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
Webinar - What You Need to Know about the New AASHTO Specification - Recycled Content in Plastic Drainage Pipes
Using plastic drainage pipes in road and infrastructure projects is a common practice, but until now they haven’t contained recycled content. And, now they can! Recently AASHTO adopted a new specification – 294R – that allows for plastic pipe products to be certified as containing post-consumer recycled content and meet the rigorous 100 year life span requirements.
This webinar will provide you the background and insights you need to be sure you are using the latest drainage pipes while providing a positive impact for your community and state’s recycling programs.
The webinar is being co-sponsored by the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) and the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR).
Featured speakers and topics will be:
Ryan Fragapane, Associate Program Manager, AASHTO’s National Transportation Evaluation Program (NTPEP) – The 294R Standard and how products are verified to comply with the standard on behalf of the State DOT’s to ensure recycled pipe quality
Michael Plumier, Crossroad Engineering /University of Minnesota, Duluth - Field and laboratory studies that established the service life of pipes with recycled material upon which 294R is based
Joe Babcanec, P.E., Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS) - Research that was done with Battelle Laboratories recycled material variability study to support the effectiveness of 294R
The webinar is eligible for NJ Certified Recycler CEUs. & NH Continuing Professional Development hours for Solid Waste Operators.
NERC’s Conference—Much Ado About Plastics— Government & Industry Join the Conversation
Held in Providence, Rhode Island, NERC’s Fall Conference focused on plastics recycling issues. A mix of government and industry, the 160 participants were from 20 states, the District of Columbia, and two Canadian provinces.
The Conference keynote address from Adam Gendell of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition was thought provoking and sparked lively discussions among the attendees. Mr. Gendell focused on the packaging industry’s journey towards sustainability. The energy continued to flow with the sessions that followed—managing plastics; single use plastics legislation; innovative products, programs, and technology; the Basel plastics decision; the value of plastics; strategies for plastics recycling education; toxics in packaging; and PFAS.
Other Conference presenters included:
Adina Adler, Assistant Vice President of International Affairs, ISRI
Steve Alexander, Executive Director, Association of Plastics Recyclers (APR)
Steve Alexander & Dylan de Thomas (seated)
Victor Bell, US Managing Director, Environmental Packaging International (EPI)
NERC will hold its Spring Conference on April 20 – 21 at the Sheraton South Hotel in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. Mark your calendar now to make sure that you don’t miss it!
For any questions regarding the Spring Conference, contact Mary Ann Remolador, Assistant Director and Events Organizer.
European Packaging EPR - Third in NERC’s Webinar Series – December 5
NERC will hold the European Packaging EPR webinar (1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. eastern) on December 5th. The webinar will feature the different Packaging EPR Programs throughout Europe. Clarissa Morawski, Managing Director of Reloop Platform will present an overview of the European programs, the differences in their structure, and progress made. Victor Bell, US Managing Director of Environmental Packaging International, will detail the program costs and revenues.
The webinar is eligible for NJ Certified Recycler CEUs. & NH Continuing Professional Development hours for Solid Waste Operators.
For questions regarding the webinar, contact Mary Ann Remolador, Assistant Director.
Newly Posted
Recording & PowerPoint available from Using Compost in Road & Infrastructure Projects Webinar
A recording of the webinar presented by Jean Bonhatal, Director, Cornell Waste Management Institute, is now available, along with the PowerPoint presentation.
Presentations & Recording from Second Webinar in Packaging Series Now Available
The webinar, which took place on October 24, provided details about the EPR models implemented for packaging in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. The Webinar presenters include: Mathieu Guillemette, Senior Director of Services to Municipalities, Eco Enterprises Quebec; Jo-anne St. Goddard, Executive Director of the Recycling Council of Ontario; and David Lefebvre, Director of Public Affairs, Recycle BC. The recording and presentations from the webinar and subsequent webinars in the series can be found by going to the Resources section of NERC’s website and then selecting webinars.
For any questions regarding the webinar, contact Mary Ann Remolador, Assistant Director.
Two New Glass Resources
In August 2017, the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) formed a Glass Committee to better understand the recycled glass value chain and gaps in the Northeast region, and to promote greater diversion of glass containers to the highest-value end uses. This 18-member Glass Committee includes some of NERC’s Board of Directors and Advisory Members—a mixture of government and industry.
In October 2019, the Committee completed a survey of glass bottle and fiberglass manufacturers serving the Northeast region. The businesses were contacted to find out about their existing use of cullet and their interest in using more cullet in their products. The survey responses were compiled and are now available here.
Also developed by NERC’s Glass Committee is the Glass Recovery Hierarchy. The Hierarchy provides information about the environmental benefits of today’s glass management options. The Hierarchy includes a table that highlights the greenhouse gas, energy, material, and water savings; as well as recyclability and landfill diversion from using glass in different applications. It also includes the URLs for available life- cycle assessments of using recycled glass (post-consumer and post-industrial).
For more information about NERC’s work on glass, contact Mary Ann Remolador, Assistant Director.
End-Markets for Tires & Businesses Using Post-consumer Recycled Content
In support of their efforts to promote recycling markets in the region and confidence in the viability of residential recycling programs, two new resources about end-markets in the Northeast have been published jointly by the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) and the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA). The resources cover markets and facilities in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
According to the latest assessment of the U.S. scrap tire markets by the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA), scrap tire stockpiles have steadily declined throughout the past few decades. The Association’s “2017 U.S. Scrap Tire Management Summary” concludes that more tires are being recycled and used by various end-markets, and historic stockpiles are declining.
Until 2013, many of the tires generated in southern New England were incinerated as tire derived fuel (TDF) in a plant in Sterling, Connecticut that consumed about 10 million tires per year. That plant suspended operations in the fall of 2013. Since the closure of the Sterling facility, there has been increased interest in the region in expanding recycling of waste tires.
This new resource identifies 33 companies that are engaged in:
Tire derived fuel (TDF)
Volume reduction (shredding/crumb rubber & other products)
Hauling services for scrap tires
In several instances, individual companies provide services in more than one category. The directory identifies companies by name, with website, geographic area served, and its services.
Recycling Businesses that Process or Use Post-Consumer “Blue Bin” Materials after MRF Processing
The NERC-NEWMOA Regional Recycling Market Development Committee also produced a directory of businesses that process or use post-consumer recycled content after processing by MRFs, derived from so-called “blue bin” recyclables: paper, plastic, glass, aseptic cartons, aluminum and steel cans. The list is limited to facilities in the NERC region – Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
The directory includes:
Paper recycling industry – 68 businesses
Plastic recycling industry – 53 businesses
Glass recycling industry – 15 businesses
Aluminum – 6 businesses
Total businesses processing or using post-consumer recycled content in the 11-state region: 142
MassDEP Sustainable Materials Recovery Program Grants (Round 1) Announced
Under the SMRP Recycling Dividends Program (RDP), which recognizes communities for implementing policies and programs that reduce waste and maximize reuse and recycling, 219 towns and cities are receiving $2.9 million in total payments statewide. Individual awards range from $2,100 to $97,500 and help municipalities pay for new recycling carts, public education and outreach, recycling coordinators, collection of difficult-to-recycle items, recycling in municipal buildings, schools, and public spaces and more.
Forty-three municipalities that did not apply or qualify for RDP payments are being awarded a total of $44,000 for SMRP Small-Scale Initiatives Grants. These population-based awards range from $500 to $2,000 each and help communities make modest but critical investments in existing recycling programs or new, low-cost initiatives.
A list of RDP payment and Small Scale-Initiative Grant recipients is available here. Read the full press release.
Of General Interest
WasteExpo Registration 2020 is Now Open - Friends of NERC Save!
You asked for more education, innovation and networking. And WasteExpo is waiting to show you all of this and more. You're always looking for a way to improve your business or department. Whether it's more efficient processes, better equipment or the latest innovations to give you an edge. You'll find everything you need to succeed with 600+ exhibitors, 14,500 of your colleagues, and the most comprehensive education program in the industry. *Discount applies to new registrants only and cannot be combined.
AMERIPEN Seeking Executive Director
AMERIPEN represents the North American packaging value chain by providing public policy makers with fact-based, material-neutral, scientific information. AMERIPEN is the only organization exclusively focused on U.S. public policy for the entire packaging industry. We advocate on behalf of the entire packaging value chain – from material producers, to brand owners, to recycling partners – before state legislatures and collaborate with stakeholders to advance the packaging industry’s public policy objectives. Our mission is to lead the packaging industry through advocacy based on science and enhance understanding of the role packaging plays in a more sustainable society, economy and environment.
Packaging Coalition was thought provoking and sparked lively discussions among the attendees. Mr. Gendell focused on the packaging industry’s journey towards sustainability. The energy continued to flow with the sessions that followed—managing plastics; single use plastics legislation; innovative products, programs, and technology; the Basel plastics decision; the value of plastics; strategies for plastics recycling education; toxics in packaging; and PFAS.
