NERC Blog

Today’s article is written by Guest Blogger Kyle Wiens, co-founder of iFixit.

Today’s guest blog article by John Watson, with Halton Recycles (Ontario), discusses the contributions of ancient classical societies to our current waste management practices.

As a part of its Organics Management Project for Rural and Small Towns, NERC posted case studies on its website which present models for organics best management practices. The Irvington, New York “Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em campaign” presents such a model.

Today’s guest blog article is by John Watson who writes regularly for the Halton Recycles Blog. It’s just a bit dated since Downton Abbey has already begun, but the information is still pertinent and fun!

The Harraseeket Inn is a member of the Green Hotel Association and a Maine Certified Environmental Leader located in Freeport, Maine. NERC's Spring Workshop is being held at the Inn. The Inn goes beyond just the usual water conservation promotion of encouraging guests to reuse towels and linens. It actively recycles and composts.

Today’s Guest Blog is provided courtesy of Michael Tully, Safety & Health Manager and Jacob Levenson, Sustainability and Communications Coordinator of Poly Recovery.

Recently I participated in a Northeast Scrap Tire Market Development Workshop organized by the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) to address market development opportunities for tires in the Northeast. The closing of the ReEnergy Sterling (Exeter) Tire-to-Energy Facility located in Sterling, Connecticut in October precipitated the meeting. Prior to its closing, approximately eight million scrap tires generated in the Northeast were sent to the facility each year. The meeting brought together private sector haulers, tire processors, and state representatives to discuss options for future market growth in the Northeast.

As a part of its Organics Management Project for Rural and Small Towns, NERC posted case studies on its website which present models for organics best management practices. The Northeast Indiana Solid Waste Management District presents such a model.

In November I posted an article entitled “The Public Library – Reuse in Action.” Today’s piece presents a follow-up on the topic of libraries. I traveled to San Diego on vacation a couple of weeks ago and had the privilege of touring their new library. Think that libraries are becoming an anachronism? Take a look at what San Diego has done to keep their library as a focal point for community involvement, learning, and technological advancement.

Holiday Tunes

Yes, we’ve heard it before…. Americans throw away 25 percent more trash between Thanksgiving and the New Year than during any other time of the year. Yet, we keep tossing more and more during the holidays.

All I Want for Christmas…is No More Catalogues!

According to Catalogue Choice U.S. households receive more than 83 billion pieces of advertising mail, including catalogues, of which 46% is never read and 38% is not recycled. Paper used to manufacture catalogs and other glossy advertising tends to contain less recycled content then other types of paper production, due to the desire for the catalogues to be composed of thinner, shinier paper. The production of the 20 billion catalogues mailed out each year uses up to 15 million trees according to Catalogue Choice. They estimate the energy used to produce and dispose of all that paper is equal to some 119 trillion BTUs, and accounts for 11 million tons each year of CO₂ emissions. On top of that there is an estimated 56 billion gallons of waste water generated, along with 4.1 million tons of solid waste.

While we all like to look at…