University of Massachusetts Lowell

Sophie Leone • January 22, 2024

We are pleased to welcome University of Massachusetts Lowell as a new Supporting Advisory Member to the Northeast Recycling Council

The latest addition to NERC’s roster of Advisory Members from the world of academia is University of Massachusetts Lowell. Its Office of Sustainability, first opened in January 2015, “provides the UMass Lowell community with essential and centralized support services which integrate, communicate, and promote sustainable opportunities that contribute to the pursuit of carbon neutrality.”


The Office’s accomplishments are several:

  • In 2021, UMass Lowell maintained its high ranking in Sierra magazine’s 15th annual Cool Schools ranking of North America’s greenest colleges and universities.
  • In 2020, UMass Lowell was named “Innovator of the Year” at the Casella Sustainability Leadership Awards for the new and creative ways that the university sustains resources and diverts waste destined for landfills.
  • In 2019, UMass Lowell was rated in the top schools for sustainability out of over 2,000 that The Princeton Review considered.
  • Also in 2019, UMass Lowell was recognized as a top performer for its campus sustainability program in the AASHE’s 2019 Sustainable Campus Index.


In fact, UMass Lowell's initial sustainability efforts began in 1989 with the launch of a recycling program. The University’s well-developed Recycling & Waste Diversion programs reduce solid waste and increase recycling efforts across all corners of campus.


The programs’ notable successes include:


UMass Lowell uses a self-service request system called CAMIS to process and review specialized recycling work orders in a timely and efficient manner. Participants can access the system for:

  •  Pickup/disposal of electronics, furniture, toner and ink cartridges, light bulbs, computer accessories, small appliances, and other miscellaneous items
  • Recycle or Shred Bin Replacements
  • Other Environmental Health & Safety Requests


Another exciting development in the University’s sustainability efforts is its Innovation Hub, a co-working space offering work and laboratory space and access to office resources in the short term, rather than long-term, expensive business leases. Earlier in 2023, the Hub launched its inaugural Clean Green Challenge, a pitch contest for entrepreneurs and startups from across the region focused on sustainability. A UMass Lowell research team placed third out of five teams with a plan to develop technology that will help recycle battery materials such as lithium, nickel and cobalt more efficiently.


Assoc. Prof. of Management Scott Latham, who emceed the event, said, “You hear a lot about artificial intelligence, but by 2025, climate technology investments by corporations will be between $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion, while AI will be only $1 trillion. You can’t overstate how important this cluster is going to be for the commonwealth, and we’re playing a big role here at UMass Lowell.”


Assoc. Vice Chancellor Arlene Parquette added, “We’ve always had a thriving community of startup companies and innovators, but we’re really pivoting now and focusing our efforts on sustainability.”


NERC looks forward to fruitful collaborations with UMass Lowell, not only in its pivot to a sustainability focus at the Hub, but in the further development of sustainability-focused programs throughout the campus and beyond.

 

For more information about UMass Lowell click here

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Maryland webinar gives tips on countering misinformation

By Antoinette Smith • April 1, 2025
In recent years, the recycling industry has seen negative media coverage that has not only perpetuated myths but also contributed to public mistrust of collection and recycling – and ultimately could be contributing to lower collection rates. To help counteract the misinformation, the Maryland Recycling Network presented a March 27 webinar featuring Gretchen Carey, president at MassRecycle, and Chaz Miller of Miller Recycling Associates. Misinformation about recycling was merely “background noise” to Carey until October 2022, when Greenpeace published a scathing report about the failings of plastic recycling. Soon NPR and The Boston Globe picked up the story and compounded the issue with statements like “not even plastic water bottles are recyclable,” Carey said, calling this “a patent lie.” Carey and her colleagues were “crushed,” but after overcoming her initial anger, she reached out to NPR and the Globe to rebut the story. She also tried to get other local publications to publish her written response to the negative coverage but was rebuffed. Seeing that these efforts weren’t going far, MassRecycle invited members of the media and the general public on MRF tours at several sites in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Providing real-time evidence of recycling infrastructure helped industry outsiders step out of the echo chamber and hear a contrasting perspective, Carey said in the webinar. “You can talk the game, but them seeing for themselves is the important part,” she explained. During the tours, the public attendees learned that throwing away recyclables deprives the community of valuable commodities, she said, and that state guidelines restrict what can be put in the landfill. Carey added that the tours brought home the message by explaining that recycled materials need a consistent end market to justify collection and processing. For example, Ardagh closed its glass bottling facility in Massachusetts in 2018. The closure eliminated a key end market for recycled glass and caused collector Strategic Materials to stop taking local recovered glass. Local MRFs subsequently lost that revenue stream. When residents don’t trust recycling infrastructure, they put fewer items in their curbside bins, and ultimately paper, metals and glass wind up as collateral damage, Miller said. So it’s vital to make sure the public knows where their recyclables and that end markets exist to use these materials. Read the full article.

City of Laurel

By Sophie Leone • March 26, 2025
The City of Laurel, Maryland, established in 1870, has a deep and rich history within the state. Its long-standing independence and stability have fostered a strong sense of community, providing residents with valuable resources and support. Laurel is deeply committed to sustainability, embedding green initiatives into its core values, creating a Sustainability Division and completing the City’s first Sustainability Plan as one of many ways to support a sustainable Laurel community. The city’s mission is guided by four foundational pillars: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership. Laurel defines sustainability as “meeting the environmental, social, and economic needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” Residents can engage with their community in numerous ways, including joining local clubs, participating in municipal committees, and taking part in community surveys. The city also hosts in-person events such as parades, farmers markets, and sustainability initiatives, further strengthening community bonds. To make waste management, recycling and organics recycling more accessible, Laurel provides detailed information on its dedicated Green Living Resource page found on the City’s website and partners with Recycle Coach, an app that helps residents easily access tailored information on residential collections, recycling and organics recycling. The Recycle Coach app also notifies residents of changes to their service days and special sustainability events. The City of Laurel continues to lead by example in sustainability and community engagement. As environmentalist Wendell Berry once said, “The Earth is what we all have in common.” Laurel’s dedication to green living ensures that future generations will inherit a thriving, sustainable community. NERC is thrilled to welcome the City of Laurel to our growing list of municipality members. We look forward to working with them to help advance our collective missions in safeguarding the planet. For more information on the City of Laurel visit.

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