We are pleased to welcome two new Supporting Advisory Members to Northeast Recycling Council: Scrapp & The Center for Sustainable Materials Management at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
Scrapp is a waste technology and data platform on a mission to simplify waste management infrastructure by enabling brands, municipalities, packagers & consumers to speak one common language through accessible technology & data analytics. Scrapp has 3 main technological solutions:
- The Scrapp Separation Station empowers organizations to recycle right, by scanning the barcode of a product or by searching from a personalized recycling wiki. The Separation Station turns any recycling bin into a smart bin, requiring zero retrofits. This allows businesses to engage employees around low-waste initiatives, while raising money for charities of their choice or educating on the topic of sustainability.
- The mobile app for consumers provides real-time product and location-specific recycling guidance by scanning the GTIN/UPC barcode on products. The Scrapp mobile app automatically updates recycling guidance based on the user’s location to show you whether or not something is recyclable in their area. This app is free to download but has paid feature upgrades which are showcased in Scrapp’s municipality programs.
- Recycling Management for Municipalities: With a simple dashboard and built-in gamification, communities are able to digitize their recycling programs and engage residents on the benefits of recycling while raising money for local charities. With this program, they can customize the app specific to their needs and generate data insights to understand aspects of their solid waste programs, such as contamination and engagement rates.
Scrapp offers a variety of services both free and paid to help people create engaging solid waste & recycling programs. They are on a mission to educate and empower a global community toward a circular future. Scrapp provides recycling & composting guidance for the entirety of the USA, Canada, and UK - covering 400 million people.
NERC welcomes Scrapp as a new Advisory Member. The company’s technology helps differentiate regulations according to region, thereby reducing the likelihood of contamination and incentivizing higher quality post-recycling materials.
The Center for Sustainable Materials Management at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
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.