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January 2022

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 Benefactor

Renewing Supporting Member

Member Spotlight - Blount Fine Food

NERC News

Newly Posted

State Updates

MASSACHUSETTS

Advisory Member News

Of General Interest

New & Renewing Memberships

Membership is key to NERC's regional and national commitment to sustainable materials management. As 2022 begins, we look forward to welcoming more members and the dynamic engagement of existing members. Consider joining us in 2022!

Thank you to our renewing Benefactor, Waste Management as well as renewing Supporting Member Addison County Solid Waste Management District (ACSWMD), Vermont.

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.

Member Spotlight - Blount Fine Food

Headquartered in Fall River, Massachusetts, new NERC Sustaining Member Blount Fine Foods logoBlount Fine Foods is a fifth generation family owned business whose product lines include “restaurant-quality, single-serve grab-n-go fresh soups and entrées at retail, as well as entrées, side dishes, and a full line of mac & cheese for retail hot bars and restaurants,” according to the company’s website.

While the company was officially incorporated in Rhode Island in 1946, it “has roots that stretch back much further — when 18-year-old Eddie Blount started an oyster harvesting business in 1880,” according to a recent EastBay RI interview with current president and CEO Todd Blount.

Blount Fine Foods’ foray into supplying hot, ready-to-go soups to supermarkets was so successful that the company focused its growth on ready-to-serve food products. “We’ve helped pioneer the fresh, prepared foods at the deli, where we all like to get a last-minute dinner idea on the way home,” Todd Blount told EastBay RI. “Our goal is that we want to have the whole category and help the customer have all kinds of options for that category.”

An important part of the company’s food ethos is its responsible sourcing of ingredients for its recipes. “For example,” its website states, “our organic produce and meat come from suppliers who have earned recognized organic certifications, and our seafood ingredients come from responsible fisheries and farms that work to sustain fish/shellfish populations and ecosystems. We also seek to buy as local as is practical.”

The company’s website also outlines a number of sustainability commitments. In addition to “working with suppliers who employ sustainable land-use and ecosystem management practices,” the company describes the following sustainability initiatives:

  • Reduction of energy usage, in large part thanks to its own solar energy system
  • Through its Reduce, Reuse and Recycle program, reductions in emissions and environmental impacts
  • Removal of biological oxygen demand (BOD) from wastewater effluent streams
  • The use of food-to-energy technology for food waste

Blount also highlights their work to spread sustainable practices. We have a policy of sharing the technology of our proven successes with our customers, vendors, and our other food industry partners, to maximize our collective benefit to the environment.

According to the EastBay RI article, Blount Fine Foods “donate(s) as much as 1 million pounds of food each year, which increased significantly in light of the lockdowns and food shortages of last year.” The company also donates “approximately two percent of our profits each year in the form of products and funds to a diverse group of local non-profits”.

It’s a well-known fact in sustainability circles that food companies are forming concrete solutions to such issues as packaging and food waste, to name but two. NERC welcomes Blount Fine Foods as its newest Sustaining Advisory Member, and looks forward to collaborating on effective solutions for the food industry.NERC News

Abstract Submissions for NERC’s Spring 2022 Conference Due January 5

The Northeast Recycling Council invites you to submit an abstract about one of the topics listed below for its virtual Spring Conference on April 12 – 13.  

NERC’s Conferences are unique in that they provide an opportunity for government and industry to discuss the issues considered the most important and timely for advancing toward a circular economy. The Conferences attract an expert speaker pool and a diverse audience of government, industry, non-profits, consultants working in sustainable materials management, and students interested in recycling issues. 

NERC is only accepting abstracts about the following topics:   

  • Ecodesign: products, packaging & repairability
  • Mergers & Acquisitions in Recycling
  • Construction & Demolition Debris: New Strategies for Reusing Old Materials
  • Agricultural Plastics: Types, Uses, Challenges & Innovation
  • The Sustainability of Batteries:  Resource Use, Recycling Options & Safety Concerns

Abstract Submission Requirements - All items listed below must be submitted in order for the submission to be considered complete.  No more than two abstracts will be accepted from one person/organization. 

  • Abstract (350 words or less sent as a Microsoft Word or PDF file)
    • Detail the proposed presentation content and specify the topic listed above in which it fits.
    • Specify if and when you have presented the topic at another event (include event name, location, and date)   
  • Speaker bio & contact information (must include cell phone number and email address)
  • Headshot (JPG file)

SUBMISSION DEADLINE – JANUARY 5

Send Submissions to Mary Ann Remolador, Assistant Director & Events Organizer. Feel free to call with any questions: 802-451-8852. 

Minimum Post-Consumer Recycled Content Model Legislation for Plastics - Call for Comments

You are invited to submit comments on the Minimum Post-consumer Recycled Plastic Content Draft Model Requirements for the Sale of Trash and Carry-out Bags and Food, Beverage, and Household Product Containers. The public comment period for the Draft Model Legislation is open until February 11, 2022, midnight Eastern

NERC and NEWMOA will be hosting a webinar on January 13, 1:00 PM Eastern to walk through the Draft Model Legislation.

Over the past 18-months, a group of state recycling officials from the northeast has worked together to develop the draft Model Legislation for minimum post-consumer recycled plastic content in trash and carry-out bags and food, beverage, and household product containers. The Model Legislation is intended as a common starting point in the development of legislation requiring the use of post-consumer recycled plastic in specified products sold in the states.

The main goals of the Model Legislation are to incentivize markets for recycled plastic, improve the economics of recovering plastic for recycling, and reduce the environmental impact of virgin plastic production. 

The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) and Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA) convened a Workgroup to develop the Model Legislation. The Workgroup included representatives of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP), Maine Department of Environmental Protection (ME DEP), Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP), New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), and Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VT DEC). In drafting the Model, the Workgroup consulted experts in trade associations, the consulting community, industry, and other state governments to seek their advice, information, and learn from their experience. In addition, the Workgroup reviewed existing post-consumer recycled content mandates for plastic products that have been enacted in California and Washington State and proposed legislation in New Jersey.  

The Draft Model Legislation does not necessarily represent the views of individual Workgroup members or the Agencies they represent, nor are NERC and NEWMOA taking an official position regarding the legislation. Both organizations, however, support increased use of post-consumer plastic in products and packaging.

Contact: Lynn Rubinstein, NERC Executive Director at executive.director@nerc.org; Terri Goldberg, NEWMOA Executive Director at tgoldberg@newmoa.org.

Upcoming Webinars: Recycled Content Mandates: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly, January 6, and Model Minimum Recycled Plastic Content Legislation Overview, January 13

Recycled Content Mandates: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly, January 6, 12:30 - 2 eastern

Recycled content mandates are growing in popularity as a policy mechanism to engage producers in responsibility for recycling markets, sharing in the costs of a functioning recycling system, and reducing climate change impacts. But not all recycled content mandates are the same, and some have the potential for unintended consequences.

This webinar will take a closer look at:

  • The state of California’s experience with several, very different recycled content mandates
  • Whether or how mandates might support, or conflict with, broader extended producer responsibility policies
  • Potential economic and environmental limitations of recycled content mandates, and some possible solutions

Speakers:

  • Mark Murray, Executive Director, Californians Against Waste
  • Steve Alexander, President and CEO, Association of Plastics Recyclers
  • David Allaway, Senior Policy Analyst, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

Moderators:

This webinar is co-sponsored by Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA), and the West Coast Forum on Climate and Materials Management.

NERC thanks the following sponsors for supporting its webinar series.

Webinar sponsor logos

Model Minimum Recycled Plastic Content Legislation Overview, January 13, 1 - 2 eastern

With the release of its draft model legislation for minimum recycled content for certain plastic packaging, we will hold an informational webinar to discuss the model and provide an opportunity for question and answers. We welcome participation from across the country and all industry sectors.  For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein.

NERC’s DE&I Training Series Continues with Two Trainings in February

The DE&I Training 2: Recognizing & Addressing Unconscious Bias will be held on February 2, 1:30 – 3:00 eastern.  

The Training offers a practical approach to identifying and addressing unconscious bias and its negative impact in the workplace; as well as providing strategies that promote inclusion. The trainers will lay the groundwork for the Training by defining unconscious bias, helping us to recognize our personal identity and its influence on our biases, raising our awareness about the impact our biases have on our and our co-workers' work performances, and developing strategies for inclusion and implementing a DE&I program in the workplace and in our personal lives.  

The session trainers are Nidhi Turakhia, Executive Vice President, of Allied Alloys; and Willie Johnson, CEO of Willie Johnson Communications.     

Nidhi Turakhia Photo Willie Johnson Photo

                    

The DE&I Training 3: Creating a DE&I Path for Government Employees will be held on February 28, 1:30 - 3:00 eastern.

The training will include some creative exercises for helping government employees with developing a deeper understanding and awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion.  The Training will focus on the importance of the path each of us takes in this process, how it empowers us to advance our thinking about DE&I, and that job titles and work priorities don't have to be limiting factors.  

The session trainer is Robyn Afrik, Director, Ottawa County Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I).

Robyn Afrik photo

DE&I Training Series Speaker Bios

NERC Participates in New Hampshire Solid Waste Working Group

NERC has been appointed as a member of the New Hampshire Solid Waste Working Group, as a designee identified in the enabling legislation, HB 413, Chapter 188:2, Laws of 2021. Lynn Rubinstein, Executive Director, is the appointee.

The New Hampshire Solid Waste Working Group is a statutory committee formed to assist the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services with planning and policy initiatives related to solid waste management. Established for a period of five years (until November 1, 2026), the Working Group is comprised of members representing various public and private entities involved with solid waste management. 

As outlined in HB 413, the Solid Waste Working Group is charged with the following tasks:

  • Assist the department in long-range planning for and the development of creative, effective solutions to the state’s solid waste management challenges.
  • Review and make recommendations for changes to the state’s existing solid waste reduction, recycling, and management policies, programs, goals, and initiatives.
  • Review and make recommendations regarding the impact of regional solid waste management initiatives, including landfill waste disposal bans, on our state and our solid waste disposal landfill capacity.
  • Advise the department in the development of the solid waste management plan required by RSA 149-M:29.
  • Review and recommend methods to better provide technical assistance and educational outreach to municipalities, schools, businesses, and the public regarding solid waste reduction, recycling, and management policies.
  • Review and recommend ways to better implement the solid waste hierarchy and solid waste reduction goals, under RSA 149-M:3.
  • Review and make recommendations based on the 2019, 265 (HB 617) study committee report on recycling and solid waste management in New Hampshire.
  • Review such other matters as the working group deems necessary and to recommend any related legislation, policy, or rule changes.

The Working Group meets monthly.  It has a website with additional information, including meeting details.

 Newly posted

DE&I Training 1 – Making the Case for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Recording & Slides Posted

State UpdateS

MASSACHUSETTS

Regional Waste Reduction Position Announced: Southeastern MA

Municipal Assistance Coordinator MassDEP and the City of Taunton are seeking applications to fill the position of Municipal Assistance Coordinator for the Southeast District 2 area. MassDEP funds this position through a Host Community Grant to the City of Taunton. There are seven Host Communities across the state. See below for the position description and qualifications.

Applications will be accepted until at least January 3, 2022. To apply, please send cover letter and resume with three professional references to either Human Resources, City of Taunton, 15 Summer Street, Taunton, MA  02780 or to hrjobs@taunton-ma.gov

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle-Palooza 2021 Webinar Recordings Now Available

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection hosted a series of webinars in November for its second annual Reduce, Reuse, Recycle-Palooza. Three of the webinars (listed below) were recorded and are posted on YouTube.

Mystery Revealed: The Story of Plastic Bag Recycling

Join us to learn why plastic bags and wrap have value when collected separately and why they are collected at stores.  We promise they are not getting thrown out!  Hear from the experts and follow your recycled bags from the grocery store to new products. Don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind presentation.

Be Inspired! Volunteers Leading the Way in Waste Reduction

Please join us as we celebrate the work of local volunteers who inspire us to make a difference in our communities. Get a taste of their success stories, including:     

  • A teenager’s work enabling policy changes, specifically Northampton’s Plastic Reduction Ordinance
  • Organizing a Toy Exchange
  • Hearing how two volunteers can do a simple and fun Garden Pot Exchange
  • Driving the efforts to bring Food Waste Composting to businesses and residents, coupled with mandatory composting
  • Planning for Zero Waste at community events and festivals through recycling and composting

Solid Waste Master Plan Webinar

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) invites you to a webinar on the newly published Solid Waste Master Plan.  The Master Plan guides how Massachusetts will strive to manage our trash between now and 2030 – and beyond.  This presentation will cover the key points of the Master Plan.  Among other things, you will learn:

  • How much trash do we create and what is in it?
  • What are Massachusetts’ goals to reduce waste?
  • What is Massachusetts planning to do to reduce our waste and recycle and compost more?
  • What grant and assistance programs does the state offer for cities and towns and businesses?
  • How can reuse, recycling, and composting help grow jobs and businesses in Massachusetts?

Click here for the complete Reduce, Reuse, Recycle-Palooza playlist.

MassDEP Establishes Recycling Market Development Workgroup

In the 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) committed to establish a Recycling Market Development Workgroup to guide the development of a comprehensive Recycling Market Development Action Plan. MassDEP is excited to announce that the first (virtual) Workgroup meeting will be held on Thursday, January 13, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

MassDEP’s goals for this Workgroup are to engage a broad and diverse set of stakeholders to provide input into MassDEP’s Recycling Market Development Action Plan. This Plan will prioritize investments that address specific material market deficiencies and, where possible, advance opportunities in and needs of environmental justice communities. MassDEP will follow up with more information in the coming weeks, including the agenda for the first meeting.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Sean Sylver at sean.sylver@mass.gov

Advisory Member news

New Report on the Circular Economy in Canada

Last week, the Council of Canadian Academies released a report titled A Turning Point, which analyzes what the circular economy is, how it works, and how it could benefit Canada. It examines the opportunities and challenges that Canada will face as we plan for the transition to this model. The report includes an estimate of the current circularity of the Canadian economy and four scenarios illustrating what the Canadian economy could look like in 2040.

The approach used in Quebec is cited as an example, notably because it is based on the consultation and mobilization of the stakeholders involved in this transition, at the environmental, social and economic levels.

 The full report and a one-page summary are available here.

2021 Economic Impact Study Shows Immense Value of Recycling Industry

The recycling industry is all about loving commodities the second, third and fourth time around. According to the 2021 Economic Impact Study that John Dunham & Associates (JDA) recently completed for ISRI, the activities of the recycling industry in the United States generate nearly $116.84 billion annually in economic benefits. This analysis is the sixth in a series of studies that began in 2011. Over that period, the scrap recycling industry has grown from 137,635 jobs to 159,640 direct jobs at more than 12,000 facilities nationwide.

Not only does the recycling industry create good jobs (with an average wage of $77,300) at its own facilities and offices, but it helps support an additional 346,499 jobs in firms that supply the industry with goods and services such as equipment, energy, accounting, and trucking, as well as in those that produce products and services consumed by employees.

In other words, processors of recycled commodities do their part to provide opportunities to everyone from doctors and lawyers to plumbers, carpenters, waitresses and farmers in every part of the nation. The industry also generates $12.3 billion in tax revenues for governments across the country. This doesn’t even include the tens of thousands of people who earn their living by gathering valuable recyclable products and bringing them to a recycling center.

The overall impact of the recycling industry on the economy of the United States is about $116.8 billion, a significant number that accounts for $350 for every person in the country. To put it another way, the recycling industry in the U.S. is as large as the farm equipment manufacturing, soap manufacturing, and book publishing industries combined.

The recycling industry is also a major exporter, shipping more than $20 billion in products like ferrous and nonferrous metal, paper, cullet, and even precious metals to countries around the world.  This alone accounts for 50,360 of the industry’s jobs and $35.7 billion in economic activity, and represents over 0.5% of the nation’s exports by value.

By helping commodities to work a second time around, the recycling industry also creates inputs for manufacturers across the country. Paper and paperboard manufacturers rely on recyclers to provide them with the materials that they need to make pulp for boxes, newspaper, and the all important bathroom tissue. Nearly 75% of the aluminum used by America’s can manufacturers began as a recycled product at a recycling facility, and most carpets were once plastic bottles. As the opportunities to use recycled inputs grow, so to will this important industry, replacing mining, logging and refining operations, making the old new again, and helping to protect the earth’s air, water, and land for future generations.

GreenBlue Announces New SPC Director

GreenBlue is pleased to announce the promotion of Karen Hagerman to the role of Director of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC). This strategic role has been dearly held by Nina Goodrich, during which time the SPC experienced exceptional growth from 125 members to over 580 members. Significant progress has been made embedding packaging sustainability through member initiatives.

Nina Goodrich will maintain her role as GreenBlue’s Executive Director and continue to focus on member participation and sustainability actions.

“I know I have found the right person to lead the SPC into the future. Karen is known to many of our SPC members for her role in re-inventing the SPC Collaboratives, for moderating a variety of sessions at SPC Impact, SPC Advance and SPC Engage and for creating the exceptional EPR resource. In her new role she will be responsible for developing and shaping the SPC strategy going forward to advance the future state of sustainable packaging through education, collaboration and action,” states Nina.

Karen will work closely with SPC’s Executive Committee, a member-elected body of advisors whose expertise helps shape SPC’s success. She will also provide thought leadership and member value by building on the legacy of the SPC that has created programs like How2Recycle, the Recycled Material Standard (RMS), Forests in Focus, and How2Compost. These valuable collaborations will allow Karen to continue to grow the organization and promote its mission.

Karen’s background includes work in operations, program management, and project and team leadership in the Marine Corps. Passionate about changing the way people interact with the environment, she transitioned careers to focus on addressing large-scale sustainability challenges. Karen joined GreenBlue after completing a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Engineering from Villanova University, where she conducted research on the recycling infrastructure and plastics value chain.

“I am thrilled and honored to take on this role and have the opportunity to work alongside our members as we accelerate the transition to a sustainable system for packaging,” Karen says. “I’m inspired by the fantastic work of our SPC team and the efforts of member organizations to drive change. I look forward to continuing our growth while providing value and guidance to our members, the industry, and the public.”

Of General Interest

Paper Mills & End Markets Sign Commitment to Increase Paper Cup Recycling

A group of prominent paper mills and end markets across North America signed a declaration of acceptance and a commitment to increasing recycling of paper cups, including Essity, GP PRO, Graphic Packaging International, Great Lakes Tissue Company, ND Paper, Pratt Industries, Sustana Fiber and WestRock.

Organizations representing 75% of mixed paper demand (by quantity consumed) in the U.S. and Canada are accepting paper cups. Seven companies with 25 paper mills actively accept residential mixed paper bales (ISRI grade 54) with paper cups included, while three companies with five facilities currently accept paper cups when included with aseptic and gable top cartons in carton bales (ISRI grade 52).

Paper cups have a coating on the inside (for hot drink cups) or on both sides (for cold drink cups) that provides a liquid barrier to the fiber. Although the coating has long been seen as a reason not to recycle paper cups, several companies have conducted tests and determined that the coating does not present an obstacle to recycling the cups in their facilities. The mills use pulping systems that separate the coatings from the fiber, recovering the fiber with a 70% to 90% yield.

“Empty paper cups are recyclable, and they provide high-quality fiber, which can then be recycled into new products like cereal cartons, facial tissue boxes and new paper cups,” said Michael Doss, president and CEO of Graphic Packaging International. “Graphic Packaging strongly supports recycling of paper cups and is encouraged by the proactive participation of the industry to collect them and increase the circularity of paper cups.”

Not all mills are readily equipped to separate the plastic coating found on paper cups. Communities and MRFs are encouraged to connect directly with their end markets and local mills to check if they will accept bales containing paper cups.

The mill statement and an interactive map, along with other resources on paper cup recycling can be found on www.recyclepapercups.org.