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February 2016

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

NEW & RENEWING MEMBERSHIPS

Renewing Sustaining Member

New Supporting Members

Renewing Supporting Members

Member Spotlight - Gershman, Brickner & Bratton

NERC NEWS

STATE UPDATES

MASSACHUSETTS

NEW YORK

VERMONT

ADVISORY MEMBER UPDATES

NEW & RENEWING MEMBERSHIPS
Membership is key to NERC's regional and national committment to sustainable materials management.  We are delighted to recognize renewing Sustaining Member Casella Resource Solutions, as well as to welcome our newest Supporting Members - the City of Salem, Massachusetts and Reclay StewardEdge, and renewing Supporting Members the Carton Council and Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI).

To see a complete listing of NERC's Members and Supporters, as well as the benefits of membership, visit the NERC Advisory Membership web page.

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

For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein, Executive Director.

Member Spotlight - Gershman, Brickner & Bratton

Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc. (GBB) is passionate about solid waste management. Gershman Brickner Bratton logoIndeed, anyone who has been in the industry for any length of time is likely to be familiar with the work of GBB. For 35 years, this international solid waste management consulting firm has been working with public and private sector organizations to develop practical and technically sound solutions for complex solid waste management challenges. Applying best management practices and customized solutions, GBB meets its client’s needs cost effectively. And, according to GBB, it holds “transparency and honesty” as a key value in its interactions with clients.

Why NERC

According to Bob Brickner, Executive Vice President, “joining NERC fits into GBB’s goals for promoting sustainable materials management and protecting our planet through best management practices. We see participating in NERC as value added for our customers and our goals.”

Balancing the Environment, Economy, and Community

GBB knows that management of solid waste has a direct impact on the health of the planet…not just for current generations, but for future ones as well. Best management practices treat solid waste as a valuable resource. Stated Brickner “at GBB, we regard solid waste as a valuable resource that can be creatively managed while protecting our soil, air, water and people. Designing and implementing projects for a more sustainable world requires that a balance be achieved between environmental, economic and community needs. Our focus is to achieve this balance with cost-effective, efficient and innovative solid waste solutions.”

GBB works with companies to incorporate sustainability strategies into their operations in order to achieve positive impacts in meeting their “triple bottom-line” goals of people, planet, and profits.  GBB helps companies cost-effectively enhance their waste management system by showing them how to generate less waste, increase recycling, and recover energy, thereby providing long-term community benefits.

At the Forefront of Evolving Solid Waste Management

Through its long history in the industry, GBB has seen many changes—from Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) mandates on landfills, to EPA’s solid waste management hierarchy and the growing emphasis on materials management. The company successfully leverages its historic perspective and insight with the skills and entrepreneurial approach of its staff to develop innovative solutions necessary in today’s evolving world of materials management. GBB projects strive to integrate smart planning with effective management of solid waste services.

Well versed in emerging trends in solid waste management, including technologies that create renewable chemicals, fuels and energy from waste, GBB works with its clients to transition their operations to expand services, reduce costs, and to take advantage of these new technologies where feasible.

GBB has developed products to enhance operations, including Route Optimization Software and Services and Web-based Routing. The breadth of GBB’s projects is indicative of its considerable knowledge and experience. From waste-to-energy and collection routing to C&D compositional analysis and community stakeholder meetings, the company has done it all.

  • GBB’s FleetRoute™ Service Bureau worked with the City of Baltimore, Maryland, to re-route its residential trash collection system. By optimizing routes, workdays, and equipment allocation, the City has saved up to six million dollars per year.
  • In Maui County, Hawaii, GBB reviewed and audited the County’s contracted composting operations. The project included monitoring and testing, as well as gathering health and safety permits and other compliance data.
  • GBB applied its expertise in contract development and the request for proposal (RFP) process to work with the City of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. GBB was on hand to see the process through from the beginning, with development of a Strategic Plan for the City’s recycling program; the launch of a grassroots promotional campaign;  and distribution of new single-stream carts distributed around the City. The results were an award-winning single-stream recycling program which provided greater convenience to residents and larger volumes of recyclable materials to move through the City’s newly constructed single-stream processing facility.
  • In Guam, where a court order authorized GBB to manage and supervise the island’s solid waste operations, the company cleaned up the transfer stations; installed new signage; and added recycling drop-off facilities. The company designed and implemented a new cart-based residential trash collection system and a public information strategy to maximize resident participation. GBB was instrumental in moving the island toward an environmentally sound integrated waste management system.

NERC NEWS

Mark Your Calendars & Start Making Your Arrangements For NERC’s Spring 2016 Conference! - April 12 & 13

NERC’s Spring 2016 Conference— Recycling Is Not Broken: Facts vs. Fiction—will take place on April 12 – 13 at the Hyatt Regency Princeton in Princeton, New Jersey.  

The Conference will delve into recycling market pressures and their impacts on government and business.  Whether you’re new to recycling and or have been working in the industry for years, the agenda will offer informative sessions that we can all learn from. Topics to be featured include:

  • State of Recycling Markets
  • Economics of the Current Marketplace
  • Market Impacts on Sustainable Materials Management
  • Impact of Markets on Brand Owners’ Decisions
  • Riding out the Market Lows
  • Open Discussions

  Exhibitor space and sponsorship opportunities are available.

 Silver Sponsors

  Resource Recycling Logo          Recycling Today Logo         

If you have any questions about the Conference, contact Mary Ann Remolador, NERC’s Assistant Director and Event Organizer.

Maryland Joins NERC – We’re now 11 states strong

NERC is proud to announce that Maryland has joined as its 11th member state.  Maryland Department of the Environment (the Department) was created in 1987. Its mission is to protect and restore the environment for the health and well-being of all Marylanders.  The Department also provides technical assistance to Maryland businesses and communities and responds to environmental emergencies.

Kaley Laleker, Acting Deputy Director of the Department’s Land Management Administration, will join the NERC Board of Directors, representing the State of Maryland.

According to NERC’s Executive Director, Lynn Rubinstein, “with the addition of Maryland to its state membership, NERC’s multi-state initiative—to promote traditional and innovative solid waste best practices that focus on waste prevention, toxics reduction, reuse, recycling and organics recovery—is significantly expanded.

The Department’s Kaley Laleker added, “over the past few years, MDE has been a member of the Electronics Recycling Coordination Clearinghouse (ERCC) and a participant in the State Electronics Challenge, two projects administered and managed by NERC.  We believe that the Department and NERC share many of the same goals, including identifying innovative best practices in waste diversion.  The Department is excited to join NERC and share in the benefits that membership will provide.”

The NERC website has been updated to reflect Maryland’s membership. Information about Maryland’s waste diversion activities and recycling markets will be added over the next few months. The list of state- and privately-owned disposal and/or recycling facilities has already been updated to include facilities in Maryland.

Computers & Imaging Equipment as Part of Sustainability Goals - Free Webinar February 11

Buying green, saving power & paper, responsible reuse & recycling - the State Electronics Challenge is a free program that can assist you to improve your organization’s sustainability practices and recognize you for what you've already accomplished.

The Challenge is open to local, regional, tribal, and state governments, all public & private K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and non-profit organizations.  Participants receive access to free technical assistance, tools, resources, and recognition in support of their efforts to decrease the environmental impact of electronic office equipment.  The Challenge also documents the success of participating organizations.  Program participants receive annual sustainability reports that detail their reductions in energy use, greenhouse gases, and waste.  

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

CRTs - What's the Fuss - Recording & Presentations Available

In mid-January the State Electronics Challenge - one of NERC's projects - held an extremely successfuly webinar explaining the "why" behind recent problems with the recycling of CRT glass.  More than 400 people participated in the webinar.  A recording of this 1 hour event, as well as the PowerPoint presentations, are now available.

Reducing E-Waste Through Purchasing Decisions

The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), host agency for the Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI), recently announced the publication of a new research report (TR-061): “Reducing E-Waste Through Purchasing Decisions.” Delta Institute Logo

This research was conducted by the Delta Institute of Chicago, IL, with funding from ISTC’s sponsored research program.  Lynn Rubinstein, the Executive Director of NERC participated in the research behind the report.

Abstract: “Purchasing decisions made by companies for electronic office equipment, such as computers, printers, and fax machines, are often not made with the equipment end-of-life disposition in mind. Purchasing agents develop technical specifications for office equipment and make final purchasing decisions based on the needs of their users. The end result is that final disposition of this electronic waste, or e-waste, may sometimes be through the trash or through unchecked third party disposal companies which increases the potential for contaminants to enter the environment.

Reuse: A Triple-Bottom Line Solution - February 17

Join us on February 17 at 1:30 PM EST for the third webinar in NERC’s reuse webinar series to learn about the positive impact reuse can have on your state, community, organization, or business Triple Bottom Line!

The webinar is designed for materials management professionals, nonprofit organizers, state/community/tribal leaders and activists, business owners, and others wanting to advance reuse in their communities.

States, communities, organizations, and companies are realizing that incorporating sustainability strategies into their programs and operations brings positive benefits to people, the planet, and economies (“profits”)—the “triple bottom line”. Reuse can foster both environmental and economic sustainability. Reuse conserves resources by extending product life cycles, and it presents the world with exciting entrepreneurial business models that benefit the social good. Reuse: a Triple-Bottom Line Solution will present insights into the many benefits of reuse and ways to measure these benefits.

Presenters & Topics

  • Meeting the Triple Bottom Line - the Community ReUse Center Model

Diane Cohen, Executive Director, Finger Lakes ReUse, Inc.

  • Fix-it Clinics—Bringing Communities Together

Nancy Lo, Waste Reduction and Recycling unit, Hennepin County (MN) Environment and Energy Department

  • ReUse on Campus

Stacey White, Sustainability Coordinator, University Operations, University of Minnesota

  • Reuse – Metrics & Impacts

Colleen Hetzel, Solid Waste Principal Planner, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Click HERE for links to PowerPoint presentations and recordings from other webinars in NERC’s Reuse Webinar Series.

The Reuse Webinar Series is funded in part through a United States Department of Agriculture grant.

For more information, contact Athena Lee Bradley, Projects Manager.

Textiles Webinar Attracts Large Audience

There is a growing interest in textiles recovery by communities and states as a strategy for increasing reuse and recycling efforts. This was demonstrated by the 174 attendees on NERC’s textiles webinar—States Charging Ahead with Textiles Recovery.  The attendees were from34 states, the District of Columbia, and 1 Canadian province.

The webinar featured the statewide textile reuse and recycling programs being spearheaded by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, NYSAR3 (New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling) and the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation; as well as the participation of SMART (Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association) and the Council for Textile Recycling in working with the States.

The speakers featured on the webinar included:

  • Brooke Nash – Branch Chief, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
  • Dan Lilkas-Rain -  NYSAR3 Board Member; Chairman, Re-Clothe NY Campaign; and
  • Recycling Coordinator, Town of Bethlehem, Albany County, New York
  • Jackie King  - Executive Director, SMART
  • Krystal Noiseux - Education & Outreach Manager, Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation

Go here, for the webinar recording and PowerPoint presentations.

The textiles webinar was the second in NERC’s reuse series and is part of a USDA grant-funded reuse project.

For more information, contact Mary Ann Remolador, NERC’s Assistant Director.

NERC Now has a LinkedIn Page - Follow Us

NERC has expanded its social media presence with the addition of a LinkedIn page.  Please follow us!  We're just getting going but it will be a great source for keeping ontop of NERC webinars, conferences, projects and developments.

For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein, NERC Executive Director.

NERC Blog Worth Repeating - 10 Reasons Why Zero Waste Is a Priority Climate Solution

The NERC Blog Worth Repeating was written by Guest Blogger Kate Bailey, Program Manager for Eco-Cycle Solutions.

In the wake of a historic global commitment at COP21 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it’s time to get to work on the local level! Keeping emissions below 2°C will require myriad solutions, but we also need to prioritize short-term actions that will pay off quickly for the climate.

Zero Waste is one of the fastest, easiest climate action strategies that communities can implement today to immediately reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  

Leading communities like Portland, Oregon have prioritized Zero Waste and consumption emissions into their climate action plan. Already Portland recovers 70% of its discards and is working to reduce waste generation by 30% by 2030, which means you can too. How are they doing it? With proven solutions to reduce, reuse, recycle and compost, and by leaning on industry to redesign products and packaging to use fewer resources.

Here are the top ten reasons for prioritizing Zero Waste in climate action plans:

  1. Big part of the solution. The way we produce, transport, consume and dispose of all our “stuff” and our food accounts for 42% of U.S. greenhouse (GHG) emissions.
  2. Easily implemented NOW. We know how to recycle and compost most of our stuff already. We don’t have to wait for new technology to develop solutions. What we need is to get every community and business involved.
  3. It reduces energy-related emissions. Recycling saves energy used to make new stuff. That directly reduces carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. 
  4. Cost-effective. Curbside recycling can reduce more greenhouse gases per dollar spent than energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.  
  5. Fast acting. Methane from landfills traps 84 times more heat in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide in the short term. Significantly reducing methane by keeping organics out of the landfill doesn’t just mitigate methane—it PREVENTS methane emissions and has immediate climate benefits.
  6. Pulls down carbon. Composting doesn’t just reduce emissions going up; it can actually pull carbon down and store it in our soil, helping to REVERSE the carbon emission problem. Soil stores more carbon than forests or the atmosphere.
  7. Simple, everyday action you can choose to do TODAY. We’re asking you to separate your materials. It’s a simple choice that’s accessible to everyone—at home, at work, at school and on the go. And it can be a lot easier than not driving your car and cheaper than buying solar panels (though these too are critically important).
  8. Drives further innovation. Creative new programs around reuse and the sharing economy can radically decrease the climate impact of all our “stuff.” By rejecting products designed for the dump, we prompt industry to redesign for better resource efficiency.
  9. Serious impact. Recovering 90% of our discards by 2030 will reduce GHG emissions by the equivalent of closing more than 20% of U.S. coal-fired power plants.
  10. Protects our carbon sinks. Reducing, reusing and recycling can help prevent deforestation and land use changes that account for 25% of global GHG emissions. Instead, we choose to conserve the biosphere to play its important role in pulling carbon out of the atmosphere.

Zero Waste also provides significant environmental and economic benefits, but with all eyes on climate change, it’s time to prioritize Zero Waste as a proven, cost-effective climate solution. By taking action now, we can take a significant chunk out of our climate impact and can buy ourselves the much needed time to address our longer-term challenges around energy and transportation.

Use the new video—Zero Waste Climate Solution—to start the conversation in your community and find more resources to make Zero Waste a priority in your community climate action plan.

By Kate Bailey

Eco-Cycle Solutions empowers every community to get on the road to Zero Waste, whether they’re ready to move an inch or a mile. Visit the Eco-Cycle Solutions Hub to get the plan, action tools, and support you need to get moving!

NERC welcomes Guest Blog submissions. To inquire about submitting articles contact Athena Lee Bradley, Projects Manager. Disclaimer: Guest blogs represent the opinion of the writers and may not reflect the policy or position of the Northeast Recycling Council, Inc.

STATE UPDATES

MASSACHUSETTS

MassDEP & The Recycling Partnership Join Forces to Improve Quality of Recycled Materials

The Recycling Partnership is excited to announce a new project in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) to drive more, better material into residential recycling programs across Massachusetts. Supported by grant funds and building off of past work throughout the U.S., The Partnership will work with MassDEP to craft a customized contamination reduction toolkit, then test and refine it with pilot cities and local material recovery facilities (MRFs). The end result will be a field-tested, data-supported program ready for launch across the entire state, along with training and funding to support its success.

“Improved quality and increased tonnage are constant goals in our industry, and this program is designed to achieve both,” said Cody Marshall, Technical Assistance Lead of The Recycling Partnership. “We know that it will take an approach that integrates strong social marketing principles and proven operational tactics, and that is the foundation of this program.”

Over  the  course  of  2016,  The  Partnership  and  MassDEP  will  work  closely  with Massachusetts communities and MRFs to diagnose the root causes of contamination, then build out and vet tools to eliminate the issues at their core. A key outcome will be a unified, adaptable messaging platform that provides communities with a common language for communicating with residents about recycling.

“Our communities are facing a challenging obstacle to recycling in the form of contamination, and we believe that this new approach will move our entire recycling system well past that barrier,” said MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg.  “Beyond that, the universal nature of this program should unite our state’s recycling efforts in powerful new ways, increasing customer awareness and enabling more participation in local programs.”The final toolkit will include a self-assessment component, which will allow local programs to easily identify the most effective methods for overcoming their specific barriers, then help them prioritize and implement those approaches. Like any good program, it will end with a reassessment to light new pathways to continuous improvement.

“The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is taking an aggressive stance to boosting recycling performance, and we are proud to be teaming up with such a forward-looking partner,” noted Karen Bandhauer, Project Director of The Recycling Partnership. “At the end of this journey we will have a tactical, practical, proven set of approaches ripe for implementation across the country, and I for one can hardly wait to take this to the next level!”

NEW YORK

New Division Director for the NYS DEC Division of Materials Management

Acting Commissioner Basil Seggos of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced the recent appointment of David Vitale as the new Director of the Division of Materials Management (DMM), effective December 17, 2015.  Mr. Vitale takes over after the recent retirement of Salvatore Ervolina.  Mr. Vitale has been the Director of the Bureau of Permitting and Planning within DMM for the past several years and has been employed at DEC for 36 years, including 26 years in DMM or its predecessor division.  The Commissioner also recognized the outstanding contribution made by Mr. Robert Phaneuf, Assistant Director of the DMM, as the Acting Director during the interim period since Mr. Ervolina retired this last September.

VERMONT

Leahy, Local Advocates Announce Expansion of Charitable Deductions of Food Donations

Joined by local advocates to end hunger and food insecurity, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced at the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf in Burlington in December that a provision incentivizing donations of surplus food to local food pantries was recently signed into law, helping efforts to cut back on food waste and supporting communities help those in need across the country.   

During this congress, Leahy successfully led a bipartisan effort to expand and make permanent tax deductions for businesses and farms for donated food to community food shelves this year.  As much as 40 percent of food that is produced, grown and transported in the United States will never be used because some businesses find it too costly to donate.  This amounts to an estimated 70 billion pounds of wasted food each year.

Leahy said:  “The burden of hunger threatens the livelihood and wellbeing of communities across Vermont.  Hunger leads to malnourishment, obesity, diabetes and academic and social difficulty among children, and we all know a hungry child cannot learn. Vermont is a leader in the fight against hunger, and I was proud support this common sense provision to cut down on food waste and redirect resources to those in need.”

The Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf serves over 12,000 Vermonters each year, and continues to see an increase in visitors seeking food assistance.  Rob Meehan, Executive Director of the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf said, “Many of the people we serve face difficult choices including skipping meals so their children will have enough to eat, choosing between food and medicine, food and housing, food and healthcare simply because they do not have enough money.  We need more help from our federal government to feed vulnerable Vermonters and this is a valuable step in that direction.”

The provision, the House companion of Leahy’s Senate legislation the Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Extension Act, was included within a broader tax extension package passed in the year-end spending bill.  This provision builds on a proven tax incentive to encourage businesses and farms to donate surplus food to their local food banks.  It also permanently extends the same tax incentives to donate food, now available to corporations, to small businesses, farmers, ranchers and restaurant owners – many of whom have large amounts of fresh food to donate. 

According to the Vermont Foodbank, 153,000 Vermonters rely on meals provided through food shelters, meal sites, senior centers and after-school programs each year.  Vermont Foodbank CEO John Sayles said, “Many of our neighbors are working hard and still can’t make ends meet. Federal assistance is the first line of defense against hunger, but it has been decreasing in the past several years. We appreciate Senator Leahy getting a win for hunger relief this year, and we’ll work hard to leverage that win for hungry Vermonters and continue to push for more federal, state and private support to end hunger.”

Community members were also in attendance to lend support for this enhanced opportunity for public-private partnership.  Former Co-Chair of the Chittenden County Hunger Council and City Market Director of Community Engagement Allison Weinhagen said, “Vermont’s food co-ops, farms and food retailers all value the partnership with our local food banks and pantries.  This extension further supports the impactful work that is being done throughout the state.  The statistics on food insecure families in our community have not significantly decreased over the past several years and leadership like Senator Leahy’s at the federal level is an important step in making a positive difference in the lives of our neighbors.”

As the most senior member and former chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Leahy has helped to lead the fight in Congress against hunger and is a longtime supporter of federal nutrition programs.  This year he successfully advocated for an increase in federal funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a federal program which provides states with commodity food products to fill food shelves. Earlier this year, he also introduced the Farm to School Act of 2015 to bolster nutrition education in schools, while increasing economic benefits for our local farmers. 

Also in attendance were Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Deb Markowitz, Hunger Free Vermont, the Vermont Farm Bureau and members of the Chittenden County Hunger Council.

ADVISORY MEMBER UPDATESISRI2016 Offers Programming Focused on Managing a Successful Business During a Challenging Economy

Tough times are challenging the recycling industry worldwide. Surviving in these markets takes knowledge. It requires skills in understanding the markets, in maintaining relations with suppliers, consumers, and employees. It requires evaluating operations to insure that the product you provide is better than that of your competitor. Attending ISRI2016 will be better prepare you to overcome these challenging times.

ISRI2016 program highlights include this year’s key note speaker, Rami Khouri, an internationally renowned policy analyst specializing in Middle Eastern affairs. His understanding of how actions in the Arab world affect world economics and how policies of countries far and wide affect the Middle East is both fascinating and educational. Learn more about how world events today are shaping the future economy. Also, this year’s Commodity Spotlight Series will provide the most comprehensive and up-to-the-minute analysis of each of the commodities markets from the world’s top experts.

In addition to the above highlights, ISRI2016 will also feature a variety of workshops to help you better understand the changing economy, maximize profit opportunity, and build long-term success.

Some of the featured workshops are:

How to Use a Hedging Strategy to Come Out on Top - Learn what hedging is and get a crash course on the proper ways to use it so you can come out on top. 

The Art of Maximizing Profit: The Real-Life Stories of Certified Facilities - This session will give you a better understanding of the cost opportunities found in the certification process, such as improving process efficiency, quality control, supplier communication and training, and other strategies that will maximize your profit potential.

Using the Tax Code to Your Advantage in a Down Market - In this workshop you’ll hear from tax experts who will reveal little-known portions of the tax code that can yield enormous gains.

How to Work with Your Banker in Tough Economic Times - Hear from financial experts on what bankers are looking for and how you can give them the information they need to assuage any nervousness they may be feeling.

Join ISRI in Las Vegas April 2-7, 2016, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Early bird registration has been extended until January 31.

ISRI Transportation Safety Awards Entry Period Now Open

The entry period is now open for the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) Transportation Safety Awards. The program, now in its fourth year, includes four awards recognizing outstanding safety records.

The award categories are as follows:

The Best Fleet Awards will be presented to the ISRI member with both the lowest vehicle accident rate and the lowest DOT severity rate for the calendar year 2015 in each of four classes, determined by size.

The Pacesetter Awards will be granted to the ISRI member with the best 36-month accident record in each of four classes, determined by size.

The Driver of the Year Award will be awarded to the commercial vehicle driver with the best 20-year driving record, with the minimum qualification being no at-fault accidents during the driver’s entire career. The winner will receive $500, a trophy and leather jacket, and a trip to ISRI2016.

The ISRI Golden Wrench Award will be given to the best heavy vehicle maintenance technician or manager who exhibits outstanding efforts, achievements, and contributions to ensure that commercial vehicles are safe on the road. The winner will receive a trophy and a trip to ISRI2016.

ISRI’s Transportation Awards reflect the value and importance the recycling industry places on vehicle safety. Recognizing the top performers both at the individual and company levels raises the bar for the industry as a whole.

Entry forms and additional information can be found on ISRI’s website. All entries are due by February 29, 2016. The awards will be presented during ISRI2016, ISRI’s Annual Convention and Exposition, held April 2-7, 2016, in Las Vegas. The Transportation Safety Award program is sponsored by the RecycleGuard Insurance Program.