April 2007
NERC’s Advisory Members
Distinguished Benefactors
Benefactors
Sustaining Members
A list of all the logos of our Sustaining Members can be found under Advisory Members
Renewing Sustaining Member
· WeRecycle!
Renewing Supporting Member
· Casella Waste Systems
· WR3A
NERC NEWS
· Northeast Newspaper Publishers' Agreement - Progress Report Calendar 2005 – Best Year Yet!
· Cynthia Greene Honored as “Friend of NERC”
· The “Voice of NERC” Moves on
· Northeast State Electronics Challenge Update
· Minutes from NERC’s Board of Directors Fall Meeting now Posted
STATE UPDATES
· Update on Maine’s New Recycling Campaign
· R.I. Resource Recovery Corporation Appoints New Leadership
· Update on the Vermont Forum: Beyond Recycling and Disposal: Forum on Preventing Waste
· Vehicle Service and Repair Workshops Hosted
NEWS FROM ADVISORY MEMBERS
· WR3A & Partner Recycling Today Announce E-waste Conference
· Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center Announces New Director
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NERC's mission is to advance an environmentally sustainable economy by promoting source and toxicity reduction, recycling, and the purchasing of environmentally preferable products and services. |
TOPICS
MEMBERSHIP
We are very pleased to share with you the following:
Renewing Sustaining Member
· WeRecycle!
Renewing Supporting Member
· WR3A
Thank you one and all!
It is through the active participation and support of its Advisory Members that NERC is able to provide the strength of multi-stakeholder involvement and problem solving.
To see a listing of Advisory Members and the benefits of membership, visit the NERC Advisory Membership web page.
It is the broad spectrum of interests represented by NERC’s Advisory Members and Board Members and their willingness to participate that significantly contributes to the unique and important role that NERC plays in recycling in the region.
NERC NEWS
Northeast Newspaper Publishers' Agreement - Progress Report Calendar 2005 – Best Year Yet!
Another year of monitoring for the Northeast Newspaper Publishers' Agreement has been completed. The data collection was handled by the Newspaper Association of America (NAA).
The Northeast Newspaper Publishers' Agreement, which has been in place since the fall of 2001, establishes a goal increasing usage of recycled content newsprint in the region and achieving a minimum recycled content of 27%.
To collect the data, NAA asked its approximately 900 newspapers with various sizes of circulation, including those who provide data on a regular basis for the newsprint consumption survey, to provide information for the survey. Nationally, NAA received 122 responses; a quarter of those responses (31) from the Northeast. This represents a 24% increase in the number of responses received as compared to last year. There are 12 newspaper publishers that are signatories to the Newspaper Publishers’ Agreement, and one statewide newspaper publishers association.
In its survey, NAA asked for the total metric tons of newsprint used; the metric tons of recycled newsprint fiber used; and the percentage of recycled fiber in the newsprint. After collecting the data, the statistics were compiled by NAA's Business Analysis Department and were reviewed internally as well as externally.
|
NORTHEAST |
Total Metric Tons Newsprint Purchased |
Tons Recycled Newsprint Fiber |
Percent Recycled Fiber of Total Newsprint |
|
1997- Baseline Estimate |
2,375,000 |
644,000 |
27% |
|
2001 |
1,529,783 |
440,790 |
28.8% |
|
2002 |
1,339,465 |
380,110 |
28.4% |
|
2003 |
1,643,212 |
403,012 |
24.53% |
|
2004 |
2,229,478 |
656,189 |
29.4% |
|
2005 |
2,062,267 |
672,299 |
32.6% |
The 7.5% decrease in the amount of newsprint purchased compared to the 2% increase in the tons with recycled fiber accounts for the overall increase in recycled fiber content.
There are 13 original signatories to the Northeast Newspaper Publishers’ Agreement:
· Bangor Daily News
· Dow-Jones
· Gannett
· Hartford Courant
· Journal Register
· Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association
· Media News
· New York Times
· North Jersey Media Group
· Providence Newspapers – Belo
· Star Ledger
· Syracuse Newspapers
· Tribune
In another development, NAA and NERC have decided that due to the stability of the data reported over the past five years, that progress reports on the Newspaper Publishers’ Agreement will switch from annual to biennial. The next report will be for calendar year 2007.
Cynthia Greene Honored as “Friend of NERC”
At the NERC Spring Conference, Cynthia Greene, EPA New England, was recognized as a “Friend of NERC.” This prestigious honor has only been awarded to a handful of elite individuals. While EPA funding opportunities for recycling have declined in recent years, EPA New England has continued to be a critical base of support for NERC. That support has been financial, intellectual, and strategic. And, Cynthia has been at the core of that support. Her enthusiasm, intelligence, and creativity have helped to make NERC the vibrant and respected organization that it is.
The “Voice of NERC” Moves on
Chaille Blais, NERC Office Manager, has left NERC after 3-1/2 years for a fundraising position at the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital . Moon provided outstanding support to the NERC staff and Board and she will be missed.
Northeast State Electronics Challenge Update
We are delighted to announce that Connecticut has joined the Northeast State Electronics Challenge (NSEC) project. The NSEC (previously known as the SEC) now involves all ten of the NERC states.
Minutes from NERC’s Board of Directors Fall Meeting now Posted
The minutes from the October Board of Directors meeting are now available.
STATE UPDATES
MAINE
Update on Maine’s New Recycling Campaign
Professor Nancy Artz at the University of Southern Maine in Portland graciously provided an opportunity for market research by opening her classroom to SPO staff. Jetta Antonakos from SPO’s Waste Management and Recycling Program presented the proposed platform for a statewide recycling campaign to an eager and engaged audience of approximately 60 marketing students. When asked about the importance of recycling, everyone present affirmed that they believed recycling is important. Yet many admitted that they often don’t recycle, if it’s not convenient. Confusion about what can be recycled underscored the ongoing need for education about recycling “how-to’s.”
Students offered constructive suggestions on how to improve the appeal of the proposed approach. The campaign’s final product will incorporate popular elements of existing drafts with new ideas offered by the students. Acting as an informal focus group, Professor Artz’s students gave SPO direct access to information about its target audience, “sometimes” or “rarely” recyclers, ages 18 - 35.
In addition, two focus groups of twelve people, in the 25 to 35 age range, each have reviewed the three campaign platforms that were developed, offering comments and suggestions on format, quality and impact. Once the focus group notes and video have been studied, modifications to a selected platform will be done and a tool kit with various outreach documents and promotional aids will be developed.
RHODE ISLAND
R.I. Resource Recovery Corporation Appoints New Leadership
The Board of Commissioners of Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) recently announced the appointment of Michael J. OConnell as the corporation’s executive director. OConnell, of Lincoln , R.I. , joins RIRRC after 13 years with AmeriCold Logistics, the largest provider of temperature-controlled food distribution services in the country. He most recently served as chief operating officer and was responsible for 104 facilities and more than 6,000 employees.
A United States Navy veteran, OConnell earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Maryland and an M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut .
Dennis aRusso has been promoted to deputy executive director of RIRRC and will be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the Central Landfill, MRF, on-site power plant and leachate facility. aRusso, who has been with RIRRC for more than 20 years. He most recently served as RIRRC’s operations manager.
VERMONT
Update on the Vermont Forum: Beyond Recycling and Disposal: Forum on Preventing Waste
The waste prevention forum, originally set for February 15th, was cancelled due to the Valentine’s Day Blizzard – 3’ in Montpelier . We're pleased to announce that a new date has been set for the Forum, with the same line-up of speakers and presenters, and the same location! Thursday, April 12th 2007, Vermont College, Montpelier
Vehicle Service and Repair Workshops Hosted
Staff from the Environmental Assistance Office (EAO) will be conducting nine workshops around the state for vehicle service and repair technicians. Workshops will focus on using the newly revised “Vermont Environmental Guide for Vehicle Service” to assess compliance with applicable regulations and to make recommendations for best management practices, including recycling opportunities.
NEWS FROM ADVISORY MEMBERS
WR3A & Partner Recycling Today Announce E-waste Conference
The World Reuse, Repair, and Recycling Association (Middlebury , VT) is partnering with Recycling Today Media Group to add an "electronics track" to their established paper recycling show. In attendance will be hundreds of companies from the office paper shredding, plastics recycling, and E-scrap industries. The show will run June 10 -12 at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando , Florida .
Robin Ingenthron (WR3A Board President and Owner of Good Point Recycling) says of the show, "Most of my company's growth has been from partnering with waste paper companies. This will be a unique opportunity to addend a conference with clients in the majority."
The show is also to have an international flavor, addressing important export issues in the E-scrap industry. Business executives from Egypt , Senegal , and Malaysia will be speaking next to U.S. state and federal Officials.
Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center Announces New Director
The Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center (RMC) is pleased to announce that Robert J. Bylone, Jr. has accepted the position of Executive Director for the RMC, located at the Penn State Harrisburg Campus effective March 1, 2007. Most recently, Bob was the Recycling Program Manager for the RMC. Immediately prior to joining the RMC, Bob was employed in the Environmental Training Center at Penn State Harrisburg; completing both research in and instruction for water and wastewater operations.
Bob also gained experience in county government, industry, and consulting, serving as the Schuylkill County Recycling/Environmental Coordinator, Copperhead Chemical Company, as a project/environmental, health and safety engineer, and at Junkins Engineering as a project engineer. Bob has industrial environmental experience in 18 different states and over 20 types of industry.
Bob holds Masters and Bachelors degrees in Environmental Engineering from Penn State and is registered as a US Green Building Council LEED Accredited Professional, an ISO 14000 Environmental Management Systems Provisional Auditor, and as a Senior Level Certified Recycling Professional through the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania (PROP). Bob holds PROP specialization certification in collection systems and management. Bob’s specialty is sustainable engineering as it relates to manufacturing process optimization.
Since October 2005, when Bob began at the RMC as Recycling Program Manager, his achievements have been numerous. Bob has developed relations with many technical assistance partners; state-wide, domestically, and internationally. Likewise, Bob has initiated markets development activity in glass recovery options, food residuals management, plastics recovery, and tire derived products.
The Recycling Markets Center acts as a clearinghouse for various types of business assistance, pairing secondary recycled commodities with end use, increasing material demand throughout the Commonwealth while directly benefiting Pennsylvania ’s economy. As such, the RMC is proactively expanding the existing 24 billion dollar recycling industry segment in Pennsylvania . The Recycling Markets Center is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, governed by a 13 member board of directors. The RMC is primarily funded through Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection grant funds and can be found at www.parmc.org.