News &
Updates

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March 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

ECOvanta

New Sustaining Member

Keep American Beautiful

NERC NEWS

STATE UPDATES

NEW YORK

ADVISORY MEMBER NEWS

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 ECOvanta as a Renewing Sustaining Member and Keep America Beautiful as a new Sustaining Member.

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

SMART Leadership to Present NERC Textiles Recovery Workshop

NERC's upcoming workshop — Collecting Textiles: Make it Work for Your Community — will provide municipalities, recycling coordinators, schools, colleges, and universities, and civic groups with information about the key players in the textile reuse and recycling industries, as well as the process for setting-up textile collection programs.

Larry Groipen, President of ERC Wiping Products, Inc. and immediate past President of the Secondary Materials & Textiles Recycling Association (SMART), is the keynote speaker for the workshop. Drawing upon his 35 years at ERC — a 90-year old wiping products processing and distribution company located in Lynn, Massachusetts — and his involvement with SMART for many years, Mr. Groipen will provide a unique overview of the textile reuse and recycling industry sectors and how they operate.

SMART, the Association of Wiping Materials & Used Clothing and Fiber Industries, is the trade association for the textile reuse industry. SMART is composed of companies from the United States, Canada, Mexico, South and Central America, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Rim that are involved in every phase of the used textile industry. SMART's member companies are involved with the grading and sorting of mixed post-consumer textiles for the wiping materials and used clothing markets, manufacturing and converting nonwoven and paper products, sorting and distributing new textile products and byproducts, and manufacturing textiles. Others deal in mill ends, remnants, fibers, and related materials. SMART's members are the companies that you'll interface with when operating textile reuse and recycling programs.

The Workshop will take place April 2, 2013, 8:30–4:30, at the Nathan Hale Inn & Conference Center, University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut.

Contact Mary Ann Remolador, NERC's Assistant Director & Events Organizer with questions regarding the Workshop.

Sponsors

Implementing Sustainability is Easier than You Think with the State Electronics Challenge

Are you buying EPEAT® qualified products? Do you have energy and paper conservation policies in place? Are you using a certified electronics recycler for your office equipment? If you answered yes to any of these questions, becoming a Partner in the State Electronics Challenge can help you document results and get recognition. If you answered no, the Challenge can help you get on the path to greener electronics.

By joining the State Electronics Challenge, state and local government agencies, 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, and the assistance is all at no cost. The Challenge documents the success of participating programs and provides Partners with annual sustainability reports that detail reductions in energy use, GHGs, and waste. Exemplary programs are acknowledged through the Challenge's awards and recognition program.

Who's Eligible to Join the SEC:

State and tribal agencies
Cities and towns
Counties
K–12 Schools
Colleges and universities
Public utilities
Public libraries

For more information, contact info@stateelectronicschallenge.net or visit the website at www.stateelectronicschallenge.net. The State Electronics Challenge is sponsored by Samsung, Panasonic, the Consumer Electronics Association, and the ISRI R2/RIOS program, along with a grant from the EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Training & Webinars Being Offered on Organics Management

As a part of its Organics Management for Rural and Small Towns project, funded by a USDA grant, NERC is working with staff from the Ulster County (NY) Resource Recovery Agency and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to organize a Commercial and Institutional Food Waste Composting Summit in Ulster County. This training and roundtable event will be held on Tuesday, March 19 at the NYSDEC Region 3 Headquarters, New Paltz, NY.

The event will provide an overview and discussion about best management practices for managing commercial and institutional organics. Topics will include: food waste composting specifics — from collection and storage to outreach and training; institutional food waste reduction and recovery; municipal composting site regulations; "meet the hauler" — food waste collection services and cost expectations; and food waste composting in action with an overview of the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency's new Organics Recovery Facility.

Decision-makers, municipal officials and staff, commercial and institutional food generators, haulers and others interested in advancing food waste composting in Ulster County and surrounding counties are invited to attend. The event is free, but registration is required by March 11. Interested individuals can register or receive more information by contacting Athena Lee Bradley, NERC, or Michelle Bergkamp, Ulster County.

Webinars
NERC is also organizing a series of state-based webinars on organics management. The webinars will present rural and small town solutions and program management options — from backyard composting to food scrap collection; opportunities for regional cooperation; planning strategies; costs and benefits; as well as state goals and regulations for organics management. The webinars are free and designed to meet the needs of local officials, solid waste staff, and environmental commission members. Registration is open to all.

For more information on the Organics Management project contact Athena Lee Bradley.

Farm Compost Marketing in Rhode Island & New Hampshire

To help expand and support compost markets in the Northeast, NERC was awarded a grant from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Resources developed by NERC for the project, as well as presentations from seven compost marketing workshops, are posted on NERC's website.

Through the project, NERC is providing technical assistance to farm compost operations. NERC developed operation-specific marketing plans and provides ongoing advice to compost operators. Recent site visits were made to a farm compost operation in Rhode Island and one in New Hampshire.

Aquidneck Farms, Rhode Island

Aquidneck Farms raises grass-fed beef and pastured poultry on conservation land overlooking the scenic Sakonnet River in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Aquidneck Farms manages close to 400 acres of prime agricultural land. The Farm's 125 head herd is a mix of pure Angus and an Angus/Hereford cross. The Farm also produces its own hay and grass silage to feed its animals. Aquidneck Farms grass-fed beef products are available at local farmer's markets, in specialty stores and restaurants, as well as directly off the farm.

Aquidneck Farms compost is local and farm made from a combination of horse manure bedding and bedded pack cattle manure. Purchased woodchips are mixed with the bedded pack. The materials are mixed into windrows. Much of the finished compost is spread on the farm's 160 acres of pasture. The farm's "premium select compost" is, however, in high demand by area landscapers and estate gardeners. The farm's compost operation allows the operators to manage their manure and bedding wastes in an environmentally-sound manner, while also providing nutrients for their pasture land and bringing in additional revenues for the farm business.

On the Aquidneck Island portion of Portsmouth, farms provide the majority of remaining open space for the area. Farmland preservation remains one of the top priorities for Portsmouth. The region promotes financial incentives and programs that assist in the economic viability of active farms. These measures and active community support is vital for farms such as Aquidneck Farms.

Always Something Farm, New Hampshire

Always Something Farm recently expanded its business to include compost, garden mix, loam, super loam, and bark mulch. The farm is operated by Gary, Julie and Alexis Quimby; Gary has attended the Maine Compost School and earned a certificate in Technical Ability in Composting.

Quimby Construction has been a construction business in the area for a number of years. The Company's expansion into the composting business was a natural way to complement the family's farm operation.

The farm accepts a variety of materials, including yard waste and other organic materials for composting. A windrow process is used that slowly breaks down the material to make nutrient rich compost. Once the curing process is complete, the compost is screened and ready for sale. Always Something Farm has a permit by notification for potentially accepting food waste. Accepting food waste from supermarkets and other large generators would allow for increased revenue opportunity for the business through charging "tip fees" for accepting the food waste.

The farm offers two compost products — a pure compost which is promoted as a soil amendment for gardens and lawns; a compost/loam mix (a garden mix or super loam), promoted for use in raised gardens and lawn repairs or new lawns. They also carry three kinds of bark mulch. Bulk product sales are offered for onsite loading or delivery.

Always Something Farm is in a good location for marketing its compost. The farm sales yard has frontage on a main road (Route 10) with close proximity to cities and towns throughout central New Hampshire and Vermont. The business offers a wide diversity of services, including manure pickup, excavation, lot clean-up, hay sales, and more. These services add strength to its product sales business component.

For more information about NERC's Compost Marketing Project contact Athena Lee Bradley.

A NERC Blog Worth Repeating…Textiles

If you haven't yet been to the NERC blog we hope you will sign up to receive our articles regularly. We post every Tuesday and occasional Thursday, so we promise not to fill up your inbox. To sign up to receive the NERC Blog send an email to athena@nerc.org. To entice those of you who haven't been to the NERC blog yet, we offer this article we posted on February 12, 2013. The article was written by Guest Blogger Larry Groipen, President of ERC Wiping Products, Inc.

Don't be judgmental

I have been in the textile recycling business for over 35 years, When my kids were in school they were often teased that their dad sold rags. Well today they are very proud that their father is involved in helping the environment by diverting and recycling millions of pounds of textiles annually. You can help too!

Everyone has heard the term "don't be judgmental"; when it comes to clothing and other household textiles the truth is you should not be judgmental when you take your clothing to your favorite charity or clothing recycler. Just grab the biggest bag you can and throw it all in there. No need to decide if the clothing or shoes are wearable or desirable.

Charities and textile recyclers do all the work for you, the industry knows what to do with the shirt with the ink spot, the dress with a broken zipper, the armpit stained tee shirt, the jeans with a hole in the knee, or even the lone sock that escaped the dryer snatcher. Don't forget the shoes that need a good shine or heel, the belts, purses, towels, bed sheets, and bathrobes. Even stuffed animals can be put in the bag.

Many textile recyclers belong to an organization called SMART (Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles). Some SMART members collect used clothing, shoes and other household textiles. Other SMART members partner with Charities by purchasing their unwanted item s from the Charity. The money that SMART members pay charities provides much needed money for their charitable programs.

So if you get a card in the mail or see a collection box that asks for only "gently worn clothing" you can take my word for it that they will in fact take everything in any condition. I promise no one is going to bring your clothing back and say we don't want it. Everyone that collects used clothing knows what to do with the worn, torn and out of style clothing and shoes. One of my favorite charities that will take all your clothing and household textiles is Goodwill Industries. Goodwill takes any textile in any condition as long as it is dry and free of odors.

So remember don't be judgmental when it comes to used clothing, Donate, Recycle, but don't throw it away.

ERC Wiping Products, Inc., located in Lynn, Massachusetts, recycles more than 3 million pounds of textiles annually. For more from ERC and Larry, check out ERC's Blog.

NERC Begins work on Developing Model EPP (Green) Product Specifications

NERC has begun work on a new project that will result in new environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) product specifications for three common products that purchasers find challenging to buy "in green." NERC is in the process of reviewing survey responses from more than 70 professionals across the nation on the three products that will be selected for the project. The project also includes forming a working group of EPP experts to develop the model specifications, and promoting the specifications and EPP.

The project is being funded by the Roy A. Hunt Foundation. For more information about the project, contact Mary Ann Remolador, NERC's assistant director and events coordinator.

STATE UPDATES

NEW YORK

New York State Federation of New York Solid Waste Associations Solid Waste and Recycling Conference and Trade Show

The Federation of New York Solid Waste Associations Solid Waste & Recycling Conference with Trade Show is happening May 5–8, 2013 in Bolton Landing, NY, with "Strive for Sustainability" as this year's theme. Also known as "The Conference That Begins with a Bang", it has become an annual premier northeast event for the solid waste industry and government officials. It attracts over 700 public and private sector solid waste and recycling professionals to a technical program with 90 presentations and an expanded Trade Show that is supported by 120 major exhibitors.

Green Chemistry Teacher Workshop

The NYSDEC's Toxics Reduction and GreenChemistry section recently held its third green chemistry workshop for science teachers. Twenty-five teachers from 15 school districts attended the hands-on workshop at SUNY-Stonybrook, which featured green chemistry laboratory experiments developed by Beyond Benign.

The fourth and final green chemistry workshop will be held in New York City next month.The EPA in Region 2 has awarded additional funding to the Toxics Reduction and Green Chemistry section to enable them to share their program with schools in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Binghamton and Siena College's Green Chemistry Summer Institute. Additional information on the NYSDEC's Green Chemistry program can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/77750.html .

Draft Long Island Pesticide Pollution Prevention Strategy

NYSDEC has released a Draft Long Island Pesticide Pollution Strategy, which contains the blueprint for a pesticide pollution prevention approach on Long Island. The overall goal of the Strategy is to protect water quality from pesticide-related contamination, while continuing effective pest management on Long Island. Almost three million people rely on clean drinking water from Long Island's sole source aquifer, a unique and critical resource in the State

Pollution prevention presents a number of benefits, such as minimizing the introduction of pesticide-related contaminants and fostering the use of practices which avoid such contamination. The pesticide pollution prevention blueprint for Long Island and a summary of other elements of the Strategy can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/87125.html.

ADVISORY MEMBER NEWS

ECOvanta Passes e-Stewards Certification Process and Named a Connecticut DEEP-Approved Covered Electronic Recycler

ECOvanta, the electronic waste ("e-waste") recycling subsidiary of Covanta Energy Corporation, has passed the e-Stewards recycling certification process, making ECOvanta one of the few e-waste recyclers in the country to receive the industry's two premier environmental certifications — e-Stewards and Responsible Recycling (R2). The e-Stewards certification recognizes that the ECOvanta e-waste recycling facility protects human health and the global environment by complying with the industry standards set by the Basel Action Network, a non-profit organization focused on reducing the harmful effects of toxic wastes, products and technologies.

ECOvanta was also recently named a Connecticut DEEP-approved Covered Electronic Recycler (CER) and is now authorized to collect covered electronic devices generated by Connecticut households. Selected CERs have demonstrated an ability to follow the requirements of the Connecticut Statewide Electronic Recycling Program and meet the standards for recycling as outlined in the DEEP's e-waste regulations.

ECOvanta serves the e-waste recycling needs of communities, businesses and government organizations throughout the Mid-Atlantic, New York/New Jersey and New England. In addition to e-Stewards and R2, ECOvanta is also ISO 14001:2004 certified.

UNTHA America to be at Spring Trade Shows

UNTHA shredding technology America, Inc. will be appearing at several North American trade shows this spring. Located in Hampton, NH, UNTHA America is a division of the Austrian-based UNTHA shredding technology GmbH, one of the world's leading providers of size reduction equipment for the recycling industry. The shows provide the perfect opportunity for businesses, industries and communities to gain more information about UNTHA America's wide range of products and its ability to customize equipment for any recycling needs.

The first stop on UNTHA America's schedule is the Southeast Recycling Conference (SERC) on March 10–13, 2013 in Destin, FL. SERC is a four-day event linking industry leaders and recycling officials. It offers educational sessions, showcases the latest recycling products, equipment and services, and fosters networking within the industry. More than 600 industry leaders are expected to attend, while upwards of 80 exhibitors will be on hand.

At SERC, UNTHA will be highlighting their full portfolio of shredding technology, including single-, two-, and four-shaft cutting systems. UNTHA offers shredding solutions for a wide range of industries and specializes in customizing their equipment for their clients. "We talk extensively with our clients about what their needs are," says Bernhard Mueggler, president and CEO of UNTHA America. "Once we know exactly what they want a machine to do, we create a solution. Our machines' cutting systems can easily be modified to suit a wide range of purposes, so we make sure that our clients receive precisely the right machine for the job. This approach is what sets us apart."

Next up is the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) on March 22–24, 2013 in Nashville, TN. The NAID trade show and conference is the single-largest gathering of industry leaders worldwide from the data destruction industry, and provides unparalleled opportunities for education and networking. An extensive array of exhibitors and products will be available.

UNTHA will promote its RS Series at the conference. The RS Series has been tried and tested for decades and is well known as a line of powerful and rugged shredders which easily handle difficult operating conditions, multiple-shift continuous operation, and are capable of shredding everything from computer hard drives to bales of paper or cardboard. "More than 40 years of expertise is built into the RS Series," says Mueggler. "We have more than 8,000 of these shredders in daily operation around the globe."

For more information about UNTHA America, please visit www.untha-america.com or call 603-601-2304.