October 2023
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
Advisory Member Spotlight
New & Renewing Members
- Keurig Dr. Pepper
- Glass Packaging Institute *New
- EarthBio Technologies *New
Upcoming Events
- 2023 Annual Fall Conference
- November 1 - 2
State Updates
- Maryland The City of Baltimore received $4M from the EPA SWIFR community grant to establish a city operated composting facility.
- Massachusetts DEP presents Reduce, Reuse, Recycle-Palooza 2023 and their new Recycling Quiz. MassDEP is also hiring!
- New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Waste Management Division is releasing a draft of proposed changes to Landfill Requirements.
- Vermont The Vermont Paint Stewardship Program Plan submitted by PaintCare has been approved.
Advisory Member News
- AMP Robotics hosted the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Producer Responsibility Advisory Board for a meeting and tour of its engineering lab.
- Casella is celebrating the one year of TerraCycyle Pouch by Casella.
- City of Salem Massachusetts hosted their Fall 2023 Free Book Swap & TerraCycle Recycling Event.
- Eco-Products is launching CIRC - Controls Intended to Remove Contamination.
- Good point Recycling efforts to support reform of the General Mining Act of 1872 was discussed in Recycling Today.
- GreenBlue will be holding their Virtual Summit on November 2.
- Recourse Recycling Systems has updates on Accelerating Circularity, An Elevated Grant Program, and Washington Circular Resilience Map.
- Sustainable Packaging Coalition will be having their SPC Engage event in London, UK December 6-7.
- Tetra Tech designed a zero-waste program plan for the City of Somerville.
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign held its first tailgate recycling event.
ADVISORY MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
NERC enthusiastically welcomes the Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) to its growing roster of Sustaining Advisory Members. According to GPI President Scott DeFife, “We are the national trade association representing glass container manufacturers, glass recyclers and their supply chain partners in North America.” The positive impact of GPI’s membership has been felt quickly, as DeFife commented on the Glass Committee’s most recent report, which found that three-quarters of Northeast states use recycled glass as Alternative Daily Cover (ADC), instead of being used to manufacture new products. Continue reading.
NEW & RENEWING MEMBERs
Membership is key to Northeast Recycling Council's regional and national commitment to circularity and sustainable materials management. For more information about NERC's Advisory Member program, please visit Nerc.org/Advisory-Members/What-Is-A-NERC-Advisory-Member and view our Advisory Membership Brochure.
Thank you to the following members for their support. We appreciate your commitment to Northeast Recycling Council and its mission.
Sustaining Members
Supporting Members
UPCOMING NERC EVENTS
A Resourceful Future for Sustainable Materials Management
NERC’s 2023 Annual Fall Conference
November 1 - 2
The Conference provides an opportunity for government and industry to discuss critical and timely issues related to advancing a circular economy. This year, the event will take place in Providence, RI. Topics to be discussed include Product Stewardship and EPR Programs, Media Literacy, New Approaches to Recycling Market Development, and more. Learn more.
State News
Maryland
The City of Baltimore received $4M from the EPA SWIFR community grant to establish a city operated composting facility with capacity to divert 12,000 tons of organic materials annually. This facility will aid in achieving stronger recycling rates for the City, aid in meeting the mandated state recycling rate and compliment Baltimore's Solid Waste Management Plan and Sustainable Action Plan.
Maryland Department of the Environment was awarded the EPA SWIFR state grant to generate planning opportunities for organics infrastructure that include public input. MDE will also be analyzing sustainable and equitable education needs for workforce development in the organics sector. MDE will also be analyzing the infrastructure necessary to increase recycling market development and reuse markets within the state.
The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has selected Circular Action Alliance (CAA) to represent producer interests and serve as the nonprofit Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) on the State Producer Responsibility Advisory Council established under Senate Bill 0222, an Extender Producer Responsibility (EPR) law enacted in May 2023.
The Statewide Recycling Needs Assessment and Producer Responsibility for Packaging Materials Act requires an assessment of the state’s recycling infrastructure and the appointment of members to an Advisory Council, who will develop and present recommendations for establishing and implementing an EPR plan for packaging materials to the Governor by December 1, 2024.
Read the full press release here.
Massachusetts
MassDEP Presents: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle-Palooza 2023: It’s time to celebrate Reduce, Reuse, Recycle-Palooza, in honor of America Recycles day! The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is excited to bring you a new batch of informative content we think you’ll enjoy, all month long. From the popular “Ask Me Anything About Recycling in MA” webinar, to local stories on reuse and repair, there’s something for everyone. Sign up for the Recycle Smart MA newsletter to receive registration information at the end of this month. Help us spread the word by sharing this information with your communities and networks!
MassDEP Announces New Recycling Quiz: The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is excited to announce that Recycle Smart MA has developed and posted a new recycling quiz. The new quiz is set to challenge residents across the state to test their recycling knowledge based on educational tools and resources available on the Recycle Smart MA website. With questions on recycling rules and best practices, and context provided to explain a correct or incorrect response, the quiz serves as an additional resource for residents to learn more about recycling in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is hiring!
This includes positions focused on waste ban compliance and Recycling Market Development. These listings are a unique opportunity to join our growing team as we ramp up implementation of our 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan. Please note that these positions were posted on October 13, so it is important to complete and submit your application by October 27, 2023, to ensure that your application is considered.
Environmental Analyst IV, Boston
https://massanf.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=23000B51
Environmental Analyst III, Boston
https://massanf.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=23000B57
Environmental Analyst III, Boston
https://massanf.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=23000B5F
New Hampshire
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Waste Management Division (NHDES) is releasing a draft of proposed changes to Chapter Env-Sw 800, Landfill Requirements, of the NH Solid Waste Rules to request public comment. This public comment period is not required by rule or law and is being held in advance of the formal rulemaking process to provide an additional opportunity for the public to comment on a draft of the proposed changes to the rules in Chapter Env-Sw 800, Landfill Requirements. Please note that these draft rules are being released in advance of legal review. Proposed changes to any rule, whether by NHDES or in response to public comment, are reviewed by the NHDES Legal Unit before formal rulemaking begins.
Comments may be submitted in writing to NHDES at any time before November 7, 2023, at 4:00 PM. For a copy of the proposed rule changes and additional information, including where to submit comments, see the notice of informal public comment period.
Vermont
The Vermont Paint Stewardship Program Plan submitted by PaintCare has been approved. Please see the Approved Paint Stewardship Program Plan, the Agency Approval Letter and the Public Comment Period Responsiveness Summary below and also posted on the paint program web page.
- Final Vermont Paint Stewardship Program Plan (PDF) updated October 16, 2023
- ANR Approval Letter for Paint Stewardship Plan October 16, 2023
Please note the Plan begins upon approval and is approved for 3 years as noted in the approval letter.
The details of the Agency’s approval are outlined in the approval letter including the Stewardship Assessment Fee increase which will take effect on April 1, 2024.
Advisory Member News
AMP hosted the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Producer Responsibility Advisory Board for a meeting and tour of its engineering lab to show how AI and advanced technology are reshaping the industry through the increasing use of data to improve operations, support reporting and compliance with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs and achieve sustainability targets. The Board includes stakeholders from local municipalities, waste management businesses, packaging producers, and consumer goods companies, and is responsible for implementing EPR and overseeing the Producer Responsibility Organization managing the statewide recycling system in the future.
Casella celebrates One Year of TerraCycle Pouch by Casella. To help their customers meet their recycling and sustainability goals, they will occasionally invite them to try something new with them. Nearly one year ago, Casella reached out to Vermonters in and around Burlington with one such invitation to innovate: a new program called TerraCycle Pouch by Casella. TerraCycle Pouch is a convenient curbside recycling service for 20 categories of items that do not belong in your curbside recycling bin. The list includes packaging items such as plastic bags, Styrofoam™, and padded mailers, as well as durable goods like worn-out clothing, shoes, and sports gear. Read more here.
City of Salem Massachusetts held its Fall 2023 Free Book Swap & TerraCycle 
Recycling Event on Saturday September 23rd. This bi-annual event accepts books, CD’s, DVD’s, record albums, puzzles, greeting cards, and reusable bags. Attendees also are encouraged to drop off their TerraCycle collections ranging from food storage containers to oral care (including toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, and floss containers). Once a month, a group of SalemRecycles Committee members along with many dedicated volunteers meet to package these hard-to-recycle materials and ship the boxes to the TerraCycle facility to be sorted and recycled. At the end of the Book Swap event, Discover Books collected 2,954 pounds of books that will be reused or recycled! All reusable and paper bags were taken to the Salem Pantry who provides the North Shore with convenient access to fresh, free, healthy food. This event welcomes all to donate, volunteer and attend!
Eco-Products is excited to launch CIRC – Controls Intended to Remove Contamination, an open-source tool addressing contamination in the organics waste stream, an issue that has plagued commercial composting. Reach out to Eco-Products if you want to get involved in any of the following ways:
- Can your organization help get the word out through newsletters, webinars, or other communication channels?
- Do you know of any operators / generators, composters, haulers, or others that would be a good fit for CIRC? Are you yourself interested?
- Would your organization consider being listed on the Eco-Products website as a thought partner / supporter of what they are trying to do with CIRC? This might help accelerate adoption, particularly in the early stages before we have use cases to point to.
Good Point Recycling is supporting reform of the General Mining Act of 1872 (Biden announced plans to reform it on last years 150th anniversary). Read more about their efforts in the Recycling Today article.
GreenBlue's How2Recycle members are invited to join them on November 2
for their 2023 Virtual Summit! Tune in from 11-3 EST for a bounty of informative content. How2Recycle continues to evolve to meet our mission of eliminating consumer confusion and driving responsible packaging design to improve the quality of recycled materials. Join the How2Recycle team and members for an informative day of learning, discussion, and looking towards the future. Register here!
Resource Recycling Systems is pleased to share that Colorado’s Front Range Waste Diversion enterprise board is now offering a Technical Assistance Service Provider (TASP) program to create a pathway for Colorado communities to quickly access “no-cost” technical consulting and help the state meet its waste diversion goals. Read more about the grant program.
Also, see how Washington is demonstrating areas with both high levels of environmental risk and threats to resilience across the state, in urban, suburban, and rural areas, in each geographic region, and in every county through their Circular Resilience Map.
How does NextCycle work to accelerate solutions that address the role of plastics in a growing circular economy? Find out here.
Sustainable Packaging Coalition is holding its Engage event this December
in London. SPC Engage 2023 will be centered around the work spearheaded by retailers to move goals and commitments into action. Delivering on sustainability has moved to the top of the agenda for retailers. Expectations from consumers, investors, regulators, and other stakeholders are high, but we need to aim higher. Learn more and register.
Tetra Tech designed a zero waste program plan (Plan) to assist the City of Somerville with its waste diversion goals, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction initiatives, and integration of solid waste management programs into climate change mitigation efforts. The Plan provided the City with recommendations for specific actions to build a zero waste future and achieve community climate goals.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign held its first tailgate recycling event on September 23, where volunteers helped collect 1,000 lbs of recyclables (bottles and cans) from tailgaters! A second event will be held on Nov 11. These two events are a part of a pilot program to create a consistent, comprehensive tailgate recycling program during football season.