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June 2011

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

MEMBERSHIP

New Supporting Member

  • Donate A Car 2 Charity

Renewing Sustaining Member

  • We Recycle!

NERC NEWS

STATE UPDATES

Connecticut

Maine

New York

ADVISORY MEMBER NEWS

OF GENERAL INTEREST


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 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 Donate A Car 2 Charity as NERC’s newest Supporting Member, and to thank renewing Supporting Member WeRecycle!, Inc.

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. To see a listing of Advisory Members 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

Save the Date! NERC’s Fall Conference

Mark your calendars now for NERC's Fall Conference on October 25–26, 2011, to be held at the Hotel Northampton in Northampton, Massachusetts. The conference will be one and a half days of sessions followed by NERC's Board Meeting. An Advisory Members’ lunch will be held on October 25. Visit the agenda page on NERC's website in the next few months for the conference agenda. 

For more information, contact Mary Ann Remolador, NERC Assistant Director and Conference Organizer.

NERC Leadership for FY 2012

Expressing their support of the current leadership, the NERC Board of Directors has unanimously re-elected the presiding slate of officers for fiscal year 2012 (July 1–June 30):

  • President: Sarah Kite, Rhode Island
  • Vice President: Greg Cooper, Massachusetts
  • Treasurer: George MacDonald Maine
  • Secretary: Lynn Rubinstein, NERC Executive Director.

Congratulations and thank you!

Bylaws Revised

Revised bylaws have been adopted by the NERC Board of Directors and are now posted on the website.

Learn How to Decrease the Environmental Footprint of Computer Equipment

Buying “green,” saving energy, extending the life of equipment, decreasing paper usage, responsible end-of-life management — they are all part of the State Electronics Challenge Program.

To learn about this free program available to state, regional, local, and tribal governments, including schools, colleges and universities, participate in a free Webinar on June 16, 3–4 eastern. 

Free School Composting Webinar

There are challenges to implementing waste reduction and recycling in schools. However, successful implementation brings many rewards, including potential cost savings for tight school budgets.  NERC’s first school Webinar, “Small Town/Rural School Waste Reduction & Recycling,”held in May, was viewed by 72 people from around the country. The Webinar provided examples and tips on successful implementation of waste reduction and recycling. Norm Staunton, Executive Director of Association of Vermont Recyclers and Grants Manager for the Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA), discussed NRRA’s School Recycling Club and Eric Magers and Scott Morrison from the Manchester Essex (MA) Regional Middle School presented on the school’s Green Team. Presentations from the Webinar are posted on NERC’s website.

Once waste reduction and recycling is implemented in schools, the next biggest waste challenge is the organics generated in the cafeteria. Removal of organics from the school waste stream presents many hurtles, especially in small towns and rural communities. Many schools do not have access to an offsite compost facility, while on-campus composting can be difficult to sustain without dedicated support and diligent maintenance. Nonetheless, diverting school organics can be successfully implemented and results in up to a 95% reduction in cafeteria wastes.

NERC’s second School Webinar will be “Composting at Schools,” to be held on Tuesday, September 20, 2011 at 3:00 pm. Virginia Walton (Ginny), Recycling Coordinator for the Town of Mansfield, Connecticut will present “Composting at Mansfield Middle School.”  Her presentation will include an overview of the Mansfield Middle School composting program.

Karen DiFranza, from Hands to Earth will present “On-site School Composting: Students as Earth Stewards.” Ms. DiFranza has been instrumental in setting up several school composting programs, including Quabbin Regional High School and Hubbardston Center School (MA) composting programs.

Their presentations will examine:

  • Stakeholders, program set-up, what worked/what didn’t,
  • Benefits to school community: curriculum connection, student environmental ethic, school waste reduction,
  • Funding, labor, collection logistics, types of compost bins used, bin maintenance,
  • Tips for replication and success, and
  • School garden connections.

Additionally, Eric Magers and Scott Morrison from the Manchester Essex (MA) Regional Middle School will return to provide an update on their school’s successful composting program.

NERC’s school project is funded through a USDA grant.  Tips on school waste reduction, recycling, composting, and more can be found on NERC’s Website.

For more information on the Webinar or on the school project, contact Athena Lee Bradley, Projects Manager. 

Rural Schools: Recycling, Vermicomposting, and Campus Beautification

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Above: AHF Environmental
Club Presentation
Below: AHF Campus Clean-Up and Beautification

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Below: PBL Instructor Brad Paddock
checks out the classroom worm bin.

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As a part of its USDA funded Rural School Solid Waste Reduction, Reuse, Recycling, and Composting project, NERC provides ongoing technical assistance to participating schools.  NERC recently visited schools in Connecticut and New York to check on progress in their recycling and composting projects.

The Environmental Club at the Academy of the Holy Family in Connecticut now has fifteen active members. A description of the Club, along with a PowerPoint presentation developed by Club members and pictures of Club events, is posted on the school Website.  The Club president completed a Club Manual that is also available for download from the Website.

The School’s recycling program, started last year by Environmental Club members, with assistance from NERC staff, continues to run smoothly. As a part of its participation in NERC’s School Project, the Environmental Club also implemented an “Environmental Day” on campus. This is the second year the event has been held with students and faculty participating in a campus-wide cleanup and beautification effort. The event started with a presentation by NERC staff and Environmental Club members. This year, the Club purchased additional planting tools, seed, and 345 flower bulbs for planting; Club members worked hard during the year to raise funds for the supplies.

Project Based Learning (PBL) students and instructors from Liberty Middle School in Sullivan County New York continue to maintain their classroom worm bins. Students harvested 50 pounds of worm castings for sale at the local farmers market as a class fundraiser. PBL students also continue to manage the school’s recycling program, collecting paper and beverage containers on a weekly basis.

Liberty High School’s recycling program is also operating smoothly. Cafeteria composting, piloted this year on a limited basis is scheduled for full implementation in at least one lunch period at the High School in the fall. NERC will provide additional training and assistance for the composting effort at the start of the school year. 

Eldred Junior/Senior High School, in New York, maintains its paper and beverage container recycling program. Each week the science class instructor works with 20 students to collect material.  The school purchased dual recycling/waste receptacles for the hallways, as well as several for outdoor use.

Next year the Eldred School District Superintendent wants to focus on waste reduction in District-wide paper usage and in kitchen preparation wastes and disposables (food and service ware/napkins/packaging). The District has already made some strides in paper reduction through the use of more email notification to parents and a gradual shift to more electronic transmission by teachers, staff, and students. However, the Superintendent stated that the District could realize significant cost savings in paper purchasing and maintenance of copy machines through additional reduction in paper use. He set a goal of 30 percent paper use reduction for the coming school year.  NERC will provide assistance in developing signage for the school’s copiers, as well as providing other ideas for how the District can meet its paper reduction goal and ways that the cafeteria can reduce waste in both its food production and disposables.

Eldred’s Elementary School recycling program also continues to run well.  The fifth graders collect the paper in bags and transport it to a central location for the custodians to move out to collection containers. Beverage container recycling, implemented last year, is also still in place. Through a grant provided by the Parent Teacher Student Organization, the school purchased dual recycling/garbage bins for the lobby and hallways.
 
In the fall NERC will make final visits in the School Project to schools in New York and Connecticut. In New York, school composting workshops are being planned to provide schools throughout Sullivan and Ulster counties the opportunity to learn more about school composting.

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

Up-to-date NERC Happenings on Facebook & Twitter

Have you seen NERC’s Facebook page?  Please take a moment to visit and hit the “Like” icon to make us popular! You can also connect with NERC on Twitter: @NERecycling
 
Thanks to the support of the American Chemistry Council and Steel Recycling Institute in helping to launch NERC’s social marketing program. Stay tuned! 

To send ideas for Facebook postings and links, contact Athena Lee Bradley, NERC Projects Manager.

NERC on the Speaking Circuit

It’s recycling conference season, as many of you know, and this has provided many opportunities for presenting about the State Electronics Challenge; a free program for state, regional, local, and tribal governments to decrease the environmental footprint of their computer equipment. 

In May, NERC Executive Director presented at the Michigan Recycling Coalition; in June, Patricia Dillon, Challenge Program Manager, will be speaking at the Illinois Recycling Coalition Conference; in July, Lynn will be in Pennsylvania for the PROP Conference; and then in August she’ll participate in the Resource Recycling Conference Lightening Round.  In May, she also presented a Webinar in the North Carolina Go Green series.

Not technically “NERC,” but Kim Bartels of EPA Region 8 will also be making a presentation on behalf of the Challenge at the Colorado Association for Recycling Summit for Recycling Conference in June.

For more information about the State Electronics Challenge, or about Webinar or presentations, contact Lynn Rubinstein, or visit the State Electronics Challenge Website.

STATE UPDATES

Connecticut

Do You Have E-Waste?

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Many basements or garages have become the final resting place for broken TVs, outdated computers and printers. Connecticut residents can now free-up that space by more easily recycling those unwanted electronics (also known as e-waste). 

Connecticut’s e-waste recycling law requires that manufacturers of certain electronics finance the transportation and recycling of these devices and as of  January 1, 2011, residents can no longer put these items in the trash. Towns must set up a free program for residents using a CT DEP approved recycler.  In addition, retailers are required to inform their customers about electronics recycling options and will only be allowed to sell these products from manufacturers that have registered with CT DEP. More information can be found on the agency’s e-waste recycling page.

Drop In, Opt Out

If you are of a certain age, you no doubt have seen many things that were once a part of your daily life go the way of the horse and buggy. (Remember cassette tapes, typewriter ribbons, and computer disks?)  And if enough people participate in a new opt-out program, telephone book yellow pages might be in that same category.

It’s not that people don’t use yellow page information anymore, they just “let their fingers do the walking” in different ways now. More and more, those big yellow books are being replaced by internet searches and phone apps.

So why waste money and resources, by printing and delivering books people don’t want or need? That’s why as of this year, the Yellow Pages Association and the Association of Directory Publishers are giving consumers the option to select which yellow page directories they receive, or to stop getting them at all. If those directories are just collecting dust in your home or office, you may want to just say no to yellow.
 
The publishers save money, the consumer is not deluged with books they don’t want, and fewer of our natural resources are wasted in production, distribution, and disposal. A win for everyone!

Maine

Recycling & Composting Program Grants Awarded to Municipalities

The Maine State Planning Office, through its Waste Management & Recycling Program, announced the award of 16 grants to municipalities and regional programs for the implementation or expansion of corrugated cardboard recycling efforts, leaf and yard debris composting and other projects to improve/increase recovery of recyclables from the waste stream. Thirty applications were received for this competitive grants program, with a total of over $820,000 of proposed projects and activities. The State share for the grants was 85% of the anticipated project cost, but was capped at $25,000 per application. The $300,000 that was available in grant funding will provide for development of over $460,000 in total project costs. Grants ranged from $2,200 to the maximum limit of $25,000.

New York

New York State Rechargeable Battery Law

The "New York State Rechargeable Battery Law" was signed into law on December 10, 2010. This law preempts any local municipal laws on rechargeable batteries including New York City’s rechargeable battery recycling ordinance. The law:

  • Prohibits the disposal of most rechargeable batteries as solid waste starting December 5, 2011,
  • Includes any rechargeable nickel-cadmium, sealed lead, lithium ion, nickel metal hydride battery, or any other sealed dry cell battery or battery pack capable of being charged and weighing less than 25 pounds. (Rechargeable batteries used as the principle electric power source for a vehicle such as, but not limited to, an automobile, boat, truck and tractors, batteries used to store electricity generated by an alternative power source, such as solar or wind driven generators, and for memory backup that is an integral component of an electronic device, are excluded from the legislation),
  • Requires that by March 10, 2011, battery manufacturers must submit battery management plans detailing how they will meet their obligation to arrange and pay for the collection and recycling of all rechargeable batteries that are returned to retailers, and
  • Requires manufacturers to provide for public education regarding appropriate ways to recycle rechargeable batteries and submit annual reports with information such as, but not limited to, the number and amount (by weight) of rechargeable batteries received and recycled in the state and the cost of the collection and recycling effort. 

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation is required to provide review and approval of the collection, transportation, and recycling plans; promulgate rules and regulations needed to implement the law; and provide appropriate enforcement. The Department must also provide a report on an analysis of the manufacturers annual reports to the Governor and the NYS legislature every two years.   

Beginning on June 8, 2011, retailers that sell "rechargeable batteries" in New York State will be required to accept up to ten used batteries of the same shape, size and function as they sell from customers for recycling, regardless of whether such person purchases replacement batteries. Retailers must also accept as many such batteries as the consumer purchases from the retailer. Retailers are required to post signs informing consumers of the New York State law prohibiting disposal of rechargeable batteries as a solid waste and that they accept rechargeable batteries for return to the manufacturer. The law requires battery collection by both local retailers and direct sellers of rechargeable batteries (i.e., catalog, telephone, or internet sales).

Non-compliance with the law is subject to potential civil penalties of up to two hundred dollars for the consumer, five hundred dollars for retailers and five thousand dollars for manufacturers.

More information regarding the law can be found on the NYSDEC Website.

ADVISORY MEMBER NEWS

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Centre County’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Results

Folks from 877 households took advantage of Centre County’s (Pennsylvania) May Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program at the Centre County Solid Waste Authority.

Approximately 40,000 pounds of material was collected during the 2-day event. In all, 742 vehicles brought hazardous chemicals from 877 households.  Residents from 28 of the county’s 35 municipalities participated. We also had a handful of people drive in from out of county to participate.

The contracted hauler was PSC of Hatfield, PA, and was part of a seven county RFP for household hazardous waste disposal and recycling services.

Volunteers from Penn State Environmental Health and Safety were on-site to assist in checking vehicles and several volunteers from Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture were also on hand.  

The event was co-sponsored by Centre County Solid Waste Authority and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). 

“Centre County residents showed up in force and really showed their environmental caring.” said Joanne Shafer, Centre County’s Deputy Executive Director/Recycling Coordinator. “The volume of household hazardous waste has decreased in the last year showing that Centre Countians have really embraced the reduce, reuse, recycle ethic.”

Collection and disposal costs of all 40,000 pounds will be split between the Household Hazardous Waste Fund and DEP. 

The Centre County Solid Waste Authority will be holding another Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event in 2012.

For more information, contact Joanne Shafer, Deputy Executive Director/Recycling Coordinator, Centre County Solid Waste Authority.

NRRA Receives Environmental Merit Award from EPA

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Several members of the Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA) Staff and Board of Trustees proudly attended the ceremony in Boston last week to accept the prestigious Environmental Merit Award ON OUR MEMBERS’ BEHALF.

Here is what the EPA had to say about us: “Small, rural communities face the same requirements for managing solid wastes as larger ones but have fewer resources to cope with requirements or to stay up to date on technological developments.  The Northeast Resource Recovery Association was created in 1981 as a recylcing cooperative so towns could share knowledge and benefit from the power of group sales. Last year, the Association sold more than 73,000 tons of recyclables, while sharing information through e-letters, monthly meetings and an annual conference. It now handles more than 30 recyclable commodities for communities in New Hampshire and across New England. This organization is a one-stop shop for municipal recycling center operators. As a result of the Northeast Resource Recovery Association, less waste goes to landfills, saving small communities money, less pollution from waste is discharged into groundwater, the market for recyclable products gets greater support and community members are trained to be leaders in the cause of waste reduction.”  

Thank you for all your efforts! This award belongs to all of you members helping members!

OF GENERAL INTEREST

State & Local Governments Form Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse

IC2_logo_Final_2colorEnvironmental officials from 10 state and local governments have formed an umbrella organization — the Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2) — to promote a clean environment, healthy communities, and a vital economy through the development and use of safer chemicals and products. The goals of the IC2 are to:

  • Avoid duplication and enhance efficiency and effectiveness of state, local, and tribal initiatives on chemicals through collaboration and coordination
  • Build agency capacity to identify and promote safer chemicals and products
  • Ensure that state, local, and tribal agencies, businesses, and the public have ready access to high quality and authoritative chemicals data, information, and assessment methods.

Launched under the auspices of the Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association (NEWMOA), the new Clearinghouse:

  • Supports state, local, and tribal health and environmental agencies with development and implementation of programs to promote use of safer chemicals and products
  • Supports the development of alternative assessment methods and identification of safer alternatives
  • Shares data and information on chemical use, hazard, exposure, and alternatives
  • Shares strategies and outcomes on chemicals prioritization initiatives
  • Builds the capacity of agencies by sharing materials, strategies, and trainings
  • Assists agencies in meeting the relevant information needs of businesses, consumers, and the public

The current IC2 Members have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) supporting the principles of the IC2 and formed a Board of Directors to oversee the Clearinghouse’s activities. They are inviting additional governmental entities, businesses, non-governmental organizations, academic researchers, consultants, and others to join them in the partnership.

According to Director Ted Sturdevant of the Washington Department of Ecology, "for several years many state and local environmental agencies have been working aggressively to reduce toxic chemicals in consumer products as part of a larger effort to reduce toxics in the environment and protect human health. In the absence of an effective national system for securing and sharing data on toxic chemicals, states are working together to share information and make the most of limited resources."

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Director Dick Pedersen notes that reducing toxic chemicals in the environment is a top priority for environmental organizations nationwide. “IC2 allows us to leverage state and local resources to be more efficient, effective, and strategic in reducing toxic chemicals regionally and nationally,” said Pedersen. "This interstate work is also inter-agency work here in Oregon, and a key opportunity to work together to protect Oregonians from potential harm from chemical exposures," added Gail Shibley, Administrator, Oregon Health Authority, Office of Environmental Public Health.

Members of IC2 as of January 2011 were:

  • California Environmental Protection Agency                                     
  • Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
  • Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
  • Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
  • New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
  • New York Department of Environmental Conservation
  • Oregon Department of Environmental Quality & Oregon Health Authority
  • METRO Regional Government (Portland, OR)
  • Washington Department of Ecology

NEWMOA is a non-profit, non-partisan interstate association made up of environmental agency directors from the hazardous waste, solid waste, waste site cleanup, pollution prevention, and underground storage tank programs in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Its mission is to help states articulate, promote, and implement economically sound regional programs for the enhancement of environmental protection. For more information, contact Terri Goldberg, Executive Director, NEWMOA.