January 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 Member
Renewing Supporting Members
- Council of State Governments/Eastern Regional Conference
- New York State Legislative Commission on Solid Waste Management
NERC NEWS
- Textiles, the Next Frontier – Join us at the NERC Spring Workshop
- Looking for Ways to Demonstrate Sustainability? Find Out More on the State Electronics Challenge Upcoming Webinar
- Moving towards Zero Waste & Cost Savings – A Roadmap for Contractors & Builders
- Support NERC's Efforts to Get the Word Out!
- A Blog Worth Repeating: Reuse Marketplace is Open for Business
TOXICS IN PACKAGING CLEANINGHOUSE NEWS
STATE UPDATES
CONNECTICUT
ADVISORY MEMBER NEWS
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NERC's mission is to advance an environmentally sustainable economy by promoting source and toxicity reduction, recycling, and the purchasing of environmentally preferable products and services. |
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 Sims Municipal Recycling as a Renewing Sustaining Member of NERC, and the Council of State Governments/Eastern Regional Conference and New York State Legislative Commission on Solid Waste Management as renewing Supporting Members of NERC.
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
Textiles, the Next Frontier – Join us at the NERC Spring Workshop
According to the U.S. EPA, Americans throw away more than 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per person per year. This accounts for more than 4%of the municipal solid waste stream; more than electronics, carpet, and many other materials that have historically received more attention than clothes. But times are changing and textiles are beginning to get the attention they deserve.
Join NERC on April 2, in Storrs, Connecticut, for a day-long intensive workshop on textile reuse and recycling; including how to run programs and find markets for the material.
The workshop agenda and registration will be posted on the NERC website by mid-January. Sponsorships and exhibit space are available. For more information, contact Mary Ann Remolador, NERC's Assistant Director.
Looking for Ways to Demonstrate Sustainability? Find Out More on the State Electronics Challenge Upcoming Webinar
Greening your organization's office equipment can be easier than you think. By joining the State Electronics Challenge (SEC), state, local, and regional, and tribal governments, schools, and other public entities can get access to tools, resources and assistance to help them buy green office equipment, use it efficiently, and recycle it responsibly, all at no cost.
SEC program participants have their results verified through annual sustainability reports that document material and energy savings in support of their sustainability goals. They are also eligible for recognition for their efforts through program awards.
For more information, contact info@stateelectronicschallenge.net, or visit the website at www.stateelectronicschallenge.net.
Support for the State Electronics Challenge is made possible through the sponsorship of Samsung Electronics, Panasonic, Sims Recycling Solutions, the ISRI R2/RIOS program, and the Consumer Electronics Association.
Moving towards Zero Waste & Cost Savings – A Roadmap for Contractors & Builders
A new resource for builders guides them through the process of project design and implementation that can both save money and increase the reuse and recycling that is achieved; moving a project towards zero waste. Moving towards Zero Waste & Cost Savings – A Roadmap for Contractors & Builders is a product of an EPA New England grant that NERC has had for the past two years to work with builders and contractors to incorporate zero waste strategies into building, remodeling, and deconstruction projects.
Also recently posted is a brief document that explains how to calculate the cost effectiveness of C&D recycling. For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein, NERC Executive Director.
Support NERC's Efforts to Get the Word Out!
If you would like to receive the NERC blog when it is posted, send Athena Lee Bradley an email to be added to the blog recipient list. You can join the list to read regular postings. Articles are posted each Tuesday and an occasional shorter blog on Thursday.
If you haven't visited NERC's Facebook page please check it out for up-to-date news and issues from NERC and the world of recycling.
Here's an excerpt from a blog worth repeating about an important new NERC project.
Reuse Marketplace is Open for Business
The Reuse Marketplace is a free regional network to find, sell, trade, or give away reusable and surplus items that would otherwise be disposed as trash. Businesses, institutions, governments, and non-profit organizations in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont can become members by creating free accounts and posting listings for available items. Members may also post detailed wanted listings, specifying the type(s) of items they need. While anyone can browse and access the posted items, only members can post items to offer. Actual exchange transactions are carried out directly between interested parties.
The Marketplace has more than 30 categories of items ranging from agricultural to textiles, as well as more than 60 related subcategories.
NERC is the site administrator and is responsible for reviewing the site membership requests and all listings prior to them being posted. The Reuse Marketplace website was designed by iWasteNot Systems.
NERC would like to thank the following state agencies and corporations, and private businesses that support the Reuse Marketplace.
State Agencies, Authorities, and Corporations
- Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection
- Delaware Solid Waste Authority
- Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
- New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
- Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation
Businesses
- All American Waste
- Casella Waste Systems
- Global Plastics Recycling, LLC
- GreenCycle
- Harvest Power
- Wheelabrator Technologies
- Willimantic Waste
Additional states and businesses are invited to participate in and support our effort. Please contact Mary Ann Remolador for more information.
TOXICS IN PACKAGING CLEARINGHOUSE NEWS
Pigments in Shopping Bags May Contain Lead, But Overall Compliance with State Laws Improving
In its latest study, the Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse found that vibrant solid-colored shopping bags are still at risk for containing high concentrations of lead in violation of state toxics in packaging laws. The Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse screened 125 single-use shopping and mailing bags for the presence of lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium in the inks used to print or color the bags. These toxic metals are regulated in packaging by nineteen U.S. states.
Only three bags failed the screening test for lead, however, each of the failing samples contained about 1% lead by weight of the bag. "This means that for every 100 pounds of these shopping bags, we're introducing about 1 pound of lead into commerce," according to Dr. Alex Stone of the State of Washington, Department of Ecology. "These bags ultimately end up in our incinerators, landfills, or recycling streams. Lead is considered a persistent, bio-accumulative toxin. It's a metal and isn't destroyed, but only accumulates."
The shopping bags that contained lead were all vibrant solid-colored plastic bags — two were bright yellow and one red. Only one of the bags was marked with the country of origin, and in that case it was manufactured in the U.S. "It was a surprise to find a packaging sample manufactured in the U.S. that violated our state laws," said Kathleen Hennings of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. "In the past we've typically only found lead and cadmium in packaging manufactured overseas." States are working with these companies to address the issues identified.
Overall, states were pleased with the high level of compliance with state toxics in packaging laws. An earlier screening project by the Clearinghouse, released in 2007, showed almost 17% non-compliance for plastic shopping bags of a total of 60 samples screened. The Clearinghouse included some retail brand shopping bags that failed in the 2007 project in the current screening. The results on these new bags indicated they were in compliance. The Clearinghouse was encouraged by these results, which may indicate manufacturers and distributors of plastic shopping and mailing bags are paying more attention to sourcing and testing for compliance with toxics in packaging laws.
The Clearinghouse routinely screens packaging for the presence of regulated metals using x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. XRF analysis is a rapid and inexpensive screening tool for measuring the elemental composition of samples, including metals restricted by state packaging laws, including cadmium, lead, and mercury. For this study, packaging samples were screened using an Olympus Innov-X Systems DELTA handheld XRF instrument. Samples failing the XRF screening with >100 parts per million of a regulated metal were sent to a laboratory to confirm the XRF results.
Over the past several years, TPCH has demonstrated that manufacturers and distributors must be vigilant about their packaging materials. Lead and cadmium are sometimes added to pigments used in colorants that make single-use shopping bags colorful or to flexible PVC packaging as an inexpensive plasticizer and UV stabilizer. Although these substances may pose little direct risk to the average consumer handling the packaging, when the packaging material is disposed of in landfills or incinerators, these toxic metals can enter the environment and pose a risk to health and safety.
The report, XRF Screening of Packaging Components: Inks & Colorants, is available for download on the TPCH website.
This study is a follow up to two previous projects by the TPCH that identified inks and colorants as a potential source of lead and cadmium in packaging. XRF screening allows for the inexpensive and rapid detection of elemental composition of packaging materials.
Visit the Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse website.
STATE UPDATES
CONNECTICUT
Connecticut Sets Product Stewardship Priorities
On October 25, 2012, a stakeholder meeting was held in conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) and the CT Product Stewardship Council. The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) facilitated the meeting and wrote the final Briefing Document.
Product stewardship plays an important role in the State's Solid Waste Management Plan. According to the Plan, "Solid waste management efforts in Connecticut will be guided by the principle of shared responsibility or "product stewardship." The plan goes on to say that since manufacturers play a central role in the life cycle of a product, they should have a greater financial responsibility for the end of life management.
The Briefing Document, "Setting Product Stewardship Priorities for Connecticut," provides background information provided to stakeholders before the meeting and incorporates decisions made during the meeting. It also provides highlights of the meeting's outcomes, including the top five priority waste streams to be addressed by Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). As defined in the report, while product stewardship can be either voluntary or regulatory, EPR is specifically a regulated approach.
The stakeholders at the October meeting identified the following priorities for EPR in the State of Connecticut:
- Mattresses
- Carpet
- Batteries
- Fertilizers and Pesticides
- Packaging
The Governor's Modernizing Recycling Work Group will consider these priority waste streams as it develops its final recommendations to Gov. Daniel P. Malloy to advance the Connecticut Solid Waste Management Plan and increase recycling in Connecticut.
ADVISORY MEMBER NEWS
MASSRECYCLE Recognizes MRM
MRM was honored by MassRecycle with the Industry Recycling Award at the 17th Annual Awards reception held on November 13th at the Intercontinental Hotel in Boston. MassRecycle is a statewide coalition of individuals, municipalities, businesses, institutions and nonprofits dedicated to promoting and realizing the economic, social and environmental benefits resulting from reducing, reusing and recycling, and to increasing the utilization of recycled products.
MassRecycle recognized MRM for its demonstrated leadership in e-waste recycling, particularly for its voluntary e-waste recycling program in Massachusetts. MRM provides a statewide recycling network where consumers can drop off electronic products at no charge for responsible recycling. This network, which is supported by Mitsubishi Electric, Panasonic, Sanyo, Sharp, Toshiba, and VIZIO, collected and recycled over 1.3 million pounds of televisions, computers, and other consumer electronics for the 18-month period that ended in June of 2012.
MRM, in partnership with Electronic Recyclers International (ERI) and other processors, provided recycling opportunities at 20 locations across the state including the City of Boston. Upon winning this important award, Tricia Conroy, MRM Executive Directory praised MRM's recycling partners, "MRM is especially grateful for the work that our recycling partners such as ERI do to make sure that used electronic products are collected and recycled responsibly."
MRM was formed in 2007 by electronics manufacturers, Panasonic, Sharp, and Toshiba, pioneers in developing electronic product collection and recycling infrastructure across the U.S. The three companies began recycling their own internally generated electronics as far back as 1992. The companies expanded their activities in the late 1990s to work, both individually and collectively with other manufacturers, in partnership with federal, state, and local governments and responsible recyclers to bring more e-waste recycling opportunities to consumers.
Based on this collective manufacturer experience, MRM brought a large group of product manufacturers together to operate environmentally sound, economically efficient recycling programs. MRM offers recycling programs across the country, where manufacturer-sponsored recycling is mandated or not.
MRM began providing long-term voluntary collection opportunities with its partner ERI in Massachusetts in 2009. These started as regularly scheduled recycling events and quickly grew to include full-time drop-off locations across the state.
"The recycling opportunities offered by MRM would not be possible without the partnership that ERI has developed with communities in the state. MRM, ERI, and these communities work very hard to ensure that these recycling opportunities are offered at no additional charge to Massachusetts' consumers, stated David Thompson, Director of the Corporate Environment Department at Panasonic North America, one of the MRM program sponsors.
Today MRM has more than 1,500 recycling locations across the United States, including 20 in Massachusetts. Consumers seeking recycling information can go to www.mrmrecycling.com, find the U.S. map, click on their state and locate the MRM recycling opportunity nearest to them, or call 1-888-769-0149 for information on the MRM program. MRM will continue in its efforts to increase recycling opportunities for consumers, in the Northeast and across the United States.
Recycling Worth $746 Million, 4,800 Jobs to Connecticut Economy
Three-quarters of a billion dollars and 4,800 jobs. That's the impact that recycling is making on Connecticut's economy in 2012, according to 
a study by the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. (CERC). And since 2006, recycling has been worth nearly $5.17 billion to the state's economy as measured in total sales, said the study, commissioned by the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority (CRRA).
This analysis also shows that the recycling industry in Connecticut directly contributes $435 million in sales and provides for more than 2,710 jobs in the state's economy. As it ripples, it accounts for more than $738 million in total sales and 4,790 jobs per year.
"This study shows recycling is a vibrant and growing sector of our state's economy and that CRRA, as Connecticut's Recycling Leader, is the cornerstone of that economic sector," said CRRA President Thomas D. Kirk. The study also shows employment in 2012 from Connecticut's recycling activities at more than 4,800. In terms of collective employee compensation, proprietors' incomes, indirect business taxes, profits and other property-type income, the total value-added measured nearly $470 million, including labor income of more than $275 million and indirect business taxes of nearly $59 million and $134 estimated in dividends, interest payments, rents and profits. CERC performed the study using an IMPLAN input-output model, which explored the total economic impact of the recycling industry at the state level and also the impacts associated with CRRA.
From 2006 through 2012, CRRA's economic impact was $883 million in total output, 861 jobs per year, and $529 million in total value-added which includes labor income of $362 million. In addition, CRRA, through its recycling processing center in Hartford and satellite transfer stations around the state, operates and accounts for between 30 and 40% of the state's total industry employment.
"While these numbers are substantial, they are conservative estimates of the overall impact of all aspects of the recycling activities in Connecticut — which reach well into other industry sectors within the state," said Alissa DeJonge, CERC director of research.
Based in Rocky Hill, the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation and public-private partnership that provides objective research, marketing and economic development resources consistent with making Connecticut a more competitive business environment.
The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority is a quasi-public agency whose mission is to work for — and in — the best interests of the municipalities of the state of Connecticut. CRRA's board of directors and management team develop and implement environmentally sound solutions and best practices for solid waste disposal and recycling management on behalf of municipalities. CRRA serves 74 Connecticut cities and towns.