NERC in the News
2023
December
America's Recycling Discussion Heats Up: November's Top Recycling and Organics Stories. $169.75 per ton. That was the average value of northeastern MRF recyclables this Spring. When the Northeast Recycling Council started reporting the average value, in the second quarter of 2019, it was only $45.13 a ton. Then it went down $10 a ton, plodded along for a year and took off. In the third quarter of 2021, the value peaked at $175.95. NERC’s 2022 third quarter report will definitely be lower.
Springfield MRF Advisory Board receives 2023 MassRecycle Award for Outstanding Institution. Professional Recycling Videos: Collaborating with The Rendon Group and Reelife Productions to produce informative and engaging videos on recycling topics, garnering over 20,000 views since their release in January 2023. Remarkably, these videos have received recognition from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Northeast Recycling Council.
November
NERC: Fiber makes up greater share of tons. The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) recently published data on the average composition of curbside recycling bales from several northeastern U.S. MRFs in 2022. The data was included in a quarterly recyclables pricing survey published by the group.
NERC event highlights 3 trends to watch in EPR implementation. During the Northeast Recycling Council’s fall conference in Providence, Rhode Island, speakers from around the country talked through some of these emerging topics. Here are a few highlights from in-depth discussions that happened during sessions on Nov. 1.
September
Biden administration backing changes to mining act. The electronics recycler is urging state agencies and groups “to recognize that raw material subsidies are our biggest enemy,” and lists state environmental agencies and trade groups in his region such as the New Hampshire-based Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA) and the Vermont-based Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) “to explain to recyclers that we have a huge interest in this.”
Glass recycling on Long Island hampered by hodgepodge approach, limited uses, experts say. A July 12 report by the nonprofit Northeast Recycling Council said states from
Maine to Pennsylvania, including New York, commonly pick up glass together with other material. The result, the report said, is that glass is used to cover landfills because it's too dirty to be useful in manufacturing.Vermont's Unique Approach to Recycling: Should Other States Follow Suit?. A study by the Northeast Recycling Council suggests that recycling and composting activities added $13 million in wages and contributed nearly $33 million to the state's GDP in a single year.
Booming Demand for Collation Shrink Films: United States & Canada Market Set to Reach US$ 1,451.1 million by 2030. As per the research conducted by NORTHEAST Recycling Council (NERC), a non-profit organization, the recycled plastic processing capacity in North America has rapidly increased since 2017. This report showed that a total of 15 new and 10 expanding facilities are established in 2017 that will process plastic.
August
Elevating equity. Taking place in early April, The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) Spring 2023 Conference: Building a Diverse Workforce for Sustainable Materials Management featured a variety of speakers giving advice on how to build – and keep – a diverse workforce.
NERC’s Glass Committee releases report on postconsumer glass used as ADC.
Data collection for this report began in February this year, with NERC’s Assistant Director & Event Organizer Mary Ann Remolador leading the outreach, interpretation and drafting efforts. “One of the things we became acutely aware of is that states across the board may or may not be monitoring the use of glass for ADC, and we were not aware of that before doing this,” Remolador says. “In many cases, states are not requiring the MRFs to report where they are sending the glass that comes out of their facility."NERC’s Glass Committee releases report on postconsumer glass used as ADC. The Northeast Recycling Council’s (NERC) Glass Committee has released a report titled “Recycled Glass Used as Alternative Daily Cover in the Northeast US & Quebec.” The report identifies a shortage of beneficiation facilities in the region to clean and process glass, making it necessary for material recovery facilities (MRFs) to send their separated postconsumer glass to landfills for use as ADC.
New England state imposes food scraps disposal ban. The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) noted that affected entities are likely to include supermarkets; food manufacturers, processors and distributors; hotels and resorts; hospitals, colleges and universities; and prisons.
News from California, Schnitzer Steel and more. The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) hired Sophie Leone and Mariane Medeiros and closed its physical offices in Vermont, transitioning to a fully remote operation.
July
Glass Packaging Institute responds to recycling report. A recent report published by the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) showed the majority of food and beverage container glass collected in single stream recycling programmes in the Northeast region of the U.S. and the province of Quebec are used for alternative daily cover (ADC) at landfills.
Study suggests glass widely used as ADC in Northeast. A recent report from the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) explored the use of crushed glass bottle and jar scrap as alternative daily cover (ADC), which is a layer of material placed on top of landfills at the end of each day to help keep pests away from putrescible material, reduce odors and prevent garbage from blowing away.
MRF glass used as alternative daily cover. NERC has released a report that reveals data about post-consumer recycled glass containers being used at landfills in the Northeast states.
What happens to the glass containers you think you’re recycling. NERC report says that in Massachusetts, and most other states in the northeast, glass processed at recycling facilities is instead being used atop landfills to weigh down trash or as fill in construction projects.
June
United States & Canada Collation Shrink Films Market is projected to reach US$ 1,451.1 million by 2030. As per the research conducted by NORTHEAST Recycling Council (NECR), a non-profit organization, the recycled plastic processing capacity in North America has rapidly increased since 2017.
NERC: Bale values showed small decline in Q1. Recyclables prices in the Northeast slipped slightly during the first quarter, according to a MRF survey.
May
Panelists: Bottle bills, EPR can coexist. NERC hosts a webinar called “EPR for Packaging and Bottle Bill Programs: How Can They Coexist?”.
How bottle bill, EPR programs work together. A NERC, NEWMOA webinar explores the potential effectiveness of a national bottle bill program.
April
Northeast Recycling Council’s Commodities Market Development Journey. NERC leaders Megan Fontes, executive director and Mary Ann Remolador, assistant director, discuss the organization’s work in recycled commodities markets.
Webinar: Building diversity means culture shifts. NERC's Spring Conference focused on diversity in the workplace.
Northeast Recycling Council’s Virtual Spring Conference: Focusing on a Diverse Workforce. NERC's Spring 2023 Conference is profiled.
Diverse waste and recycling workplaces should include younger workers: NERC. Waste Dive covers Day 1 of NERC's recent conference on DEI issues.
March
NERC to host workforce-focused conference. NERC's upcoming conference, April 3-4, is titled “Building a Diverse Workforce.”
Cheryl Coleman of ISRI to Deliver Keynote Address at Northeast Recycling Council Spring Conference. NERC's virtual Spring Conference will be held April 2-3, 2023.
Blended average prices continued to fall in Q4. NERC updates its quarterly Recycling Markets report.
Northeast Recycling Council Spring Conference: Meet the Speakers. NERC's Spring Conference will convene individuals across the material management value chain to discuss approaches to diversifying staff.
February
NERC revises Glass Minimum Postconsumer Recycled Content Model Legislation. The model legislation is intended to be used as a starting point for creating legislation that would require the use of postconsumer cullet.
NERC Releases Revised Model Glass Minimum Post-Consumer Recycled Content Legislation. The primary revision to the Model Legislation includes a concept of a credit towards the post-consumer recycled content requirement for products manufactured and/or sold by glass bottle and fiberglass manufacturers in a given year.
NERC Releases Revised Model Glass Minimum Post-Consumer Recycled Content Legislation. “The revisions to the Model Legislation provide greater flexibility for policymakers looking at available markets and glass manufacturing activity, and will allow glass recycling to move forward based on what works best in a given region or specific state."
January
Nexus Circular Agrees to $150M Equity Raise. NERC invites public comments last year on its model legislation for minimum recycled post-consumer plastic requirements.
Experts tout the benefits of recycled glass pozzolans. NERC hosts a webinar covering the recycling of MRF glass into pozzolans, which are a partial replacement for cement used in concrete.
