Skip to Content

[X] CLOSEMENU

February 2006

NERC’s Advisory Members

Distinguished Benefactors

Consumer Technology Association (CTA)

Benefactors

Coca-Cola

Samsung

Waste Management

Sustaining Members

  • Advanced Drainage Systems

  • American Beverage Association

  • Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR)

  • Blount Fine Foods

  • BlueTriton Brands

  • Bulk Handling Systems

  • Casella Resource Solutions

  • CLYNK

  • Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast, Inc.

  • Council of State Governments/Eastern Regional Conference

  • Eco-Products

  • Fire Rover, LLC

  • GDB International

  • Glass Packaging Institute

  • Henkel

  • Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI)

  • International Bottled Water Association

  • Keep America Beautiful

  • Keurig Dr. Pepper

  • MRM

  • Nestle USA

  • NEWMOA

  • PaintCare

  • Plastics Industry Association

  • Re-TRAC

  • Recycling Partnership

  • Republic Services

  • Reverse Logistics Group

  • Revolution

  • Serlin Haley

  • Sims Municipal Recycling

  • Sonoco

  • Strategic Materials

  • Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC)

  • TOMRA

  • US Composting Council (USCC)

A list of all the logos of our Sustaining Members can be found under Advisory Members

MEMBERS
Renewing Supporting Members:
NERC NEWS NEW NERC PUBLICATIONS STATE UPDATES
  • MAINE
    • 2006 Maine recycling calendars mailed to schools
    • SPO co-sponsors medication collection in Mid-coast Maine
  • MASSACHUSETTS
    • Revised Solid Waste Regulations and Guidance
    • Update on Massachusetts Solid Waste Master Plan Revision
    • Sixth Massachusetts Organics Recycling Summit Scheduled
  • PENNSYLVANIA
    • Recycling in Pennsylvania Tops 4.8 Million Tons, Saving Materials Valued at $113 Million
    • Submission Date for Grant Applications under the Solid Waste-Resource Recovery Development Act
  • RHODE ISLAND
    • RI Resource Recovery Corporation Hosts Composting Web Cast
OF GENERAL INTEREST

To join the EMail Bulletin list…
Send an email to Lynn Rubinstein making the request. Please be sure to include your full name and organization.

 

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.



TOPICS
MEMBERSHIP

We are delighted to announce that the Association of New Jersey Recyclers and the New York State Legislative Commission on Solid Waste Management have renewed their Supporting Memberships!

Thank you to one and all!

It is through the active participation & 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

It's Time to Register for NERC's Spring '06 Conference - March 21-23!
Don't miss this exciting opportunity to network with recycling officials from three regions. For the first time, NERC, MACRO and MACREDO (representing 26 states and one district) will meet to discuss recycling issues affecting our member states.

The conference will include:
  • Networking opportunities with members from three regional recycling organizations,
  • Presentations on the priorities of each regional recycling organizations and opportunities for future collaboration,
  • Tours of Blue Mountain Recycling and Woodhue Composting,
  • Chaz Miller of the National Solid Waste Management Association talking about future recycling markets and the hauler perspective,
  • Steve Thompson presenting the Aluminum Association's Curbside Value Partnership Program and how state's can support this program,
  • Sandi Childs of RME Associates presenting the steps to conducting successful stadium sweeps and how to get more recycling implemented at NASCAR events'
  • Jill Kowalski of the Delaware Valley Green Building Council teaching us how to assist recyclers to affectively partner with green builders so they may maximize the use of recycling credits.
  • Presentations by Douglas Smith of Sony Electronics Inc., and Mark Murray of Californians Against Waste on the implementation of California's E-waste legislation.

The Conference will be held at the EPA Region III office in Philadelphia, PA. NERC has reserved a block of rooms at the Hotel Windsor under the booking of "NERC Group." Rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis until to February 20th or when all the rooms are gone - whichever comes first, so we suggest that you make reservations as soon as possible.

Public Service Enterprise Group, Sharp Electronics Corp., and Sony Electronics Inc. are major Conference sponsors..

Northeast Newspaper Publishers' Agreement - Progress Report Calendar 2004 - Recycled Content Up
Another year of monitoring for the Northeast Newspaper Publishers' Agreement has been completed. This year, the data collection was handled by the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) and not by NERC.

The Fall of 2004 marked the third year anniversary of the Northeast Newspaper Publishers' Agreement. At that time, the Agreement and its impacts were reviewed. It was agreed by all parties that it had been a success; achieving its goals of a commitment to increase usage of recycled content newsprint in the region and achieving a minimum recycled content of 27%. The newspaper publishers expressed their ongoing commitment to the Agreement and its goals. At that time, the NAA stepped forward with the offer to leverage its existing industry data collection efforts to collect the information necessary for monitoring the progress of the Northeast Newspaper Publishers' Agreement.

NAA's approach to data collection was to include recycling questions with its annual newsprint consumption survey. The survey process closely followed NERC's previous efforts. The newsprint consumption survey was distributed to over 200 newspapers with various sizes of circulation. The top circulation newspapers were included, which meant that NAA received the results from over 70% of the population and then extrapolated the balance based on regional and circulation figures. 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.

The Calendar 2004 numbers for the Northeast Region are:
  • Metric Tons of Newsprint Used - 2,229,478
  • Metric Tons of Recycled Newsprint Fiber Used - 656,189
  • Percentage of Recycled Fiber in Newsprint - 29.4%
By comparison, the 2004 numbers for the total United States are:
  • Metric Tons of Newsprint Used - 8,063,228
  • Metric Tons of Recycled Newsprint Fiber Used - 2,830,285
  • Percentage of Recycled Fiber in Newsprint - 35.1%
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%
Several reasons may contribute to the difference between the 24.53% amount of recycled fiber in newsprint in 2003 from the NERC survey and the 29.4% for 2004 in the Northeast region:
  • Reduced virgin newsprint capacity at mills in Canada;
  • Newspapers reducing the size of the newsprint web width to 48 inches; and
  • Unlike the NERC survey which included only large newspapers in its survey, NAA's survey was distributed to newspapers with 11 different circulation sizes, ranging from greater than 500,000 to less than 5,000. NAA believes that many small market newspapers turn to brokers to purchase newsprint. These brokers may be getting newsprint from other parts of the country.

Going forward, NAA plans to refine its survey process, perhaps making it an electronic survey, and hopes to begin collecting 2005 data in the spring of 2006.

NEW NERC PUBLICATIONS

Updated Web Pages
As you know, the NERC website is a valuable resource to recycling professionals in the Northeast, as well as the country. So it is vital that it be up-to-date and relevant. In recognition of this, EPA New England has provided NERC with funding to maintain and update this resource over the coming year.

The website now reflects the first round of such updates, thanks to the assistance of NERC State Members. The following web pages have recently been updated:
We are continuing to keep our website up-to-date as much as possible. Watch for these changes over this winter and spring.

STATE UPDATES

MAINE

2006 Maine Recycling Calendars Mailed to Schools
With the month of November being almost entirely devoted to Maine Recycles Week - from planning the event, to its being recognized and celebrated, to judging the school and poster competitions (and selecting the posters for the calendar), few people realize that another critical time is the creation and distribution of the recycling calendar in December. The goal is to have the nearly 5,000 copies printed through the generosity of the many sponsors of Maine Recycles Week and in the mail before we are too far along in the New Year. With the help of this year's printer, Lewiston's Sun Press, we are on time again this year.

Some believe that this year's calendar is the best. However every year that is the reaction hoped for, even before completing the annual Maine Recycles Week school competition that serves as the source of the posters in the calendars. The students whose posters were selected to grace this year's calendar will be recognized and congratulated by First Lady Baldacci at a Blaine House tea later this winter.

SPO Co-sponsors Medication Collection in Mid-Coast Maine
On November 2, Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick hosted Maine's first regionally-organized collection of unused, unwanted, or outdated medications. The event was spectacularly successful, collecting over 1,200 pill bottles containing over 47,000 doses from more than 120 participants from as far away as Waldoboro in just four hours.

The improper disposal of medications causes harm to the environment and storage poses a threat to the health and well being of children and the elderly.

A broad coalition of public agencies came together to take key roles in bringing off the collection, including: Brunswick and Bath police departments, Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Department and Emergency Management Agency, Sagadahoc Health Improvement Project, Mid Coast Hospital, Merrymeeting Bay TRIAD, Maine Departments of Health and Human Services (Public Health Nursing) and Environmental Protection, and State Planning Office. Funds provided by SPO went towards a very successful public awareness campaign and the environmentally sound disposal of the unwanted medications.

At a follow-up meeting in December, volunteers committed to put together a detailed report to aid others in replicating the event around the state and region, and also to tentative plans to hold another event in the Mid-coast in the summer of 2006. 

MASSACHUSETTS

Revised Solid Waste Regulations and Guidance
Significant amendments to the Massachusetts Solid Waste Management Regulations (310 CMR 19.000) took effect on October 7, 2005. The revisions modify several sections of the regulations. The most significant changes are a requirement that landfills be lined with a double composite liner, rather than a single composite liner; a new ban on disposal and transfer for disposal of certain construction and demolition waste materials at Massachusetts solid waste facilities; extensive revisions of the Beneficial Use Determination regulations that establish new standards based on risk from the reused material and a streamlined process for obtaining approvals; and the elimination of several outdated regulation sections. A fact sheet describing the most significant revisions, along with an unofficial copy of the regulations, is available on the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) web site.

The regulations establishing a new ban on disposal of construction and demolition waste require most solid waste facilities (transfer stations, landfills and combustion facilities) to submit a revised Waste Ban Plan to MassDEP by April 1, 2006, which explains how the facility will implement the new ban on disposal of asphalt pavement, brick, concrete, metal, and wood material. This ban is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2006.

MassDEP has issued updated waste ban guidance, which is available on the MassDEP web site. Updated guidance on beneficial use determinations (BUDs) will be issued within the next several months. MassDEP is holding training sessions on the new regulations and waste ban guidance in late January/early February, with BUD training to follow once that guidance has been finalized.

Update on Massachusetts Solid Waste Master Plan Revision
MassDEP completed public hearings and the public comment period on the draft Massachusetts Solid Waste Master Plan Revision in November. MassDEP is currently writing a response to comments document along with the Final Plan Revision, which is expected to be released by March 2006. The Final Plan Revision will include 2004 solid waste, recycling, and waste reduction data. For more information, contact John Fischer.

Sixth Massachusetts Organics Recycling Summit Scheduled
MassDEP will hold the sixth annual summit on March 1, 2006 at the Best Western Royal Plaza in Marlborough, MA, a new location for the summit. The summit is a professional conference and vendor exhibit hall focused on the food waste management and composting infrastructure statewide. 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.

PENNSYLVANIA

Recycling in Pennsylvania Tops 4.8 Million Tons, Saving Materials Valued at $113 Million
Governor Edward G. Rendell has announced that Pennsylvanians recycled a record 4.8 million tons of municipal waste in 2004, the latest year for which statistics are available.

The economic benefits of recycling are estimated at more than $113 million in materials collected and more than $259 million of avoided disposal costs, in addition to the substantial environmental gains from recycling. "Our investments to support community recycling efforts and innovative private-sector initiatives have made Pennsylvania a national leader in recycling," Governor Rendell said. "In Pennsylvania, we are committed to protecting the environment and to using environmental protection measures to foster job creation and economic growth."

The Commonwealth's recycling and reuse industry includes more than 3,200 establishments with total annual sales of $18.4 billion. The industry employs more than 81,000 people and has an annual payroll of $2.9 billion. The employment, payroll and sales numbers are more than any other state in the Northeast United States and are the second highest in the nation.

In addition, Pennsylvania's recycling and reuse industry has an indirect effect on the economy estimated at $1.8 billion, and a direct impact on the tax base, contributing $305 million each year.

According to reports filed by Pennsylvania counties for 2004, the state diverted 4.8 million tons of municipal waste from disposal at landfills and waste-to-energy facilities, continuing an upward trend that began with passage of the state's recycling law in 1988. Municipal waste includes typical refuse from households, businesses, schools and institutions as well as industry offices and lunchrooms.

The economic benefit of recycling in 2004 can be assessed in part by using published commodity prices for goods such as steel cans, glass, plastic bottles and corrugated paper. An analysis of 1.4 million tons of Pennsylvania's 2004 recycling reveals the materials were worth almost $54 million. If the remaining 3.4 million tons of other materials were valued at even half this amount, the total would be more than $113 million. This does not include the estimated value of avoided disposal, which can be calculated as more than $259 million at the estimated statewide average disposal cost of $54 per ton.

"Across the commonwealth, people are recycling more at home, at work and even in public places," Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty said. "Our partners in municipal governments are using innovative collection programs not only to diversify what they collect, but also to make their programs more efficient. The recycling and reuse industries are creating new and valuable uses for recyclable materials. Together, we are saving millions of tons of materials and using them to grow our economy."

The environmental benefits of recycling extend far beyond diverting materials from landfills and incinerators.
  • Pennsylvania recycling saved energy: Pennsylvania's 2004 recycling efforts saved almost 66 trillion British thermal units (BTUs) of energy, enough to power 643,000 homes for one year in Pennsylvania or the equivalent of conserving 531 million gallons of gasoline.
  • Pennsylvania recycling reduced air and water pollution: Pennsylvania recycling in 2004 eliminated more than 2.5 million metric tons of air emissions, including greenhouse gas emission reductions of 1.9 million metric tons of carbon equivalent --- a savings of approximately 2.4 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the commonwealth. Part of the air emissions savings total was 7,731 metric tons of sulfur oxides, an important ingredient in acid rain formation. Nitrogen oxides, a precursor to smog, were reduced by 8,814 metric tons, an amount equal to 5.5 percent of these emissions from Pennsylvania electrical utilities. Water pollutant reductions totaled nearly 9,000 metric tons.
  • Pennsylvania's recycling conserved natural resources: By recycling more than 1 million tons of steel cans, appliances and similar materials, Pennsylvania industries saved almost 1.3 million tons of iron ore, 718,460 tons of coal and 61,582 tons of limestone. Through recycling newspapers, office and mixed paper, the state saved the equivalent of 8.2 million trees. On average, a live tree removes 60 pounds per year of air pollution from the environment.

For more information on this topic, visit DEP's Web site, keyword: "Recycling."

Submission Date for Grant Applications under the Solid Waste-Resource Recovery Development Act
The Department of Environmental Protection (Department) announces that it is accepting Resource Recovery Demonstration Grant applications from counties, municipalities and municipal authorities within this Commonwealth under the Pennsylvania Solid Waste-Resource Recovery Development Act (35 P. S. §§ 755.1--755.14). Projects must be capable of demonstrating, for a minimum of two years, the production of energy or the recovery of materials from solid waste (except sewage sludge). Grant applications must meet the terms and conditions established in 25 Pa. Code Chapter 76 (relating to solid waste--resource recovery development.)

The Department is particularly interested in receiving applications for projects to implement unique and innovative curbside collection programs for food waste that result in environmentally sound alternatives to landfilling. All projects must be capable of being replicated in other areas of this Commonwealth.

Applicants must provide a business plan and market commitments for energy or materials produced by the demonstration project. All projects should be capable of reaching full-scale production within 12 months of notice of a grant award.

A lead municipality or county serving as the development agency for regional projects must have resolutions from other participating counties or municipalities in support of the project. Counties and municipalities may sponsor cooperative projects with private sector entities provided that a minimum of 5% equity in the project is maintained by the development agency for the term of the demonstration period.

The Department will award up to $250,000 this grant round. The Department reserves the right to partially fund all or none of the grants submitted during this grant round. A minimum of 25% local matching funds is required including at least a 5% equity share in the project by the applicant.

The deadline for submission of grant applications is 3 p.m., April 6, 2006. Applications must be on forms provided by the Department. Applications received by the Department or postmarked after the deadline will not be considered during this application solicitation.

Counties and municipalities must contact the appropriate Department Planning and Recycling Coordinator listed below to obtain a grant application. A pre-application conference with the Department Regional Planning and Recycling Coordinator is required. Inquiries concerning this notice should be directed to John Lundsted, Recycling Technical Assistance Coordinator, Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Waste Management, Division of Waste Minimization and Planning, Rachel Carson State Office Building, PO Box 8472, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8472.

Regional Planning and Recycling Coordinators

  • Southeast Region
    Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties
    Calvin Ligons
    Ann Ryan
    MaryAlice Reisse
  • Northeast Region
    Carbon, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming Counties
    Chris Fritz
  • Southcentral Region
    Adams, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry and York Counties
    Mark Vottero
  • Northcentral Region
    Bradford, Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga and Union Counties
    Michelle Ferguson
  • Southwest Region
    Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland Counties
    Sharon Svitek
    Brad Cunningham
    Stephen Sales
  • Northwest Region
    Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Venango and Warren Counties
    Guy McUmber

RHODE ISLAND

RI Resource Recovery Corporation Hosts Composting Web Cast
Rhode Island Resource Recovery recently partnered with the University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension to host a web cast on composting. They worked closely with Marion Gold and URI staff in conjunction with the web cast which was held at The John H. Chafee Center for International Business at Bryant University. Composting segments were also part of Gold's "Plant Pro" features on local NBC affiliate WJAR-10.

Mike Mesolella, RI Resource Recovery's Municipal Recycling Coordinator, thought it would be a great idea to go into local schools and teach students and members of the community about the benefits of composting. Mesolella discussed his idea with Gold and she coordinated her staff and developed a script the two could follow for their web cast. The web cast itself was narrated by Mesolella and utilized an array of visuals such as composting bins, materials, etc.

"We wanted the web cast to be as visual as possible for those tuning in," said Mesolella. "People need to be aware of how important it is to keep leaf and yard waste out of the landfill and use natural soil enrichment without using chemically-based fertilizers."

The 30-minute long web cast featured a PowerPoint presentation that reinforced the basic points of composting. The script followed along and focused on ten key areas such as how to compost, why it is beneficial, composting methods, troubleshooting, etc.

Mesolella wanted to make it clear that composting is easy to do. "A lot of people do it already," he said. "But we want more people to get involved." The program itself was such a success that another web cast on municipal recycling is in the works for February.

The web cast resides on the website of the Chaffee Center and may be accessed online. Click the web cast image and follow the steps to register for your free viewing. Complete the contact information and hit "yes" for RI resident. On the next screen, fill out your address then click the button that directs you to the web cast archives. The composting web cast will be at the top of the list.

OF GENERAL INTEREST

WeRecycle!, Inc. - Approved Consolidator for the State of Maine's Household E-Waste Recycling Program
On December 21, 2005 Maine's Department of Environmental Protection selected WeRecycle!, Inc. as an "Approved Consolidator" for the State's E-Waste Recycling Program. This approval allows WeRecycle! to provide consolidation and recycling services to all municipalities in the State of Maine.

Maine's new E-Waste law requires manufacturers to share responsibility with municipalities for the collection and recycling of household televisions and computer monitors. Maine is one of only three states to adopt E-Waste recycling legislation. WeRecycle! will be working with the municipalities in Maine to assist them in maintaining compliance with the new E-Waste Law (38 MRSA §1610). "Nearly every household has old electronic devices stored in basements and closets. Televisions and computer monitors contain lead, mercury and other toxic components that must be managed properly to prevent environmental pollution and negative health impacts. The new law provides a mechanism for this equipment to be properly collected and recycled", says Mick Schum, P.E., President of WeRecycle!, Inc.

WeRecycle!, Inc. has established relationships with municipalities and their communities throughout New England to maintain compliance with environmental laws and to promote environmental stewardship.