December 2005

NERC's Mission Statement Updated
At its Annual Meeting in October, the Board voted to update NERC's mission statement to reflect the vision of its members and the potential that NERC has to offer.

NERC's new mission is to advance an environmentally sustainable economy by promoting source and toxicity reduction, recycling, and the purchasing of environmentally preferable products and services.

The revised mission statement is reflected in NERC's Fiscal Year 2006 Operating Plan , also adopted at the Annual Meeting.

NERC Joins WasteWise
NERC is proud to announce that it has joined the ranks of WasteWise endorsers. WasteWise is a free, voluntary, EPA program through which organizations eliminate costly municipal solid waste and select industrial wastes, benefiting their bottom line and the environment. WasteWise is a flexible program that allows partners to design their own waste reduction programs tailored to their needs. Waste reduction makes good business sense because it can save your organization money through reduced purchasing and waste disposal costs. WasteWise provides free technical assistance to help you develop, implement, and measure your waste reduction activities. WasteWise offers publicity to organizations that are successful in reducing waste through EPA publications, case studies, and national and regional events. These events also provide networking opportunities for organizations to share waste reduction ideas and success stories.

JOINT NERC, MACREDO, MACRO MEETING - 26 States & One District in One Room!
The NERC Spring Conference will be a special event - a joint meeting of three regional recycling market development organizations:

• Northeast Recycling Council (NERC: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont)
• Mid-America Council of Recycling Officials (MACRO: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Wisconsin)
• Mid-Atlantic Consortium of Recycling & Economic Development Officials (MACREDO: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia)

The Conference will take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the EPA Region III offices. Planning is underway, but some details are already known:

• Tuesday, March 21^st:
  Morning - each organization will hold a Board meeting
  Afternoon - Conference begins with a tour of the Blue Mountain Recycling & Woodhue Composting facilities.
• Wednesday, March 22^nd:
  Substantive sessions on recycling market development and concerns of regional interest.
• Thursday, March 23^rd:
  Morning session on electronics

EPA Region III will be hosting the meeting, and PSEG has already committed to being a conference sponsor. It is also interesting to note, that in addition to representing more than half the states in the country, these states fall in five of the nine EPA regions (I, II, III, V, and VII).

Please plan on joining us for this important event. More details about the agenda will be posted on the NERC website as they become available, but is expected to be posted in January.

For more information, contact Mary Ann Remolador.

NERC Speaks at Southeast Recycling Development Council Meeting
NERC's Executive Director Lynn Rubinstein recently had the pleasure of addressing the Southeast Recycling Development Council (SERDC), a newly formed regional recycling market development organization in the southern United States. Ms. Rubinstein spoke about NERC, how it is organized and funded, the dynamic between state and private sector members, how projects are identified and implemented, and an overview of recent projects.

Ms. Rubinstein commented that SERDC is like a mirror image of NERC. It too includes ten states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee), has recycling market development as its overall goal, is focused on public-private and regional collaboration, but unlike NERC it identifies itself as a business-lead organization; its formation and principle funding coming from the recycling industry.

NERC looks forward to working with SERDC and perhaps having joint projects and conferences. For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein.

Operating Plan FY 2006 & Annual Report FY 2005
Both of these documents have now been posted on the NERC website. The Operating Plan and Annual Report were both finalized and approved at the NERC Board of Directors meeting in October.

In addition to reflecting a new mission statement, the Operating Plan contains NERC's Vision Statement and Goals, Organizational Priorities, and an overview of projects.

The Annual Report highlights the presentations made (10), projects conducted (16), new and updated publications on the website (33), Advisory Members (36, a 6% increase over the previous fiscal year), Conference Sponsors, and the annual audit. Another truly busy and successful year!

For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein.

Fall Conference PowerPoint Presentations
Access to conference PowerPoint presentations is one of the benefits of NERC membership. Interested?

Thank you to all of our excellent speakers. The presentations posted are:

• Expanded Polystyrene Recycling, Betsy Steiner, Executive Director, Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers
• New Era in Enforcement: Sweeps & Other Initiatives, Guy Watson, Chief, Bureau of Recycling & Planning, NJ DEP
• Adventures in Multifamily Recycling in Burlington County, NJ, Ann Moore, District Recycling Coordinator, Burlington County Solid Waste Management and Recycling
• Increasing Recovery From Multi-Families, Barry Searle, City Sanitarian, City of Westfield (Massachusetts) Board of Health
• Recycling in New York City: Multi-Unit Dwellings, Patricia Grayson, Outreach Supervisor, NYC Dept. of Sanitation
• Industrial Packaging Materials, Lawrence Dull, President, Institute of Packaging Professionals
• Packaging Evolution, Patti Carrier, HiTech Division Facilities Manager, New Hampshire Ball Bearing
• Enforcement of Mandatory Recycling Programs. Richard J. Hills, Division Head, Middlesex County (New Jersey), Department of Planning, Division of Solid Waste Management

Advisory Membership Lunch Notes
One of the benefits of NERC membership is an opportunity (over food, of course) to meet with the Executive Committee and address what NERC can or should be doing to better serve the needs of its members and its mission. These discussions are always enlightening and entertaining.

For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein.

TPCH Elects New Officers
At its October Biannual Membership meeting, member states of the Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse (TPCH) elected the following new officers to the Executive Committee:

• Peter Pettit, NY Department of Environmental Conservation, Chair
• Sharon Yergeau, NH Department of Environmental Services, Vice-Chair
• David Westcott, CT Department of Environmental Protection, Member At Large
• John Gilkeson, MN Pollution Control Agency, Alternate

STATE UPDATES

DELAWARE

Delaware Recognizes Recycling Leaders on America Recycles Day
The Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA) hosted a Recognition Ceremony on Tuesday, November 15 to recognize the leadership and commitment of five Delaware communities that have established community-wide curbside recycling programs. The Collective Villages of Arden, the Town of Bellefonte, the City of Dover, the City of New Castle and the Town of Odessa have each become models of environmental action. Two waste collection firms, Waste Management and Independent Disposal Service, were also recognized for their support of the DSWA curbside recycling program.

Two presentations were held, the first, at DSWA's Dover Administration Office to recognize the City of Dover's effort to increase recycling. The second, was held at DSWA's Recycling Center in New Castle to recognize the City of New Castle, the Collective Villages of Arden, the Town of Odessa and the Town of Bellefonte. All of which have agreed to provide their community with weekly curbside recycling service through DSWA.

Each community was given a certificate to place in their public office and a park bench made of recycled materials. The bench is a symbol of the partnership between the communities, DSWA and the environment. Engraved with the words, "Make Every Day Earth Day," and made from 2,400 recovered plastic milk bottles, the bench represents the collective impact of recovering waste materials.

"November 15 has been designated America Recycles Day nationally. In an effort to celebrate this day and increase awareness of recycling, DSWA chose today to recognize the communities that are leading the recycling effort in Delaware," said Rich Von Stetten, DSWA Recycling Manager.

In addition, mounted certificates were given to Steve Masterson of Waste Management and Bruce Georgov of Independent Disposal Service in recognition of the moral and financial support they have given DSWA's curbside recycling program. Both companies have worked to promote the program to residents and offered incentives to customers that subscribe to DSWA curbside recycling.

DSWA was formed in 1975 to develop and implement programs for Delaware's solid waste management needs. In 2000, DSWA began offering recycling programs throughout the State. In 2004, DSWA began offering curbside recycling service on a subscription basis. As of November 15, DSWA was collecting from 5,830 households and adding more daily. For more information on the DSWA curbside recycling program, go to their web site.

MAINE

Waste Management Policy Task Force Evaluates Waste Disposal Issues
The second meeting of the Solid Waste Management Policy Review Task Force was held on November 1. Participants focused on disposal capacity for solid waste including such issues as: the statutory ban on new commercial solid waste disposal facilities; the state's public benefit determination as a standard for applying for licenses for new or expanded disposal sites; the amount of available disposal capacity and rate of fill of existing capacity; any potential additional capacity; the management of out-of-state waste; and the roles of existing municipal landfills and publicly-owned waste-to-energy facilities. The task force provided the Maine State Planning Office (SPO) with suggestions, concerns, and a deeper understanding of the issues from the various perspectives represented. SPO will use this guidance when developing its report and recommendations to the Legislature in January 2006.

The final meeting of the task force will be December 6, 2005, 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., at the Elks Club in Augusta. Public comment is encouraged both at the meetings and written comments by mail or e-mail. To provide your comments, visit Maine's recycling website, where you can also find meeting announcements, agendas, and background materials. For more information, contact Sue Inches or George MacDonald.

Maine Recycles Week 2005 Arrived on Tuesday, November 8^th and Departed on November 15^th.
While this annual celebration and promotion of recycling has now concluded, efforts and actions of residents and businesses will continue. Recycling will remain a habit for many and will hopefully become 'second nature' for others as the impact of Maine Recycles Week lingers in the minds of Mainers. Already, plans and activities for next year's event are being discussed, with an eye on expanding outreach and participation efforts.

This year, Maine Recycles Week started off with a bang, thanks in large part to the many sponsors of the event and reinforced by the colorful full-sized posters distributed throughout the state. Additionally, numerous newspaper ads and articles, as well as other media exposure, helped to spread the message of not only the importance of recycling, but the value in buying products made with recyclables. A goal of Maine Recycles Week is help build a base that will keep many talking about recycling, and recycling (!) throughout the rest of the year.

The need to keep recycling constantly in the minds of people, and in our youth, through school involvement and supporting education, continues to be a major objective of the week. In the next couple of weeks, posters that have been drawn and painted by school children, using this year's recycling theme of "Recycle for ME", will be submitted for judging, and evaluated upon their originality and effective communication of the recycling message. Judging will be completed by early December and the selected posters will be known and those posters used in making the 'Maine Recycling Calendar 2006 that will be sent to the schools and municipal offices in the State. Everyone is urged to join in to support recycling, and to buy products made from recyclables, throughout the coming year. 

MASSACHUSETTS

Contracting for Solid Waste and Recycling Services Workshop
Consumer Programs will hold two workshops for municipal officials entitled "Contracting For Solid Waste and Recycling Services". Speakers include John Giorgio, attorney for Kopelman and Paige, speaking on municipal procurement regulations and practices, and Natalie Starr of DSM Environmental Services, in Vermont. Brooke Nash and DEP's Municipal Assistance Coordinators (MACs) will also participate in the presentation. Locations are Mansfield Town Hall on December 7^th and the DEP's Northeast Regional Office in Wilmington on December 1^st. For more information, contact Brooke Nash.

State Hospital, Defense Contractor Honored for Promoting Waste Reduction and Recycling
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have presented Massachusetts WasteWise Waste Reduction Leadership Awards to Lemuel Shattuck State Hospital and Raytheon Company for using innovative, incentive-based solid waste contracting techniques to reduce trash and increase recycling in their operations.

Both the hospital and the company use an approach known as resource management (RM) contracting - through which they have given their solid waste contractors clear financial incentives not to haul as much trash as possible, but to manage resources in economically and environmentally responsible ways - to reduce their disposal costs and dramatically increase the amount of material they recycle.

"Shattuck Hospital and Raytheon are environmental leaders by example for other Massachusetts institutions and businesses," said MassDEP Commissioner Robert W. Golledge, Jr. "By working with their solid waste contractor on the common goal of cost effectively reducing and recycling their wastes, they are prime examples of how incentive-based contracting can be implemented in the waste management industry."

Most organizations that generate large quantities of waste would like to recycle more and pay less for disposal, but optimizing their trash and recycling services is rarely a priority compared with other, more pressing financial and organizational concerns. Yet because virtually all businesses and most towns and cities obtain these services by hiring waste management companies, RM contracting is an opportunity to make a real difference.

"Using this common sense approach to waste management, we are likely to see a win-win: less solid waste going to landfills, more materials being recycled, and financial advantages for all parties," said Robert W. Varney, Regional Administrator at EPA's New England regional office in Boston. "RM contracting has the potential to transform the waste disposal industry."

Lemuel Shattuck, a 278-bed in-patient state hospital located in Jamaica Plain, is in the second year of its contract with Save That Stuff, a Charlestown-based recycler. During the first year, Shattuck generated 11 percent less trash, saved roughly $11,000 in avoided disposal costs, and more than quadrupled its recycling - from 14 tons to 58 tons - by adding five new materials to the list of those it collected for recycling.

"I have worked in this business for more than 20 years, and this is by far one of the best waste management programs I have seen," said Lemuel Shattuck's Deputy Director of Facility Management Tom Campbell. "Instead of managing many contracts, now I manage only one, and that allows me to focus on other needs within the hospital."

Headquartered in Waltham and one of the nation's largest defense contractors, Raytheon went out to bid for solid waste and recycling services at eight of its Massachusetts facilities, with an aim of giving its new contractor incentives for helping the company throw away less and recycle more, and for continuously doing better.

"Raytheon has been a WasteWise member for years, and has a very active waste reduction and recycling program," said Brian Balukonis, Senior Environmental Quality Engineer for the company. "We hope this new contract will help us get to the next level of managing our resources more effectively and efficiently."

MassDEP and EPA give Massachusetts WasteWise Waste Reduction Leadership Awards annually in recognition of organizations that have demonstrated recycling leadership, sustainability, and innovation. The two agencies jointly fund the Massachusetts WasteWise Program, which provides waste reduction assistance to businesses and organizations. Participation is voluntary.

NEW JERSEY

DEP Awards $3.4 Million to Support Local Recycling Programs & Presents Recycling Awards
To boost recycling rates, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell announced the award of $3.4 million in municipal and county grants to support local recycling programs. Commissioner Campbell also announced the recipients of eight recycling awards for their successful efforts to increase recycling in the state during the past year at the 25^th Annual New Jersey Recycling Symposium and Awards Luncheon held on October 18^th in Eatontown.

"Recycling programs in our towns and counties form the cornerstone of New Jersey's recycling efforts," said Acting Governor Richard J. Codey. "This funding will help local programs to hopefully make New Jersey a leader again in recycling."

Twelve New Jersey students received poetry awards as part of DEP's recycling poetry contest, also announced at the luncheon. DEP co-sponsors the event each year with the Association of New Jersey Recyclers and the New Jersey Recycling Forum.

"Recycling is an important part of our everyday lives," said Commissioner Campbell. "The recycling award winners have demonstrated innovative leadership in reducing the amount of solid and hazardous waste going to landfills and other facilities."

Since March 2005, DEP has held 20 public meetings and forums with local officials and residents to discuss how we can increase recycling rates in New Jersey. DEP plans to adopt a new statewide solid waste management plan later this year, the first update to the plan since 1993, which focuses on increased recycling.

New Jersey is looking at specific measures to manage the state's 20 million tons of waste generated each year with waste reduction and recycling as the priority. In order to meet the state's goal of recycling 50 percent of the municipal solid waste stream, an additional 1.7 million tons of material must be recycled based on current statewide rates. Currently, the municipal solid waste recycling rate is 32 percent.

The recycling grant awards are performance-based, requiring specific documentation of total material recycled during calendar year 2003, the latest annual statistics available for the state. In 2003, New Jersey generated 19.9 million tons of solid waste, which includes construction debris and scrap iron. Of that total, 10.4 million tons or 52 percent was recycled with 9.5 million tons sent for disposal. Of the 9.5 million tons disposed, 1.5 million or 8 percent of the total waste generated went to resource recovery facilities, 3.8 million or 20 percent was disposed at landfills located in New Jersey and 3.7 million or 19 percent was sent for out-of-state disposal.

New Jersey's recycling industry employs more than 27,000 people in New Jersey with total receipts valued at $5.9 billion annually.

The 2005 award recipients are:

Large Business: Panasonic
Municipal Coordinator: Nancy Mason, Belvidere
Outreach/Media: Middlesex County Improvement Authority & Monmouth County Planning Board
Recycling Industry: Ocean County Materials Processing Facility
Small Business: Basil Bandwagon Natural Market
Commissioner's Award: Cumberland Farms & Newark Beth Israel Medical Center

Information about poetry contest winners and individual town recycling grant amounts are available on DEP's website:

1. 2005 Recycling Award Recipients and Program Descriptions
2. 2005 Recycling Poetry Contest Winners
3. Recycling Tonnage Grants

NEW YORK

New York State Recycles Calendars
The 2006 New York Recycles! Calendars are hot off the press! The New York Recycles! Committee is pleased to present the winners of its annual poster contest in this calendar. We hope you enjoy the artwork and find our waste reduction, reuse, recycling, composting and buying recycled products and packaging hints helpful! If you would like any calendars.

The New York Recycles! Poster Contest will again be conducted in 2006, and students can pick one of the following topics:

• New York Recycles! It all comes back to you!
• Composting......Don't just "leaf" it to nature!
• My school recycles (the following)
• Don't trash our air... recycling is better than burning!

Check out the webpage for more information on New York Recycles! Poster Contest Rules.

Federation of New York Solid Waste Association's Solid Waste /Recycling Conference & Trade Show
It's time to start planning to attend the Federation of New York Solid Waste Association's Solid Waste /Recycling Conference & Trade Show. Once again it will be held in picturesque Lake George, New York. The Conference is schedule for May 7-10, 2006 and will be held at The Sagamore on Lake George located in Bolton Landing, New York. There will be 2 ½ days of presentations, over 90 technical sessions, Trade Show, networking, boating, hiking, horseback riding and golf. For more information, go to the Federation's website.

RHODE ISLAND

A New Look for Rhode Island's Best Field Trip
Since being named "Best Field Trip" in this summer's Rhode Island Monthly, the educational tour center at the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) Visitors' Education Center has just completed its first major renovation. The enhancements are the first since the Center was initially completed in 1997.

As part of Resource Recovery's Environmental Education Program, tours of the Central Landfill and the MRF are offered to school groups and the public. The 90-minute tour is free to schools and familiarizes visiting children with the Facility where they can see first-hand how the recycling process works. The refurbished 1,900 square foot state-of-the-art tour room allows students to learn about recycling and what they can do to help conserve natural resources, energy and landfill space.

The demand for these tours has increased significantly over the years. In the past two years alone, the number of tours increased 80 percent. Last year, almost 8,000 students participated in a tour at the Central Landfill and the MRF. (Resource Recovery also provides in-school presentations to Rhode Island schools featuring Max Man, RI's increasingly popular and recognized recycling super-hero.

The newly renovated MRF Visitors Education Center includes games and instructional tools that focus on and teach aspects of source reduction and recycling, with the emphasis on natural resource conservation. Six New e-Mac computers with touch screens are used for interactive games about reuse and recycling. Upon entering the tour room, you cannot help but notice the Tower of Trash - a 20-foot heap of trash cans reflecting the amount of waste disposed of by the average Rhode Island family in a single month. It includes items such as paper, plastic, metals, fruit, milk cartons, soda cans, detergent bottles, fruits and vegetables. Next to the tower is a smaller version, which is a visual representation of the reduced household trash volume when family members recycle and compost everything possible with Rhode Island's municipal programs. It is a powerful visual tool and students can easily identify items they could recycle at home. Other components of the re-vamped Education Center are games that help children learn about what is recyclable and potentially reusable and through placing the correct items in the correct locations in order to win a game.

The project was done under contract with Rare Media Well Done, a Boston, MA firm that specializes in design and fabrication of educational exhibits. The firm had previously designed and built exhibits for numerous museums and educational facilities throughout the country. 

VERMONT

Expanding the Used Building Materials Industry in Vermont
On November 3, 2006, 41 participants representing used building materials stores, deconstruction services, contractors, architects, solid waste districts, and others, met to hear perspectives and learn about the construction reuse industry in Vermont. During the afternoon, participants brainstormed about strategies to increase reuse of building materials. The top approaches identified focused on expanding education, developing legislation, and doing more networking. A subcommittee, formed after the meeting, plans to reconvene to develop the specific steps to do this. For more information, contact Carolyn Grodinsky.

DEC Grants in 2006 - Food Rescue / Waste Diversion Grants
The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation is offering approximately $60,000 in composting grants to increase food donations to food shelves or the food bank, composting or digestion of food waste and other source separated organic waste in Vermont. Most grant awards will range from $10.000 to $35,000, though more or less may be considered. The grants are primarily for the start-up of new facilities or programs accepting larger quantities of food waste. This includes larger on-site projects. Preference is given to projects managing larger amounts of food waste. Education projects, particularly those that cover large areas or produce products that are useable statewide are also be eligible.

2006 Consumer and Youth Education Grants
The Waste Prevention Section issued a RFP for consumer and youth educational grant projects. There is $50,000 available to solid waste planning entities, or businesses partnered with solid waste planning entities. The grants will assist towns and solid waste management districts in establishing or augmenting programs described in their solid waste management plans. 

OF GENERAL INTEREST

WeRecycle!, Inc. Signs Electronics Recycler's Pledge
WeRecycle!, Inc. has signed the Electronics Recycler's Pledge of True Stewardship. The Pledge was created by members of the Computer TakeBack Campaign, including the Basel Action Network (BAN), and the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC).

"It just made sense to sign the Pledge," said Mick Schum, P.E., President of WeRecycle!. By signing the Pledge, WeRecycle! agrees, among other things, not to allow hazardous e-waste, as defined internationally, to be sent to solid waste landfills, incinerators, prison recycling operations or developing countries. Electronic waste contains toxins such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, which can cause long-term damage to our health and environment when improperly managed." 

The Federal Electronics Recycling and Reuse Challenge
This November 15th marked the eighth annual America Recycles Day (ARD), a day where all Americans are encouraged to do their part to support environmental stewardship by recycling and buying recycled content products. This year the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE), the Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC), and signatory Agencies of the Federal Electronics Stewardship Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) issued a special challenge to encourage all Federal facilities to lead by example and recycle, or donate their used computers and other electronic equipment to local schools or Hurricanes Katrina and Rita relief efforts.

The Federal government is the largest information technology (IT) equipment and service purchaser in the world, with an IT budget of over $60 billion in FY 2005. Unfortunately when new equipment is purchased, the previous generations of equipment sit unused, tucked away in basements, closets, and warehouses of Federal facilities across the nation, with no plans for their future. Much of this equipment can be either recycled, or reused, in the communities where we live and in the workplace. To encourage Federal facilities and agencies to improve their used electronics management, OFEE, the FEC, and MOU Agency members will launch the Federal Electronics Recycling and Reuse Challenge. This program began on November 15, 2005, and will conclude on Earth Day, April 22, 2006, where selected facilities will receive national recognition by the Federal Environmental Executive at an awards ceremony based on the amount of electronics recycled or donated during the five-month period between ARD 2005 and Earth Day 2006.

The Sixth Massachusetts Organics Recycling Summit - "Growing Business Opportunities in Organics Recycling"

When:	Wednesday, March 1, 2006, 8:30am to 4:00pm Thursday, March 2 -- site visits
Where:	Best Western Royal Plaza, Marlborough, MA (New Location!)

Join us for a professional conference and vendor exhibit hall focused on the food waste management and composting infrastructure in Massachusetts. A second day has been added that includes site visits to local compost facilities and businesses diverting food waste such as supermarkets. This year's Summit will focus on:

• Innovative public-private partnerships to increase organics recycling collection and composting capacity;
• Business financing, planning and contracting; and,
• Best management practices for all links in the organics recycling chain including generators, haulers, and composters.

Terrific networking opportunity -- last year's Summit attracted over 200 attendees from 12 states.

Please note the Ecological Landscaping Association's 2006 Winter Conference & Eco-Marketplace will be held at the same conference center on March 3 & 4, 2006.