Harvard University

Sophie Leone • November 20, 2023

We are pleased to welcome Harvard University as a new Supporting Advisory Members to the Northeast Recycling Council

As one of the premier centers of higher education in the world, Harvard University hardly needs an introduction to readers of NERC’s Advisory Member Spotlight series. But as a new NERC Advisory Member, Harvard is afforded the opportunity to share with our readers the many sustainability successes over the past several years.


A visit to the University’s current home page underscores its unrelenting focus on sustainability. Instead of the usual bromides on academic achievements and successes in the arts and sports, Harvard chooses to highlight the issue of sustainable transportation. “Harvard experts are exploring planes, trains, and automobiles in their quest to innovate green travel, improve public transportation, and discover the future of getting from place to place,” the University reports.


Readers seeking a deeper dive into Harvard’s sustainability efforts are encouraged to visit its Office for Sustainability. In May of this year, the University published its Sustainability Action Plan. According to coverage in the Harvard Gazette, “this strategic roadmap is built around three pillars of climate, equity, and health, and offers a unifying and holistic vision for creating a more sustainable institution, and in turn a more sustainable world.”


“The major objective of Harvard’s plan remains Goal Zero,” the article continues. “This science-based goal, set in 2018, involves eliminating the use of fossil fuels in Harvard’s district energy supply, buildings, purchased electricity, and vehicle fleet on campus by 2050.”


“Even as we aim to achieve our big picture 2050 Goal Zero, our continued path to fossil-fuel-free and sustainable development includes a focus on holistic sustainability that addresses climate and the environment, equity, and well-being,” said Bill Clark, Harvey Brooks Research Professor of International Science, Public Policy, and Human Development at Harvard Kennedy School, and co-chair of the Sustainability Plan Subcommittee. “Our core sustainability vision is to enhance inclusive well-being in a way that does not jeopardize the ability of others elsewhere or in the future to advance their own well-being.”


Recent solutions for a zero-waste community at Harvard include:

  • In 2021, Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) partnered with Harvard Recycling and Waste Management to launch a plastic bag and film recycling program that has collected more than 2,000 pounds of plastic from the Harvard waste stream.
  • The plastic bag pilot project has also been explored by Harvard Business School (HBS), Harvard University Information Technology, Harvard Art Museums, and Harvard University Mail Services.


In Where Does our Waste Go?, the University’s Recycling & Waste Services details the paths of all items in the community’s waste stream, from composting and single stream recycling to textiles and electronic waste.


NERC is honored to welcome Harvard University to its growing roster of Supporting Advisory Members. We look forward to engaging with the University in its on-campus sustainability, as well as the applicability of its solutions to the wider community.


For more information about Harvard University click here

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Northeast recycled commodity values hit 5-year lows

By Antoinette Smith | Resource Recycling • March 6, 2026
Fourth-quarter MRF commodity values in the Northeast reached five-year lows, as they continued to drop but at a decelerating pace, according to Northeast Recycling Council survey data released this week. The average value for all commodities fell to $68.41/ton without residuals, lower by 8.96% on the quarter. This level marks the lowest point since Q4 2020, when the grade hit $60.46. The report includes responses from 18 MRFs representing 12 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia. With residuals, average values were at $52.49/ton with residuals, lower by 12.75% – the lowest point since Q3 2020, when the grade reached $40.19. The report also detailed the change in Q4 average values, with For PET, PP and mixed plastics (#3-7), as well as steel cans, the rate of decrease slowed in the quarter, while OCC, aluminum cans and mixed paper continued falling at the same pace as the previous quarter. Average pricing for both natural and color HDPE bales, brown glass containers and all other paper rose in Q4. However, clear glass, green glass and 3-mix glass containers, along with bulky rigids, fell during the period, after rising in Q3. The report points out that recovered glass often is marketed but at a negative value, meaning recipients are paid to take it away. Single stream decreased by 7.87% without residuals and by 9.82% with residuals, while dual stream/source separated materials fell by 10.57% without residuals, and by 18.98% with residuals. Although dual-stream MRFs did not decelerate as much as their single-stream counterparts, they did see a higher average commodity price compared to single stream for both with and without residuals. Residual material cannot be sold and is landfilled. The report also showed the 2024 share of each material at 18 MRFs, with OCC and mixed paper representing nearly one half of incoming volumes. Of the included states, five have deposit return systems for beverage containers, which results in fewer glass bottles, PET bottles and aluminum cans winding up in MRFs there. In addition, MRFs in those states typically generate less revenue from those recyclables, the report said. The report also showed the 2024 share of each material at 18 MRFs, with OCC and mixed paper representing nearly one half of incoming volumes. Of the included states, five have deposit return systems for beverage containers, which results in fewer glass bottles, PET bottles and aluminum cans winding up in MRFs there. In addition, MRFs in those states typically generate less revenue from those recyclables, the report said. Of the three approaches reflected in the report – single stream, dual stream and source separation – single stream is the most common. Read the article on Resource Recycling's website.

Northeast recycled commodity values hit 5-year lows

March 6, 2026
Northeast recycled commodity values hit 5-year lows Fourth-quarter MRF commodity values in the Northeast reached five-year lows, as they continued to drop but at a decelerating pace, according to Northeast Recycling Council survey data released this week. The average value for all commodities fell to $68.41/ton without residuals, lower by 8.96% on the quarter. This level marks the lowest point since Q4 2020, when the grade hit $60.46. The report includes responses from 18 MRFs representing 12 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia. With residuals, average values were at $52.49/ton with residuals, lower by 12.75% – the lowest point since Q3 2020, when the grade reached $40.19. The report also detailed the change in Q4 average values, with For PET, PP and mixed plastics (#3-7), as well as steel cans, the rate of decrease slowed in the quarter, while OCC, aluminum cans and mixed paper continued falling at the same pace as the previous quarter. Average pricing for both natural and color HDPE bales, brown glass containers and all other paper rose in Q4. However, clear glass, green glass and 3-mix glass containers, along with bulky rigids, fell during the period, after rising in Q3. The report points out that recovered glass often is marketed but at a negative value, meaning recipients are paid to take it away. Single stream decreased by 7.87% without residuals and by 9.82% with residuals, while dual stream/source separated materials fell by 10.57% without residuals, and by 18.98% with residuals. Although dual-stream MRFs did not decelerate as much as their single-stream counterparts, they did see a higher average commodity price compared to single stream for both with and without residuals. Residual material cannot be sold and is landfilled. The report also showed the 2024 share of each material at 18 MRFs, with OCC and mixed paper representing nearly one half of incoming volumes. Of the included states, five have deposit return systems for beverage containers, which results in fewer glass bottles, PET bottles and aluminum cans winding up in MRFs there. In addition, MRFs in those states typically generate less revenue from those recyclables, the report said. The report also showed the 2024 share of each material at 18 MRFs, with OCC and mixed paper representing nearly one half of incoming volumes. Of the included states, five have deposit return systems for beverage containers, which results in fewer glass bottles, PET bottles and aluminum cans winding up in MRFs there. In addition, MRFs in those states typically generate less revenue from those recyclables, the report said. Of the three approaches reflected in the report – single stream, dual stream and source separation – single stream is the most common. Read report on CRA's website.

Q4 2025 Northeast U.S. Commodity Values Decelerate in Decline and HDPE Sees Slight Increase

By Megan Fontes • March 5, 2026
NERC’s Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) Commodity Values Survey Report for the period October - December 2025 showed a deceleration in the continued decline in the average commodity prices. The average value of all commodities decreased by 8.96% without residuals to $68.41 and by 12.75% with residuals to $52.49 as compared to last quarter. Single stream decreased by 7.87% without residuals and 9.82% with residuals, while dual stream / source separated decreased by 10.57% without residuals and 18.98% with residuals compared to last quarter. Dual stream MRFs did not decelerate as much as single stream MRFs but did see a higher average commodity price compared to single stream for both with and without residuals. The decrease seen in Steel cans, PET, Polypropylene, and Mixed plastics (#3-7) slowed as compared to last quarter, while the decrease remained consistent in OCC, Aluminum cans, Mixed paper, and Residue. Notably, average values for Natural HDPE, Colored HDPE, All other paper, and Brown glass containers reversed direction from last quarter (where they dropped in value) and saw an increase in value this quarter as compared to last quarter. Clear glass, Green glass, and 3-Mix glass containers, as well as Bulky rigids, reversed direction from last quarter (where they increased in value) and saw a decrease in value this quarter as compared to last quarter.