NEWMOA and NERC with Partners Release Anaerobic Digestion Roadmap and Regulatory and Community Engagement Guides to Support Increased Diversion of Food Waste in the Northeast

May 23, 2024

The past two years, Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA) and Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) have worked collaboratively along with partners Clean and Healthy New York and the Connecticut Coalition for Economic and Environmental Justice (CT EEJ) to develop informative resources for anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities to be able to effectively navigate the regulatory requirements and engage with communities when siting and operating an AD facility.

The project was aimed at expanding awareness of AD as an option for diverting food waste across the northeast. The project was funded by a grant from EPA Region 2.

Four free webinars were hosted by NEWMOA and NERC to provide information on how to reduce wasted food, the process of siting an AD facility, AD operators’ perspectives, and best practices for engaging environmental justice communities when siting and operating an AD facility. Over 970 individuals registered.

Additionally, the following resources were developed in collaboration with the project steering committee.

The regulatory guide provides a breakdown of the regulatory landscape around anaerobic digestion for the U.S. and the eleven northeast states. This includes information about air, water, waste, and environmental justice requirements, and contact information for different state agencies.

The community engagement guide offers best practices for engaging with environmental justice communities and describes the steps to take to endure a successful relationship with the community to achieve success in launching or continuing operations.

Informational flyers were developed in English and Spanish to support outreach efforts of AD operators in engaging communities in which they seek to operate in.

To learn more about the project and view all of the resources, visit: https://www.newmoa.org/projects/anaerobic-digestion-project/.

Contacts:

Melissa Lavoie, Executive Director, NEWMOA, mlavoie@newmoa.org

Megan Schulz-Fontes, Executive-Director, NERC, megan@nerc.org

About Partner Organizations

NEWMOA provides a strategic forum for effectively solving environmental problems through collaborative regional initiatives that advance pollution prevention and sustainability, promote safer alternatives to toxic materials in products, identify and assess emerging contaminants, facilitate adaption to climate change, mitigate greenhouse gas sources, promote reuse and recycling of wastes and diversion of organics, support proper management of hazardous and solid wastes, and facilitate clean-up of contaminant releases to the environment.

NERC is a multi-state 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose programs emphasize source reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP), and decreasing the toxicity of the solid waste stream in the 11-state region comprised of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. NERC’s mission is to minimize waste, conserve natural resources, and advance a sustainable economy through facilitated collaboration and action.

Clean+Healthy is a nonprofit organization with a mission to build a just and healthy society where toxic chemicals are simply unthinkable. We work to enact and implement laws that protect human health and the environment, foster positive changes in the national marketplace, and empower people to engage on their own behalf. Based in Albany, NY, their work telescopes from community engagement to national impact.

CT CEEJ works to eliminate or mitigate the environmental injustices borne by low income and communities of color and to provide a seat at the table where rules, laws, and policies regarding the environment are formulated and implemented. The mission of Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice is to protect urban environments primarily in onnecticut through educating communities, through promoting changes in local, state, and national policy, and through promoting individual, corporate and governmental responsibility towards our environment.

Share Post

NERC launches hub to promote PCR demand

By Antoinette Smith | Resource Recycling, Inc. • April 15, 2026
The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) has created a PCR Material Demand Hub to help organizations prioritize purchases of PCR content and help strengthen domestic recycling markets. The site features resources for federal, state and local government procurement, material- and product-specific resources, and certification and standards for recycled content, including: Government procurement directory for recycled content and environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) Downloadable guides to buying products with PCR content, identifying and buying plastic products containing PCR, environmentally preferable purchasing specifications “Green” product directories from the US EPA, APR, SCS Global Services, the Environmental Paper Network and Intertek Electronics procurement tool for devices containing PCR plastic User manual for the EPA Recycled Content (ReCon) Tool and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Equivalencies calculator The Northeastern US has been hit especially hard by recent closures of PET reclaiming capacity, with fourth-quarter 2025 recycled commodity prices in the region reaching five-year lows . Evergreen Recycling in New York and Ohio, Alpek in Pennsylvania and Phoenix Technologies in Ohio all reduced capacity, citing lackluster demand among the factors. In line with recent short-term and long-term recommendations from industry stakeholders, the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) Demand Champions Program outlines three distinct actions to ensure the consistent demand required to scale up the recycling industry: commit to using PCR secure long-term PCR supply agreements expand PCR adoption into non-standard formats or specify PCR in purchased goods APR owns Resource Recycling, Inc., publisher of Plastics Recycling Update. Read article on Resource Recycling.

Envipco

By Sophie Leone • April 13, 2026
As a leader in vending machine technology, Envipco has over four decades of experience providing customized recycling solutions. Envipco was founded on the desire to support and recover material reuse of beverage containers. This founding idea has been their motivation for forty years as they work to help their customers become sustainable and make recycling easier for everyone. Their continuous investment in innovative technology solutions for drink packaging recycling has made them a driving force in the industry. Located worldwide, Envipco offers a wide range of solutions and services. Their versatile range of Reverse Vending Machines are designed to fit in varying environments and are customizable to fit seamlessly into their surroundings. Their smallest machine, the Compact, accepts PET bottles and cans and is ideal for a location that processes less than 400 containers per day. On the higher end, their largest machine, the Quantum, accepts containers in bulk and is capable of processing over 100 containers per minute. “At Envipco, our mission has always been to make recycling easier, more accessible, and more effective. We’re proud to join NERC and work alongside organizations that share our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and a cleaner future.” Tina Bergers, VP Americas, Envipco NERC is excited to welcome Envipco to our international base of members. We look forward to supporting their vision for a cleaner world for future generations. For more information on Envipco visit.

Maryland PaintCare Program Becomes 13th State-Wide Paint Recycling Program

By PaintCare • March 31, 2026
Marylanders can now recycle their leftover paint with PaintCare ! PaintCare is a nonprofit organization that plans and operates paint stewardship programs in states that have passed the paint stewardship law. The Maryland PaintCare program launched on April 1, 2026, making it the thirteenth jurisdiction to pass paint stewardship legislation. With the addition of Maryland, PaintCare now serves one-third of the U.S. population. PaintCare operates a network of over 100 drop-off sites across the state where households and businesses can recycle their leftover paint at no additional cost. Most drop-off sites are located at local paint retailers, making it convenient for Marylanders to responsibly dispose of their leftover paint. To find a drop-off site near you, visit the drop-off site locator on PaintCare’s website. PaintCare offers a large volume pickup (LVP) service, which provides free pickups of 100 gallons or more of eligible paint products. Those with large quantities of paint are encouraged to use this service to responsibly dispose of leftover paint. Large volume pickups can be requested through the large volume pickup request form. The paint stewardship law requires a fee, called the PaintCare fee, to be added to the purchase price of new paint. The fee is based on container size and funds all aspects of the program. This includes paint collection and recycling, consumer education, and program administration. The PaintCare fee in Maryland is as follows: