhouse gas emissions should be our priority. 



Chaz Miller is a longtime veteran of the waste and recycling industry. He can be reached at chazmiller9@gmail.com.

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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
For more than a decade, Sensoneo has been driving innovation across the waste and recycling industry worldwide. Headquartered in Europe and active in more than 80 countries, the company has recently expanded into the United States by opening its Boston office. From the outset, its mission has been clear: to help cities, businesses, and governments address two of the sector’s most pressing challenges—operational efficiency and data transparency. Sensoneo brings proven, large-scale experience, operating nationwide end-to-end IT platforms for deposit return systems (bottle bill programs) in nine countries and supporting Extended Producer Responsibility programs with robust data management, reporting, and compliance tools. Its smart waste solutions power the world’s largest deployment of sensor-based waste-monitoring technology, enabling municipalities and facilities to optimize collection operations. “With the launch of our U.S. subsidiary, we are excited to expand collaboration with organizations advancing sustainable materials management and stronger recycling systems,” said Martin Nestepny, CEO of Sensoneo USA. “As a global technology partner, Sensoneo supports PROs, recyclers, and policymakers with actionable data to enhance program performance, ensure regulatory compliance, and deliver measurable environmental outcomes - priorities that closely align with NERC’s mission.” NERC is pleased to welcome Sensoneo to its growing membership and looks forward to supporting the company’s work to improve performance and drive greater effectiveness across the waste and recycling industry. For more information on Sensoneo visit.

Planet Aid

By Sophie Leone • January 20, 2026
Planet Aid is a nonprofit established in 1997 to divert clothes and shoes from the U.S. waste stream and fundraise for community development programs around the world. With thousands of donation bins and centers across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, Planet Aid’s mission is to inspire positive change by making it easy for donors, partners and communities to take small steps that add up to a big impact. Over three decades, Planet Aid has collected more than two billion pounds of clothes and shoes for reuse. These donations have helped Planet Aid raise more than $100 million to fund community-led projects in the U.S., Africa, Asia, and Latin America. With headquarters just outside Baltimore, MD, Planet Aid serves thousands of communities in 14 states, including New York, New Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and more. For those without a yellow collection bin or white donation center nearby, they've developed a donation through mail option. By partnering with Give Back Box, you can pack up and mail your donation items directly to their thrift store. This inclusive approach allows them to reach more communities, diverting even more waste that may have gone to a landfill or incinerator. “Planet Aid is excited to join NERC, an organization that shares our goals of minimizing waste, conserving natural resources, and advancing a sustainable economy,” said Uli Stosch, Planet Aid’s Chief Officer of Strategic Development. “We looking forward to collaborating with NERC’s members to help U.S. communities in the Northeast minimize textile waste while maximizing reuse to limit the negative impacts of fast fashion.” NERC is excited to welcome Planet Aid into our growing group of nonprofit members. We look forward to helping share the excellent work they are doing in the NE and around the world. For more information on Planet Aid visit.