News &
Updates

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

March 2020

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

New & Renewing Memberships

Renewing Sustaining Member

Casella Resource Solutions

Renewing Supporting Members

NERC News

Newly Posted

NERC Releases Latest MRF Blended Value Report

Advisory Member News

ISRI Approves Specifications for Inbound Residential Single Stream & Inbound Residential Dual Stream

Of General Interest

Nestlé Waters North America Announces its ReadyRefresh by Nestlé Delivery Service Achieves Carbon Neutrality

New & Renewing Memberships

Membership is key to NERC's regional and national commitment to sustainable materials management. We would like to welcome renewing Sustaining Member Casella Resource Solutions, as well renewing Supporting Members:

Thank you to all our Advisory Members. 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.

The broad spectrum of interests represented by NERC's Advisory Members, Individual Supporters, and Board Members and their willingness to participate significantly contribute to the unique and important role that NERC plays in recycling in the region.

For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein, Executive Director.

NERC News

**NERC Spring Conference —Rebooting Recycling—Offers Thought Provoking Sessions**

If you are looking for new ideas that stretch your thinking about recycling, join us for NERC’s Conference in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. We will be talking about building a planet-positive business, the rebirth of refillable bottles, circularity through innovative business models, effective recycling messaging delivered, moving up the hierarchy, focus on multi-family residences, managing lithium battery safety and the Big-3 MRF owner/operators’ perspectives on end markets. are the sessions to be featured at NERC’s Conference in Connecticut.

Also, our great lineup of expert speakers will knock your socks off! They include:

John Mascari, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer,Blueland
Caren McNamara, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Conscious Container
Joel Shoening, Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative
Cherish Changala Miller, Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Communications Revolution
Mark Bond, Sales Manager, Sustana Group (invited)
Jessica Shrout, Owner, Circle Three Branding
Kathy Boucher, President, Decker Creative Marketing
Mel Gilles, Education & Outreach Specialist, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
Stephen Lisauskas, Vice President of Government Affairs & Regional Vice President of Sales, Waste Zero
Joe Connell, Executive Director, Square Nail Consulting & Pam Howland, Board Member, Build Reuse
Kelley Dennings, Population Campaigner, Center for Biological Diversity
Rachel Kenyon, Senior Vice President, Fibre Box Association
David Refkin, Affiliate Senior Consultant, Resource Recycling Systems (RRS)
Sean Plasse, Program Manager, Call2Recycle
Mia Rothlein, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources
Bob Cappadona, Vice President, Casella Resource Solutions
Peter Keller, Vice President of Recycling and Sustainability, Republic Services
Susan Robinson, Senior Director of Sustainability & Policy, Waste Management

Go to the Agenda for information about the presenters and the schedule.

Location: Sheraton Hartford South Hotel in Rocky Hill, Connecticut

Sponsorship & Exhibitor Opportunities Available

SILVER SPONSORS


BRONZE SPONSORS

For more information about the Conference, contact Mary Ann Remolador, Assistant Director & Conference Organizer.

NERC Offers Carbon Offsets Option to Spring Conference Registrants

Registrants for NERC’s Spring Conference will notice that a new feature has been added to the registration process. For the first time, attendees can choose to offset the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with their travel to the conference by means of a payment which will in turn be transferred by NERC to a project that helps reduce GHGs such as carbon dioxide.

According to the David Suzuki Foundation, “A carbon offset is a credit for greenhouse gas reductions achieved by one party that can be purchased and used to compensate (offset) the emissions of another party. Carbon offsets are typically measured in tonnes of CO2-equivalents (or CO2e) and are bought and sold through a number of international brokers, online retailers and trading platforms.” The Foundation also points out the importance of additionality—that the mitigation project would not have occurred without the funding by offsets—and emphasizes the “validation and verification of the project by reputable third-parties.”

How does the offset process work for NERC Conference registrants? A checkbox included on the registration page allows registrants to choose to purchase carbon offsets at the current rate of $11.00 per metric ton of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent. For instance, if one were to fly round-trip from Pittsburgh to Bradley International Airport outside Hartford, CT, the carbon footprint would equal 0.54 metric tons. The carbon offset for the flight would be $4.38; should the registrant choose to purchase the offsets, that amount would then be added to the total registration cost.

NERC has enlisted the services of Carbon Footprint, a UK-based company that offers a number of projects to which offsets can be applied. “After the conference, NERC will bundle all of the carbon-offset revenues and purchase carbon-offsets on your behalf. Everyone who selects this option will receive an email after the conference letting you know which website NERC purchased through and the type of offset purchased.” Offset projects in Carbon Footprint’s Global Portfolio are verified to the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS).

Last month, Jodi Manning, director of marketing for the San Francisco-based nonprofit Cool Effect, told Adweek that the firm has seen a 700% increase in carbon-offsetting purchases since May, 2019. ““Consumers are demanding this. They want to know what their footprint is; they want to know what the cost is,” she said.

So, while the most effective way for individuals to address climate change is to reduce the emissions accumulated in their personal lives, purchasing carbon offsets does offer a measurable contribution to reducing emissions associated with climate change. We at NERC are excited to be able to offer this service to Conference attendees, and hope that many of you will take advantage of the platform reached through our Conference registration page.

Launch of New Government Recycling Demand Champion Program Announced

The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) and Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) have announced the launch of a new program to drive the purchase of products with post-consumer recycled content: The Government Recycling Demand Champions.

A companion to APR’s well-established Recycling Demand Champions program, this initiative will be tailored to state, regional and local governments around the United States. It will be hosted by NERC, working in close collaboration with APR.

Among the products with post-consumer recycled content (PCR) that government entities will be encouraged to purchase will be plastic:

Drainage pipes
Trash bags and Gaylord liners
Roll-out carts
Recycling containers
Garbage containers
Benches
Outdoor furniture
Decking
Pallets
Paving tiles
Office supplies

An introductory website will be launched in the near future along with fact sheets about purchasing products with PCR.

For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein, NERC Executive Director (executive.director@nerc.org) or Liz Bedard, APR Rigids Program Director (ebedard18@gmail.com).

Registration Open - Using Recycled Content Materials in Road & Infrastructure Projects - Workshop, April 15, Concord, NH

The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) and the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA), in partnership with NRRA, MRRA, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Transportation, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and Department of Transportation, and the New Hampshire Technology Transfer Center, are offering a one-day workshop about using recycled content in road and infrastructure projects. workshop graphic This special one-day workshop - which will be held at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Auditorium in Concord - will provide you with new insights and examples of practical applications. Presentations will address:

Plastic corrugated drainage pipes with recycled content
Ground asphalt for roads
Use of crumb rubber in roads
Processed glass aggregate (PGA)

Three Upcoming NERC Webinars

Rethinking Recycling - March 19, 1:30 – 3:00 eastern Register Here

David Allaway of OR DEQ will guide us through critical thinking about recycling—

Is it sufficient? Are there unintended consequences for society and the environment if we maximize recycling, “zero waste” or “circular economy” without a larger policy framework?

The State of Oregon has conducted groundbreaking, and sometimes provocative, research into the environmental benefits and limitations of recycling. Mr. Allaway will summarize that research and suggest a path forward that will help communities and policymakers improve and optimize recycling while simultaneously activating additional solutions that achieve higher order goals of conserving resources and reducing pollution.

Best Management Practices for Community Composting Webinar - March 31, 1 - 2:15 eastern

This webinar is the second of a series on community-scale composting. The first webinar focused on the people involved in establishing sustainable community composting sites; this webinar will focus on the nuts and bolts of community composting, from siting and feedstock collection to system management and composting through the winter.

Siting considerations, choosing a system, determining site capacity, and system management will be addressed.

Food Waste Reduction & Food Waste Recovery - May 21, 1 - 2:30 eastern

In this webinar, co-hosted by NERC & NEWMOA, presenters from ReFED and the Harvard University Food Law and Policy Clinic will share the latest ideas and information on reducing wasted food and recovering and diverting what can't be reduced. Topics that will be covered include new tools and information from ReFED and on date labeling of food.

Newly Posted

NERC Releases Latest MRF Blended Value Report

NERC has published the third in a series of quarterly reports on the blended value of a ton of materials marketed at MRFs in the 11-state region: Blended Commodity Values in the Northeast - February 2020. This report covers the period October - December 2019. Earlier reports are also available:

For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein, Executive Director.

Advisory Member news

ISRI Approves Specifications for Inbound Residential Single Stream & Inbound Residential Dual Stream

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) Board of Directors have approved two new specifications to the ISRI Scrap Specifications Circular:

Inbound Residential Single Stream Specification:
Inbound Residential Single Stream is the material derived from a recycling method whereby residents of a community place allowed materials in a specifically designated receptacle to be left at a drop off point outside their residence. The purpose of the specification is to give Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) and municipalities a common vernacular to negotiate the items that comprise the material stream derived from a single stream curbside collection program. The specifications describe not only the items that should be part of the system, but prohibitives and other materials that could be considered contaminants.

Inbound Residential Dual Stream Specification:
Inbound Residential Dual Stream is the material derived from a recycling method whereby residents of a community place allowed materials in a specifically designated receptacle to be left at a drop off point outside their residence. The purpose of the specification is to give MRFs and municipalities a common vernacular to negotiate the items that comprise the material stream derived from a dual stream curbside collection program. The specifications describe not only the items that should be part of the system, but prohibitives and other materials that could be considered contaminants.

The specifications were previously approved by ISRI’s Plastics Division in September 2019, and MRF Committee in July 2019. The full Board may choose to adopt, amend, or reject the recommendations of the Division or table them pending further review. More information about the rules governing the procedures from the addition, amendment, or withdrawal of ISRI’s scrap specifications can be found in the Scrap Specifications Circular. To submit comments, recommendations, or questions please contact ISRI Chief Economist Joe Pickard. There will be an open comment period for 30 days following the vote by the Board.

Of General Interest

Nestlé Waters North America Announces its ReadyRefresh by Nestlé Delivery Service Achieves Carbon Neutrality

Nestlé Waters North America Inc. (NWNA) has announced that its ReadyRefresh^® by Nestlé^® direct-to-consumer beverage delivery service has achieved carbon neutrality and earned the CarbonNeutral^® company certification for the year 2020 in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol (pdf, 4Mb), a global standard for carbon neutral programs. ReadyRefresh provides convenient access to a variety of leading healthy beverage brands with an easy-to-shop website and flexible delivery options in the U.S.

This achievement builds on ReadyRefresh’s continuous journey to reduce its environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions through multiple initiatives, including:

Fleet improvements: ReadyRefresh is on track to convert 50% of its beverage delivery trucks to propane this year and has started to add electric vehicles to its last-mile fleet.
Route optimization: ReadyRefresh has implemented dynamic routing to meet evolving customer needs. This led to a reduction in customer delivery miles by 600,000 in 2019.
Road to rail: ReadyRefresh ships water dispensers to be cleaned and redeployed for use from the West to the East coast by train instead of by truck. Each month, transporting by train saves approximately 100 tons of carbon compared to traveling by truck.
Renewable energy: All ReadyRefresh branches in Texas use 100% renewable electricity purchased through a power purchase agreement, except for one where the option is unavailable. The renewable electricity helps reduce emissions by 397 tons per year. ReadyRefresh is exploring options to expand its use of renewable electricity to its 11 branches in Florida and Pennsylvania in 2020.

“As a direct-to-consumer beverage delivery service with more than 7,000 deliveries every working hour, we are committed to making our operations as efficient and environmentally friendly as possible while listening to our customers and serving the communities, states and regions in which we operate,” said Henrik Jelert, Executive Vice President, ReadyRefresh. “This achievement marks an important step in our journey to grow the ReadyRefresh service through agile adaptation to ever-evolving customer needs, operational efficiency and longstanding sustainability efforts that help to minimize our environmental footprint.”

To address the remaining emissions after the above initiatives and to drive immediate progress on reducing its carbon footprint, ReadyRefresh worked with Natural Capital Partners to purchase carbon offsets in the regions, states and communities where it operates, enabling it to be certified as CarbonNeutral in 2020. As part of its commitment to minimizing its carbon footprint, ReadyRefresh will continue to further reduce absolute emissions through additional carbon footprint reduction activities and explore insetting projects within the land and forest areas owned and managed by the company.