News &
Updates

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November 2008

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

UNICOR

New Supporting Members

Northeast Resource Recovery Association

NERC NEWS

STATE UPDATES

Vermont

ADVISORY MEMBER NEWS

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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 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.

TOPICS

MEMBERSHIP

We are delighted to welcome a new Supporting Member – the Northeast Resource Recovery Association. And we welcome UNICOR as a renewing Sustaining Member. Thank you!

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

Available Recycling Resources for Town Offices, Schools, & Businesses
NERC has completed work on the USDA-funded project “Recycling Makes Sen$e.” This two-year project included implementing 18 workshops and providing technical assistance to 38 town offices, schools, and businesses on developing or expanding their recycling programs. All of the resources developed for this project are available on the Recycling Makes Sen$e webpage. Resources include:

Recycling Makes Sen$e: Waste Prevention and Recycling Guide for Businesses, Schools, and Municipal Offices
Recycling Makes Sen$e PowerPoint Presentation
Connecticut State and Town Recycling Fact Sheets and Case Study

Delaware State and Town Recycling Fact Sheets

Massachusetts Town Fact Sheets

New Hampshire State and Town Recycling Fact Sheets

New Jersey State and Town Recycling Fact Sheets

Sussex County fact sheet

New York State and Town Recycling Fact Sheets

Pennsylvania State and Town Recycling Fact Sheets

Rhode Island State and Town Recycling Fact Sheets

Vermont State and Town Recycling Fact Sheets

Other Recycling Resources and Templates

For more information about these resources or the project, contact Mary Ann Remolador, NERC’s Assistant Director.

Action Steps to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Today: Tips from the State Electronics Challenge

Purchase ENERGY STAR® labeled computers which meet stringent energy-efficiency standards.
Purchase EPEATTM-registered computer equipment, which feature the latest ENERGY STAR® technology + other environmental benefits such as reduced toxicity. Visit www.epeat.net for a listing of qualified products.
Unplug equipment and power cords (or turn off power strips) when not in use, since they continually draw power even when “off” or not in use.
Plug electronic equipment and chargers into power strips that can be easily unplugged and plugged-in again to minimize hassle.
Remove screen savers that prevent computers from going into “sleep” mode.
Purchase computer equipment and other supplies that contain recycled content. Recycled content products require less energy to produce than materials made from raw material.
Consider whether you really need to replace your computer, since extending the life of a computer avoids the environmental impacts of producing a new unit. For example, if your organization has four computer desktop systems (processor + LCD monitor) in service, and extend the life of each unit from three years to four years, you avoided the production of one new computer system.
Consider replacing desktop systems (processor + LCD) with notebook computers, which consumer less power. While this might not be a viable solution for all employees, it might fit the needs and use patterns for some.
Recycle computers at the end of life to get materials back into productive use, reducing the mining and production of new materials.
Set default settings on printers and copiers to print double-sided copies. Saving paper saves energy + trees!
Whenever possible, don’t print hard copies of documents. Instead, store documents electronically.

For more information about the State Electronics Challenge, visit its website at www.stateelectronicschallenge.net. The State Electronics Challenge is a project managed by NERC with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Manure Management Workshops in Vermont & New Hampshire

The Northeast Recycling Council, Inc. is offering free manure management workshops for small farm livestock operations in November. A workshop will be held on Saturday, November 1 at 2 p.m. at the Cheshire Horse in Swanzey, NH. The workshop is co-sponsored by the New Hampshire Horse Council. There will be a small scale in-vessel composting demonstrations in conjunction the workshop from 1- 4 at the same location.

Three additional workshops will be held in Vermont:

Wednesday, November 5, 6:30 p.m. at Winchester Stables in Newfane,
Saturday, November 8, 2 p.m., will be a special workshop designed for horse owners at Evergreen Equine, West Windsor, and
Thursday, November 13, 6:30 pm at Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock.

These workshops are open to the public and offered at no charge.

NERC has been very busy promoting manure management. More than 150 copies of the Manure Management Handbook and Toolkit were distributed on CD at the 20th Annual Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival in September at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction, Vermont. NERC also presented at two workshops at the 2008 Northeast Animal-Power Field Days in Tunbridge, VT in September. Twenty-five (25) people attended the workshops that addressed manure handling systems and an overview of composting and application of farm-based nutrients. A workshop was held in conjunction with the Green Mountain Horse Association’s Fall Foliage Ride in early October in South Woodstock, Vermont.

These workshops are a component of NERC’s Manure Management Project, an educational effort to assist small and hobby farmers and livestock owners in understanding and adopting best management practices for handling and utilizing manure. It is funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Solid Waste Management Grant.

Resources for manure management are posted on NERC’s Manure Management web page. For more information contact Athena Lee Bradley, NERC Projects Manager.

Green Computer Purchases Cut Energy Use & Reduce Pollution

Purchases of environmentally preferable computer equipment – that is EPEAT™-registered products - by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania State University are producing significant savings in electricity consumption and reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, municipal solid wastes, hazardous wastes, and toxic materials.

Through a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, NERC has been working with the Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS) and the Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center to encourage the use of the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT™) as the standard for computer purchases. As a result of these efforts, the DGS and Pennsylvania State University system have both committed to purchasing EPEAT™ products. EPEAT™ is an environmental criteria system to help purchasers in the public and private sectors evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on their environmental attributes. Currently, more than 900 products from manufacturers are registered as EPEAT™ products.

In 2008, the combined purchases of 73,171 EPEAT™-registered computer components by Penn State and the Pennsylvania DGS will result in the following environmental benefits:

Measure	How Much	Equivalent To
Energy usage reduced	26.8 million kWh	Electricity for 2,364 households/ year
Greenhouse gases avoided	2,104 MTCE	Removing 1,670 cars from road/ year
Municipal solid waste avoided	3.0 tons	1.4 households/year
Toxics reduced	2.4 tons
Hazardous wastes avoided	106 tons

For more information about EPEAT™, contact Lynn Rubinstein, NERC Executive Director.

New NERC Board Member

NERC is welcoming a new member to its Board of Directors – Greg Cooper, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. So, while we welcome Greg, we must also say “good-bye and thank you” to Peggy Harlow. She has been an enthusiastic and valuable member of the NERC Board for two years, contributing greatly to the vitality of the organization during her tenure.

A full list of the NERC Board of Directors is available at www.nerc.org/nerc_board.html.

Holiday Waste Reduction

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans throw away 25 percent more trash between Thanksgiving and the New Year than during any other time of the year. The extra waste adds up to 25 million tons.

There are many simple things that can be done to reduce waste during the holiday season. Gift certificates, movie passes, museum memberships, transit passes, etc. don’t require wrapping and are more likely to meet the needs of the recipient. Donations to a charity in a person’s name help a good cause while reducing waste. Or, consider practical environmental gifts such as compost bins, plants, or battery chargers. Homemade gifts, such as food baskets, or locally made gifts also provide an option that helps to reduce waste and support the local economy.

Wrapping gifts can be done creatively and with waste reduction in mind. Cloth napkins, canvas shopping bags, scarves, or other clothing items make usable wrapping. Or, personalize reusable paper, such as newspapers or grocery bags, by having the kids decorate the wrappings. Last year’s holiday cards can be cut up and used for creative gift tags. Wrapping paper with post-consumer recycled content is also available and more environmentally friendly.

Other tips: consider a live tree that can be planted in the spring or see if your community mulches cut trees; be sure to recycle packaging, wrapping paper, and other paper items; and consider turning your food wastes into compost.

When purchasing a gift, consider how it and its packaging will affect the environment. There are many ideas on the Internet for reducing holiday waste. Also check New American Dream.

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

This article was partially adapted from Waste Reduction Holiday Tips From the U.S. EPA, EPA Press Release, December 2, 2004.

STATE NEWS

VERMONT

Vermont Product Stewardship Council Formed

On October 6th, a group of solid waste districts and alliances launched the Vermont Product Stewardship Council (VTPSC). The Vermont Council is the first product stewardship council in the eastern U.S.

Seven of Vermont’s 14 solid waste districts and alliances currently make up the VTPSC voting members and have started developing a work plan. The VTPSC will start by focusing on:

Education and outreach, including a logo, website, public relations, and recruiting new members and stakeholders,
Work plan development, including prioritizing which problem materials to address, and
Drafting framework legislation.

Committees to Address Critical Solid Waste Issues in Vermont

Two new legislative committees have been formed:

The Solid Waste Working Group’s charge is to review the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) Solid Waste Report to the Legislature, submitted to the Legislature in January 2008, and to develop its own proposals and recommendations to improve upon it. The ANR report summarized the State Solid Waste Program recommendations on managing waste in the future. Participants in the Working Group represent a broad range of interests including solid waste districts, private solid waste businesses, environmental groups, and municipalities.

The Compost Study Committee’s charges are to provide recommendations on rules for compost facilities, and recommend strategies for increasing public awareness about the benefits of composting.

Both Committees are required to report back to the legislature by January 15, 2009.

In addition, the ANR Secretary recently signed and MOU with Solid Waste District Managers to make recommendations on the infrastructure for statewide recycling services. As a result, the Vermont Solid Waste District Managers’ Working Group will provide recommendations to the Agency for its new State Solid Waste Plan. It will also examine the statewide economic structure of solid waste management and the infrastructure needed to move forward in order to provide equitable solid waste management services statewide.

ADVISORY MEMBER NEWS

CALL2RECYCLE® Announces Recycling Leadership Winners

Call2Recycle®,the nation’s most comprehensive rechargeable battery and cell phone recycling program, has announced the recipients of the eighth annual “Recycling Leadership Awards.” The Recycling Leadership Awards recognize community and public agency program participants for their exceptional efforts in rechargeable battery and cell phone recycling.

This year’s award winners include: King County Solid Waste Division (WA); Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority (Canada); Washington County Household Hazardous Waste Program (MN); Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (PA); Fort Hood, Directorate of Public Works, Environmental Division (TX); and Florida Division of Blind Services Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services.
“Year over year, the amount of rechargeable batteries collected through our Call2Recycle program hasincreased. We owe much of this success to the involvement of our community and public agency recycling partners and the strength of their individual efforts and contributions to the program,” said Linda Gabor, Director of Marketing & Media Relations, RBRC. “These participants are not only leaders in their local communities, but to other groups and communities looking for examples of outreach and education efforts upon which to base their own programs.”

The Call2Recycle program is available to communities and public agencies without any associated fees. There are currently more than 6,000 communities and public agencies enrolled in the program in the U.S. and Canada. For more information on implementing a recycling program, visit www.call2recycle.org.

Electronics, Single Stream, Food Waste, & C&D to be Showcased at Connecticut Recyclers Annual Meeting

The Connecticut Recyclers Coalition (CRC) will bring in speakers a variety of hot topics for its annual meeting. The meeting will run 8:30 – 1:00 on Wednesday, November 19 and will be held at the CRRA Visitor’s Center at 211 Murphy Road in Hartford, CT. All are welcome.

Tom Metzner, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, will provide the keynote address. He will discuss how Connecticut’s (CT) electronics recycling law will be put into practice during 2009. His insight on the rendering of law into actual collection throughout the state will be of great interest and assistance to local and visiting attendees.

Three other speakers will provide case studies of recycling efforts already in progress in CT. A representative from John’s Refuse will discuss food waste collection between New Haven and the New Milford Farms composting facility. The Institution Recycling Network will review its on-going construction/demolition debris recycling from Yale and other locations. The Hartford single stream pilot program will also be profiled. Each speaker will provide nuts and bolts insights into the operational issues of these programs.

The CRC annual meeting will also include a very brief business meeting and a much longer and enjoyable catered lunch. A tour of the adjoining MRF will also be offered. To register simply fill out the form at www.ctrecyclers.org.