Skip to Content

[X] CLOSEMENU

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Executive Director, executive.director@nerc.org
Date: October 12, 2021

NERC Announces its 2021 Environmental Sustainability Leadership Award Winners

The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) has announced its 2021 Environmental Sustainability Leadership Awards. Three outstanding programs received awards, as well as two special recognitions.  NERC’s benefactors also were recognized for their leadership and support.  Each of the winners was selected for its particularly high level of environmental achievement that supports NERCs mission. Awards were presented the winners in the opening session of the NERC Fall Conference:

  • Advisory Member award – Waste Management for recycling food waste at its CORe® facilities and generating green energy
  • Public Sector award – Maryland Green Purchasing Committee for its Conserving Resources and Promoting Recycled Content through its state procurement program
  • Private Sector award - Green Kelly Boards for developing a process for recycling aseptic cartons into a usable product
  • Special Recognition – Earthworm Recycling in recognition of more than 50 years of being a self-supporting non-profit dedicated to the promotion of recycling
  • Special Recognition – The staff of the Northeast Recycling Council for its ongoing dedication to the organization and their achievements in support of NERC
  • NERC Benefactors – Bottle Crusher US, Consumer Technology Association, Panasonic, Samsung, and Waste Management

“This is the fifth year of NERC’s Environmental Sustainability Leadership Awards and, once again, we were impressed by the quality of the projects submitted for consideration and the extensive impact of programs in the region,” commented Megan Pryor, NERC Board Vice President. 

Advisory Member award – Waste Management’s CORe® facilities have the capability to process a wide range of organic material, varying from clean source separated organics, to packaged food.  Once the organic slurry product is produced, it is transported to a wastewater treatment plant where it is introduced into their anaerobic digestors to increase the production of renewable biogas.  There are three facilities in the NERC region: Elizabeth, New Jersey; New York City; and Boston, Massachusetts. As an example, since its launch date in 2018, the New Jersey facility has diverted over 52,000 tons of food waste.  

Public Sector award – The Maryland Green Purchasing Committee is a leader in sustainable procurement in the public sector. Established in 2010 by the Green Maryland Act, the program is administered by the Maryland Department of General Services. Unique to Maryland, this inter-agency Committee develops tools, best practices, training programs, and approves environmentally preferable specifications for State agencies to adopt. As a result of this initiative and subsequent state agency actions, in fiscal year 2021 there were

1,860,992 lbs of recycled content purchases. These purchases resulted in a cost savings of $821,179 and a greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 158,159 Metric Tons of CO2e

Private Sector award - Green Kelly Boards was recognized for its innovative process for taking aseptic cartons (grade #52), such as milk and juice cartons, from MRFs, and manufacturing a cover board used in commercial roofing. This board, made 100% of recycled material, can be used as a sound, fire, air or vapor barrier.  In the last quarter of 2020, Kelly Green Board processed 606,000 pounds of cartons from MRFs in the Northeast.

NERC also commends the outstanding environmental contributions of its Benefactors. Recognized this year are:

  • Consumer Technology Association
  • Can Crusher US
  • Coca-Cola
  • Panasonic  
  • Samsung
  • Waste Management

NERC is incredibly grateful for the participation and guidance provided by these Benefactors, and proud to have such leadership organizations supporting our initiatives.