News &
Updates

To view our archived Bulletins, click on a date below.

February 2013

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

MEMBERSHIP

Renewing Sustaining Members

Renewing Supporting Members

Individual Supporter

Annette Poliwka, New York

NERC NEWS

ADVISORY MEMBER NEWS

Northeast States Collect Over a Million Batteries in 2012

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.

State and Advisory Member Updates, as well articles of General Interest and guest blogs are provided as submissions to NERC and may not reflect the policy or position of the Northeast Recycling Council, Inc.

NERC is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

MEMBERSHIP

We are delighted to welcome Curbside Value Partnership and Metech Recycling as Renewing Sustaining Members and the Association of New Jersey Recyclers, Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority, Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority, and Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania (PROP) as renewing Supporting Members of NERC. And, now NERC has its first Individual Supporter as well!

A hallmark of NERC is the strength of multi-stakeholder involvement and problem solving. This is a direct result of the active participation and support of NERC's Advisory Members. NERC has more than 50 Advisory Members. To see a complete listing and the benefits of membership, visit the NERC Advisory Membership web page.

The broad spectrum of interests represented by NERC's Advisory Members and Board Members and their willingness to participate significantly contribute to the unique and important role that NERC plays in recycling in the region.

NERC NEWS

Registration Now Open for NERC's Spring Workshop on Textiles Recovery

NERC's Workshop — Collecting Textiles: Make it Work for Your Community — will be held on April 2, 2013 from 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., at the Nathan Hale Inn & Conference Center, University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut.

The following topics will be presented and discussed at the Workshop:

Textiles Reuse & Recycling: Understanding Today's Industry Sectors
Latest Definition of Acceptable Textiles for Diversion
Different Paths for Diverted Textiles
Identifying Available Markets
Education Programs for Schools & Residents

The Workshop agenda can be found at http://www.nerc.org/conferences/spring13_workshop_info.html

Sponsors

Need an Easy New Year's Resolution? Green Your Office Equipment!

Need a resolution you can stick to in 2013? Join the State Electronics Challenge! The Challenge takes the mystery out of buying green office equipment, using it efficiently, and recycling it responsibly by providing a simple, straightforward process.

The Challenge is a free program that provides public sector entities with access to tools, resources, and technical assistance to green their purchase, use and/or recycling of office equipment. The Challenge documents the success of participating programs and provides Partners with annual sustainability reports that detail reductions in energy use, GHGs, and waste. Exemplary programs are acknowledged through the Challenge's awards and recognition program.

To learn more about the State Electronics Challenge, register for an introductory webinar. There are two webinars scheduled:

February 12, 3:00 p.m. eastern

To register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2523028787997809152

March 14, 3:00 p.m. eastern

To register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3635301347725787392

Who's Eligible to Join the Challenge:

State and tribal agencies
Cities and towns
Counties
K–12 Schools
Colleges and universities
Public utilities
Libraries

For more information, contact info@stateelectronicschallenge.net or visit the website.

The State Electronics Challenge is funded by a grant from the EPA Region 5 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and with the support of its sponsors — Samsung, Panasonic, Sims Recycling Solutions, the Consumer Electronics Association, and the ISRI R2/RIOS program.

The State Electronics Challenge Continues to Grow

In recent weeks several new Partners have joined the State Electronics Challenge. There are now 106 Partners representing more than 148,000 employees. The newest Partners to join are:

The City of Gillette, Wyoming
OCRRA, Syracuse, New York
The Regional Water Authority, New Haven, Connecticut
The Ogle County Solid Waste Management Department, Illinois
West Irondequoit Central School District, New York
Valley Transportation Authority, California

These new Partners geographically diverse and their program areas have different priorities. There is no requirement that recycling be a Partner's focus. The Challenge targets green procurement, energy and paper conversation, as well as responsible reuse and recycling. For more information, visit the website or join us for an introductory webinar. See the previous article for more details.

NERC Receives Prestigious Roy A. Hunt Foundation Grant

The Roy A. Hunt Foundation has awarded NERC a grant for two new projects: the development of model environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) specifications, and the launch of a regional recycling markets database. For more information about the EPP project, contact Mary Ann Remolador, NERC Assistant Director. For more information about the regional recycling markets database, contact Lynn Rubinstein, NERC Executive Director.

First Individual Supporter of NERC

NERC is delighted to announce its first "Individual Supporter": Annette Poliwka, New York.

For more than ten years, trade associations, companies, state recycling organizations, non-profit organizations, resource recovery corporations, and other affiliations have had the opportunity to support NERC and its mission by being an Advisory Member. Now individuals are being offered a way to become involved as an "Individual Supporter."

By making a donation to NERC and becoming an Individual Supporter, you will be offered several benefits — in addition to helping NERC. These benefits include discounted conference and workshop registrations, and having your name listed on the NERC website (optional).

For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein, NERC Executive Director, or visit the NERC website.

Step Out and Be Social!

Please take a moment to check out NERC's Facebook page and "like us" if you have not already. Here's a look at a NERC Blog "Worth Repeating!" To receive notices of all blog postings, send an email to Athena Lee Bradley, NERC Projects Manager.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Steps Toward Zero Waste for Contractors & Builders

In previous blog articles we offered some C&D Recycling Insights. NERC's new Moving towards Zero Waste and Cost Savings – A Roadmap for Builders and Contractors for Construction and Demolition Projects takes it a step further to offer a roadmap toward "zero waste."

Zero waste is a path that can lead to savings and profit. Zero waste does not actually mean "zero waste," as some think. Instead it is a goal and en route to that goal, great change and value can be achieved. And, contractors can realize cost reductions by following this path. Zero waste in construction and remodeling projects focuses on looking for opportunities:

Generating less waste by using materials more efficiently — saves money;
Reusing materials on site, or selling or donating them to someone else for reuse — cost containment, potential revenues or tax benefits; and
Recycling whenever possible – might save you money and could even bring in revenue.

Zero waste in construction and remodeling is a win-win proposition, and not as hard to do as you might think.

Understanding the Materials and the Opportunities
The essential step in moving towards zero waste in construction and demolition is to develop a thorough appreciation of what materials will be used or generated onsite and to identify opportunities for new ways to approach them.

Are there ways that the amount of materials used can be decreased?
Can anything be reused or re-purposed onsite?
Will any of the materials have reuse value to someone else?
How about recycling? Are the materials recyclable?

An effective strategy for assessing and understanding these opportunities is to go through the process of developing a Materials Management, or Waste Minimization Plan. This is a straight forward process that draws on the type of analysis and research you already do for any project, but adds some new twists.

Materials Management Planning
Prior to the start of a project, engage the property owner (manager or developer), architect, and essential crew members and subcontractors in the development of a Materials Management Plan. Each plan will be unique, but should reflect the following decisions about waste minimization, reuse, and recycling:

Waste minimization and recycling goals;
Waste minimization strategies to be implemented;
Materials to be reused and recycled — on- or off-site;
Expected quantity of each reusable, salvageable, and/or recyclable materials;
Estimated costs and savings as a result of the proposed plan;
Hazardous materials management;
Plan and process for materials collection, storage, and hauling;
Methods for tracking weight or volume, destination, and end–uses of all reused and recycled materials; and
An education plan about reuse and recycling for everyone working at the jobsite.

Waste Minimization and Recycling Goals
Starting with a goal will help guide the decision-making process, as well as provide direction for subcontractors and suppliers. It is also provides a baseline for measuring how well the project succeeded with waste minimization and recycling. This provides you with "boasting rights." As will be discussed in the final section of this document, in addition to the cost savings and environmental good that is achieved through waste minimization and recycling, it positions your business in a unique niche that can benefit your overall business development. Being able to prove that you have succeeded in the past is therefore essential. Having a goal and measuring your results provides that proof.

An example of a goal could be: To have no more than xx [roll-offs or tons] from the jobsite go to disposal while reusing or recycling at least x% of what is generated.

The goal should be something that you truly consider to be achievable, but that passes the "straight face" test. For example, a goal that stated "to see if we can reduce our waste" while worthwhile, does not give you a true basis for measurement.

Waste Minimization Strategies
Waste minimization includes:

Using only those materials that you need;
Decreasing the amount of material that has to be disposed of as trash; and
Diverting materials from disposal to reuse or recycling.

Minimizing what you need to buy and planning to use these materials efficiently is the first step to avoid waste. There are many effective strategies to achieve this; all of which also lead to cost savings and increased profitability. Consider the following strategies; many of which you may already be part of your regular practices, but new ideas may occur to you as you move through this list. In all instances, apply the old adage "measure twice cut once" and avoid over-estimating and rounding-up the purchasing requirements.

Rounding-up leads to wasted money and wasted materials that you have to deal with at the end of the job.

In the Materials Management Plan, detail the strategies that you will use to achieve waste minimization. In other words, write down what you will intentionally do to avoid waste. This might seem unnecessary, but it provides a roadmap for the project and a resource that you can use for future projects. It also is a strategy that you can include in future marketing efforts; demonstrating that you intentionally approach projects from a waste minimization, cost savings, environmentally sustainable perspective. Some examples of statements you might include are:

All cardboard on the site will be kept dry and recycled.
All vendors will be asked to minimize the amount of packaging they use and to take-back packaging, such as pallets, for reuse.
Left over roofing materials will either be donated to Habitat for Humanity or recycled.

A sample Materials Management Plan and Waste Management Strategy specifics are contained in Moving towards Zero Waste & Cost Savings – A Roadmap for Builders & Contractors for Construction & Demolition Projects.

More on C&D Zero Waste in an upcoming NERC blog!

Minutes from NERC Annual Meeting Available

Minutes from the NERC Annual Board of Directors meeting are now available on the NERC website. For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein, NERC Executive Director.

ADVISORY MEMBER NEWS

Northeast States Collect Over A Million Batteries in 2012

Call2Recycle® is pleased to announce that the Northeast Recycling Council's (NERC) member states recycled over a million pounds of rechargeable batteries and cellphones through their participation in the Call2Recycle program in 2012 — that's equivalent to the weight of 40 school buses! Pennsylvania and New York lead collections with total weights of 319,113 and 242,061 pounds, respectively.

"The Northeast continues to be a leader in environmental stewardship and demonstrated commitment to diverting materials from the waste stream through multiple initiatives, including recycling, " said Todd Ellis, Account Manager at Call2Recycle. "We applaud NERC's members for their continued support of battery recycling and their promotion of the safe reclamation of these materials."

Battery and cellphone recycling diverts potentially hazardous materials from the waste stream and ensures that valuable resources are reused.