News &
Updates

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

January 2014

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 Supporting Members

Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority
Newspaper Association of America

NERC NEWS

NEWLY POSTED

NERC Board Meeting Minutes – October 2013

STATE NEWS

DELAWARE

New Leadership for Delaware Solid Waste Authority

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.

NERC’s mission is to promote sustainable materials management by supporting traditional and innovative solid waste best practices, focusing on waste prevention, toxics reduction, reuse, recycling and organics recovery.

NERC is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

MEMBERSHIP

We are delighted to thank renewing Supporting Members Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority and the Newspaper Association of America. Thank you to all of our members and individual supporters.

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 40 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

NERC’s Spring 2014 Workshop will Focus on Urban & Rural Organics Management Programs

You’ve heard it said that diverting organics can increase a community’s waste diversion rate. And you may wonder how that’s feasible in a heavily populated area where neighbors are sensitive to smells, or in rural areas where transportation and the expense of collection are concerns.

NERC’s Organics Management Workshop, to be held on April 15 – 16, in Freeport, Maine, will address the technical and practical aspects associated with developing and maintaining organics management programs in both urban and rural areas. Expert trainers and pertinent sessions will teach and aid attendees to understanding the composting process, potential problems, and available technologies. In addition, hands-on exercises will give attendees the opportunity to solve common problems and to design facilities that avoid potential problems.

SPONSORS

Sponsorship & Exhibitor Space Available

Workshop Location: Harraseeket Inn, Freeport, Maine

Dates: April 15 – 16, 2014

Workshop Organizer: Mary Ann Remolador, NERC’s Assistant Director

Exchanges Waiting to Happen

What do CFL floodlights, lanyards, scrap fabric, a Stanley wood planer, and optical fiber have in common? They are all listings on the Reuse Marketplace—a regional trading website. On this site, you will find available and wanted items that have been listed by businesses, non-profits, institutions, and government in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

The Reuse Marketplace gives site users the opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint and trash disposal costs by making their reusable and surplus items available to others at a reduced rate or for free. A few weeks ago, the Vermont Land Trust (VLT), a non-profit, was able to acquire a room divider that was posted on the Reuse Marketplace by NERC. This exchange gave NERC the opportunity to clean up an untidy corner of its office and gave VLT the opportunity to get a needed piece of furniture for one of their offices for free.

NERC administers the site; however any exchanges made are between the entities posting the items and the people interested in them.

If you have questions about the Reuse Marketplace, contact Mary Ann Remolador, NERC’s Assistant Director and Reuse Marketplace Administrator.

NERC Staff Presents at Massachusetts WasteWise Fall Forum

In late November, Mary Ann Remolador, NERC’s Assistant Director and Reuse Marketplace Administrator, presented on the use of the Reuse Marketplace to an audience of more than 100 businesses and institutions at the Massachusetts WasteWise Fall Forum. The Reuse Marketplace illustrated how the attendees could achieve their waste wise interests of reducing their trash disposal and carbon footprint while adhering to their budgetary constraints.

Draft Green Toner Cartridge Specifications Soon to be Posted for Comment

In the next few weeks, NERC will be posting a draft version of its green toner cartridge specifications and guidelines for public comment. Over the past six months, NERC has worked with a national panel of Environmentally Preferable Purchasing experts, to develop green specifications for toner cartridges. After receiving comments and implementing the final edits to the document, it will be posted on NERC’s website for all public and private purchasers to use.

NERC’s work on this project was made possible through a grant from the Roy A. Hunt Foundation.

For more information about the project or the toner cartridge specifications, contact Mary Ann Remolador, NERC’s Assistant Director and Reuse Marketplace Administrator.

Urban or Rural, Organics Management is a Hot Topic

NERC’s Organics Management Project for Rural and Small Town Communities continues to prove effective in bringing together a wide-range of solid waste professionals and activists to discuss organics management. The USDA-funded project has allowed NERC to work with towns and solid waste districts to implement best management practices for organics and debris management, as well as to develop training resources in organics management.

NERC has held six workshops in four states: Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, with 255 participants. All workshops featured guest speakers, a roundtable discussion between workshop attendees and speakers, and a networking lunch. Survey reviews of the workshops were very positive. The roundtable discussions indicated a great deal of interest in seeing more activity on organics management, including composting of yard scraps and food s.

The two most recent workshops were held in New York State (see the July Email Bulletin for a synopsis of previous workshops). In September, the Western New York Organics Management Workshop was held in East Aurora with 43 people participating. The workshop served as a gathering for decision makers, municipal officials, commercial and institutional organics materials generators, haulers, and others interested in advancing organics management and composting in Western New York. The event provided an overview about best management practices of organics, including: residential yard debris best management practices; composting Emerald Ash Borer damaged trees; commercial food scrap reduction, recovery, & composting; and composting and anaerobic digestion in action in Western New York. Workshop sponsors included NERC, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Erie County Department of Environment and Planning, Niagara County Solid Waste Division, Cornell Cooperative Extension/Erie County, and the Northeast Southtowns Solid Waste Management Board.

The Washington County Organics Management Workshop & Roundtable w Greenwich NY organics workshop as held in October, in Greenwich. Thirty-nine people representing a wide range of stakeholders, from town government and citizen activists to private sector haulers and processors participated in the training. The event served to provide an overview of best management practices for organics, including: tips, opportunities and case studies; residential yard debris management practices; collection options, including drop-off and curbside collection; municipal on-site composting, farm, and private-sector opportunities; funding and compost marketing success; commercial food scrap reduction, recovery, and composting; compost applications; and composting and anaerobic digestion in action around New York state. Workshop sponsors included NERC, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Village of Greenwich.

Providing onsite technical assistance is also a cornerstone of the project. Technical assistance is held in conjunction with the sponsored workshops. In the Town of East Aurora, a free Organics Management & Composting at Home, Business, or School workshop was offered by NERC staff. Additionally, NERC staff visited twelve restaurants to introduce food scrap composting, hauler options, container logistics, and more. In Greenwich, NERC staff also offered a free Home Composting workshop. Additionally, following the workshop a site visit to the Greenwich Village Compost Pile was conducted for an on-site discussion of technical assistance at organics workshop management options for municipal leaf and brush piles.

NERC staff also presented on “Small Towns, Big Opportunities in Organics” at the NYSAR3 Conference and Trade Show held in November in Cooperstown, NY. The presentation provided an overview of strategies, opportunities, and action that support organics best management practices.

Six case studies have also been completed through the project and posted on the NERC website. The case studies reflect examples of best management practices for handling a range of organics.

Completed case studies include:

Residential and commercial composting has been successfully implemented throughout the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District. The District represents eighteen towns in three counties in Central Vermont. All of the District’s communities have populations under 10,000; all but three are under 5,000. The District promotes onsite management of home generated organics, including food scraps, through education and discounted sales of backyard compost bins and the Green Cone™ home digester (for meat and dairy scraps, grease, and pet wastes). All schools in the District also participate in the compost program.
Hamilton is a rural-suburban town in Essex County in eastern Massachusetts. The town has a population of 7,764. Wenham, also in Essex County, has a population of 4,875. The towns are in close proximity and have implemented several joint solid waste management programs. In 2012, curbside organics collection was initiated for all residents in Hamilton and Wenham at no cost for weekly collection. Hamilton has also moved to collecting trash every other week and recyclables and compost on a weekly basis.
Franklin County Solid Waste District manages four municipal organics drop-off programs at transfer stations in Whately (population 1,496), Northfield (population was 3,032), New Salem (population 990), and Orange (population 7,839). Food scraps and soiled paper are collected in each of the towns. The District also provides technical assistance for organics composting at schools and special events. Four Franklin County Middle School/High School complexes and eleven Franklin County elementary schools compost their kitchen and cafeteria food scraps.
Irvington is a village in Westchester County, New York (population 6,468). The Irvington Green Policy Task Force's initiative "Your Leaves: Love 'Em and Leave 'Em" is a highly successful ongoing public education and outreach program for homeowners, landscape business owners and work crews, and municipal personnel, as well as other municipalities around Westchester County. Initiated by Irvington, the campaign has been adopted throughout Westchester County.
The Northeast Indiana Solid Waste Management District was formed in 1990 through an interlocal agreement. The District works with its member counties, DeKalb, LaGrange, Noble and Steuben, to provide services to 154,683 residents. The counties cover 1,468 square land miles, with a population that is 61% rural and 39% urban. Through a system of staffed drop-off centers, the District provides a comprehensive approach for managing and processing yard trimmings and brush, bringing economies of scale to benefit its member counties and residents.
Brush and yard trimmings grinding and composting in Berkeley County, West Virginia presents a viable regional model for organics management. The Berkeley County Organics Recycling Program accepts brush, Christmas trees, leaves, grass clippings, and garden waste. Typically, the brush is ground bi-annually into mulch by County staff. The ground mulch is left onsite and sold to the public at $12 per bucket load. The collected leaves, grass, and garden waste is transported to the Lyle C. Tabb Composting Facility, a farm-based compost operation located in nearby Jefferson County, West Virginia.

Webinars on organics management will be held this winter and spring; check the NERC website “Breaking News” section for dates.

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

NERC to write Best Operating Practices for Drop-Off Recycling Sites

The Illinois Recycling Association, with funding from the Illinois Dept. of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, recently awarded a contract to NERC to create an addition to its Best Operational Practices for Recycling Facilities. This new resource will provide guidance on staffing options, lighting recommendations, fencing and surveillance, among other things specifically for Recycling Drop-Off sites (no processing included).

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

Help us Reach 200 “Likes” in the New Year!

Rihanna has 78,460,562 “Likes;” Coca-Cola has 73,356,531; Texas HoldEm Poker has 69,987,920; and, Lady Gaga has 59,394,524 “Likes” on Facebook. Certainly the important work that NERC does deserves more “Likes” on Facebook! Please show your support and “Like” us on our Facebook page

NERC’s Blog Worth Repeating—Economic Impact of Recycling

NERC's Blog Worth Repeating was posted on the NERC Blog on October 8, 2013. It’s a Guest Blog by Dave Fusselman, owner of Fusselman Salvage Co., a metal recycling center in Moberly, Missouri.

Economic Impact of Recycling

Every pound of recyclable material that escapes the trash bin is important – those pounds combine to create $87 billion in economic activity each year in the United States. When one thinks of recycling, the main benefit that comes to mind is decreasing environmental impacts and cutting down on natural resources, but it does way much more. Recycling creates jobs, societal benefits and overall improves the economy.

Creates Jobs

According to a study commissioned by the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, nearly 463,000 jobs are provided in the USA thanks to the recycling of metals, electronics, plastics, paper, rubber, glass and textiles. Out of these jobs, direct employment comes to just under 29.8% (138,000 jobs), supplier jobs come to about 28.5% (132,000 jobs) and induced jobs represents 41.7% (193,000 jobs) of all the available jobs from this study. In addition, the amount of recycling jobs in the U.S. is looking to increase by about 10% over the next 5 years.

Benefits Government Services

In addition to boosting employment rates and job opportunities, recycling generates tax revenues to support government services, such as transportation, public health and safety, and social services programs. The study conducted by John Dunham and Associates estimated recycling companies and their employees pay nearly $4 billion in state and local taxes plus $6.3 billion in federal taxes each year.

Improves Imports/Exports

Recycling also helps the country’s import/export balance, with scrap commodities being among the nation’s largest exports by value. About 39% of the recycling industry’s economic activity comes from exporting. Dunham and Associates pointed out that international trade is an integral part of the U.S. economy, with nearly $2.2 trillion in total goods and services exported from the USA in 2012.

The Dunham study found that scrap exports netted $27.8 billion in sales in 2012, generating $33.9 billion in total economic benefits that include $1.9 billion in federal tax revenue and $1.6 billion in state and local taxes.

Scrap commodities are raw materials that are used in the creation of new products, much like coal, corn and cotton are transformed into energy, ethanol, and clothing, respectively. The United States, due to its prosperity and high consumption, generates a lot more scrap material per capita than other countries, so it has a surplus that can be sold overseas and used to produce goods for consumption in those countries.

Expands Local Employer Opportunities

By gathering recyclable materials and placing them back into local markets, local employers have greater opportunities to expand with their operations. Recycled materials give companies a better chance for survival because it helps their local economy and provides cheaper resources for them. One notable benefit from purchasing these materials is the improved transportation from recycling tax revenue, so these businesses can have greater efficiency and less vehicle degradation, which improves operations and cuts costs.

An Economic Driver

ISRI President Robin Wiener pointed out that the Dunham study shows how the scrap metal recycling industry serves as an economic driver for the United States, creating jobs and export revenue. “At a time when the national job market is fragile, the recycling industry is creating high-quality, good-paying opportunities for Americans. This in turn feeds money back into the economy through spending and revenue generated from taxes,” she said.

NERC welcomes Guest Blog submissions. To inquire about submitting an article contact,

Athena Lee Bradley, NERC Projects Manager.

NEWLY POSTED

NERC Board Meeting Minutes – October 2013

Minutes from the NERC Board of Directors meeting held in October are now available. For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein.

STATE NEWS

DELAWARE

New Leadership for Delaware Solid Waste Authority

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA), Pasquale S. (“Pat”) Canzano, has retired from that position, effective January 1, 2014. Mr. Canzano has held the position for the past seven years and was hired by DSWA as part of the original management structure, shortly after its creation 38 years ago.

With Mr. Canzano’s retirement, DSWA’s current Chief Operating Officer (COO), Richard P. Watson – and the Vice President of NERC’s Board of Directors – has been selected as the next CEO of the Authority, likewise effective January 1, 2014. A Delaware Registered Professional Engineer with a Master’s Degree in Engineering, Mr. Watson began his career with DSWA as an engineer in 1981, holding increasingly responsible positions ever since.

To complete the composition of DSWA’s new senior management leadership, Ms. Robin Roddy will succeed Mr. Watson as COO, also effective January 1, 2014. A Delaware Registered Professional Engineer, Ms. Roddy has been professionally employed with the Authority for 18 years and is currently the Senior Facility Manager of the Cherry Island Landfill.