In This Issue
Upcoming Events
NRC Sustainable Materials Management Summit
May 12 - 13
College Park, MD
BioCycle West Coast Conference
Apr 13 - 16
Portland, OR
More Info
Webinar: Animal Mortality Composting
April 21
1:00 - 2:45pm EST
Register Here
ISRI Annual Convention and Exposition
Apr 21 - 25
Vancouver, BC
More Info
22nd Annual Maine Recycling & Solid Waste Conference & Trade Show
Apr 27 - 28
Northport, ME
More Info
Federation of New York Solid Waste Associations Conference
May 3 - 6
Bolton Landing, NY
Virginia Recycling Association Conference
May 5 - 6
Virginia Beach, VA
National Zero Waste Business Conference
May 5 - 7
Los Angeles, CA
Register Here
Michigan Recycling Coalition Conference
May 5 - 7
Kalamazoo, MI 
WSRA Conference and Trade Show
May 17 - 20
Spokane, WA
Webinar: Carpet Recycling
May 19
1:00 - 2:45pm EDT
Register Here
Association of Oregon Recyclers- Sustainable Oregon
June 3 -5
Bend, Oregon
Register Here
Colorado Association for Recycling Summit
June 7 - 9
Vail, CO
Register Here
Indiana Recycling Coalition Conference
June 8 - 10
Indianapolis, IN
Northeast Recycling Conference & Expo
June 8 - 9
Manchester, NH
Webinar: Vermicomposting
June 16
1:00 - 2:45pm EDT
Register Here
IRA | ILCSWMA | SWAMA Annual Joint Conference ReInvent, ReInvest
June 17 - 19
East Peoria, IL
More Info
PROP Recycling & Organics Conference
June 28 - 31
Harrisburg, PA
More Info
Please Note

All communication, payables and/or receivables should be mailed to the following address ONLY:

 

National Recycling Coalition, Inc.

1220 L Street NW, Suite 100-155

Washington DC 20005

2014-2015 NRC Board

Gary Bilbro, NRC Vice President, NRC Fund Development Chair and NRC Recycling Jobs Task Force Co-Chair
NewGreen Consulting, LLC
North Carolina

Maggie Clarke
Maggie Clarke Environmental
New York

Susan Collins , NRC At-Large Executive Committee Member and NRC Finance Co-Chair
Container Recycling Institute
California

Jeffrey Cooper, NRC Board Chair
AECC
New York

John Frederick
Intermunicipal Relations Committee COG
Pennsylvania

David Juri Freeman
City and County of Denver
Colorado
 

Jack DeBell, NRC Campus Council Chair and Murray J. Fox Trust Fund Co-Chair
University of Colorado Recycling Services
Colorado

Marjie Griek, NRC Vice President and NRC Membership Chair
Colorado Association for Recycling
Colorado

Doug Hill
EcoVision Environmental
Ontario

Mark Lichtenstein, NRC President and CEO
Syracuse University Center for Sustainable Community Solutions
New York

Gary Liss, NRC Secretary and NRC SMM Summit Co-Chair
Gary Liss & Associates
California 

Stephen London , NRC Business Development  Co-Chair
ReCommunity
North Carolina

Fran McPoland,
NRC Vice President and NRC Policy Committee Co-Chair
Paper Recycling Coalition & 100% Recycled Paperboard Alliance
Washington, D.C.

Michelle Minstrel l, NRC At-Large Executive Committee Member , NRC Board Development Chair and NRC Conference  Co-Chair
Waste Management Sustainability Services
Virginia

Maite Quinn
Sims Municipal Recycling/ Sims Metal Management
New Jersey

Julie Rhodes, NRC Treasurer, NRC Finance Co-Chair and NRC SMM Summit Co-Chair
Julie Rhodes Consulting
Indiana

Antonio Rios
Puerto Rico Recycling Coalition
Puerto Rico
 

Will Sagar,
NRC At-Large Executive Committee Member and NRC Business Development  Co-Chair
Southeast Recycling Development Council
North Carolina

Lisa Skumatz, NRC
Awards Chair
Skumatz Economic Research Associates & Econservation Institute
Colorado

Michael E. Van Brunt
Covanta
New Jersey 

Robin Wiener, NRC Recycling Jobs Task Force Co-Chair
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries
Washington, D.C.

Michele Nestor, Ex-officio, ROC Chair
Nestor Resources, Inc.
Pennsylvania

Cliff Case, Ex-officio, Honorary Board Member
Carter, Ledyard & Milburn, LLP
New Yoek

Murray Fox, Ex-officio, Honorary Board Member
i-ROC
Massachusetts 
eNews Staff
NRC eNews Editor

Laura Flagg
NRC Staff Advisor
Lisa Ruggero
March 2015
Featured Board Member: Gary Bilbro
Being Green: It's a Matter of Education

It still amazes me how many people in our beautiful country do not understand the need for "Being Green." For years now, so many in our industry have tried to educate the masses on the importance of being green, recycling, composting, sustainability and all the other synonyms. Maybe it is the wording. Maybe "Green" is not the best way of convincing people to do a better job protecting our environment. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I am sure there are many in our industry that could collectively provide solutions.

 

We have so many ways to reduce or eliminate our personal impact on our environment, but how do we teach the average citizen to "care" about something that they think does not affect them or their family, business, community or planet?

 

One way I believe we can help our industry spread the word about being green is to continue to preach about the success stories and quantify these successes. Telling someone not familiar with environmental concerns about a program that diverted 10,000 tons of waste from being disposed of in a landfill is a great success story for the industry, but means nothing to them.

 

Leading a company that diverts thousands of pounds of food waste a day from being put in a landfill and taken to a composting facility, I stay excited about the benefits to all involved and the overall benefits to the communities which we serve. But when I tell people what we do, some say "so what" and other say, "wow that is great," but collectively, very few realize the benefits to them personally.

 

So, how do we get the message out? Most in this industry continue to work every day to help our communities, our planet and for some, even make a buck doing it. But how do we get the masses behind us? How do we convince that person throwing all of their waste in one trash bag and not recycling or composting, to do the right thing? The answer is education. And I believe the best way to educate is by starting with our younger citizens. Let's start teaching them about the benefits of recycling, reuse and other initiatives. Let's make it habit for them before they learn the bad habits of dealing with their waste items. Let's help our younger folks be the leaders of our industry in the future by teaching them while they are young.

 

For the rest of us, we unfortunately need to make it important to them by making it more costly to do the wrong thing with their waste items than it is to divert them. We as an industry need to start by educating our elected officials so they can make the correct decisions when it comes to voting on initiatives that support recycling and make it harder to dispose of their waste by landfill or incineration.

 

It is sad to think we have to make something so beneficial to all of us a negative. But I know of no better or faster way of reaching out to the citizens of this great land and making them understand the reasons why their current lack of concern will cost all of us a great deal in the long run. I am currently working on several training programs for grade schools, colleges & universities and for business owners. If you think you have a training program that can help us spread the word, please let me know about it. You can email me at garyb@smartrecyclingsc.com.

 

Let's all spread the word. Happy Recycling!

Get Your Seat at the Table: Register for SMM Summit Today!
In less that two months, the National Recycling Coalition will bring together the greatest minds in sustainable materials management, determined to elevate the issues around discards management back to the forefront of national policy. The National Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Summit will be held May 12 and 13 at the University of Maryland, College Park, and those who want to be a part of this historic, first-ever event are encouraged to secure your seat now. Delegates and attendees from a broad spectrum of interests and expertise around waste reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, product stewardship and more, will contribute to the creation of a new, forward-thinking, strategic National SMM Action Plan. Learn more about SMM, and then:
NRC Board Approves New Membership Rates and Benefits!
The NRC Board of Directors approved new membership levels and announced new member benefits at their January meeting. It is a very exciting development which will allow more organizations, communities and businesses to become members of NRC.
 
"Membership is different than our current Affiliation structure," says Marjorie Griek, current membership committee chair.  "With the new direct membership levels, organizations that join receive one membership / one vote and all the NRC benefits of membership (discounts, job postings, Campus Council, a national voice, etc.). The Affiliate structure, which consists mainly of state recycling organizations, allows the Affiliate to pass through those benefits of membership to their member organizations."
 
If your business, government, university or nonprofit is located in a state that isn't part of the Affiliate structure at this time, check out the new member levels here and join the NRC family. You'll become part of a much larger and stronger community, help increase and improve waste reduction and waste diversion, and support sustainable materials management.
Be Part of NRC's Sharing Network!
NRC is expanding its Listserv/Forum to include all NRC members. This will enable all 6,000 members to discuss national issues, talk to your peers online, get questions answered, and find guidance from fellow recyclers.

This is a major step forward for NRC helping to develop a unified, national voice for the recycling community. This Forum will also help
the diverse interests in the recycling community to collaborate and cooperate in solving vital issues and building lasting partnerships.
 
This will provide a tool for NRC members to share educational and information tools and events in support of recycling and sustainable materials management programs.
 
The NRC Members Group will enable members to distribute information on technologies, programs, and best management practices.  It will also help NRC members share information on policies that enhance the role and performance of recycling and sustainable materials management at all levels of government and businesses
 
Join the NRC Members Group here today! 
Resource Recycling Conference 2015
The Resource Recycling Conference is the must-attend conference for the recycling industry's most influential policy leaders, CEOs and government officials.  The conference, now entering its sixth year, is your opportunity to network with clients, prospective partners, vendors and top materials management decision-makers all in one location, saving you precious time and travel expenses.
 
The conference's lineup of education sessions will offer attendees the latest on materials processing trends, tactics to boost diversion rates, legislative talking points, market analysis and much more. 
 
The conference will be held September 28-30 at the Marriott Downtown in Indianapolis.  In conjunction with the Resource Recycling Conference, NRC will host their annual membership meeting. 

Register now at www.rrconference.com!

Improving Collaboration Between Higher Education and the Sustainable Materials Management Industry

The NRC's Campus Council has submitted a white paper to the upcoming Sustainable Materials Management Summit calling on the industry and U.S. Colleges and Universities to work more closely together. Comments on the document are being sought prior to the event in May.

 

Higher education has important roles and responsibilities towards reducing, reusing, recycling, and rethinking materials. Colleges and universities are addressing the climate challenge through better material use- demonstrating leadership in their operations, procurement, curriculum, even career placement.

 

Much more needs to be done, however. Many campus programs fall below national recycling averages and lack basic policies and programs for sustainable materials management. Schools are just beginning to respond to the industry's growing demand for applied research and future leaders. A consensus is building that better collaboration could provide the country with missing benefits. 

 

Some of the recommendations discussed include:

  • Including campus efforts in funding priorities as well as in state and regional conferences;
  • Funding research and development programs to investigate problem materials, improve product design and develop recycling sector innovation;
  • Accrediting coursework and advancing training/certification programs;
  • Supporting local and national scholarships and internship programs.

The white paper, along with access to a short survey to gather comments, is available at the Campus Council website. 

PROP Accredited by NRC's National Standards Certification Board

The Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania (PROP) recently became the third state recycling association to be accredited by the National Recycling Coalition's (NRC) National Standards Certification Board (NSCB) for their sustainable resource management training program.

 

The national standards for sustainable resource management training were established so that state, provincial, regional and topical training programs would be more standardized and complementary.

 

"We are very happy to accredit our third program. We believe that the national standard will enhance and give additional credibility to programs that meet the accreditation criteria," explained NSC Board member Gary Liss.

 

The PROP program was developed in the nineties, so it was necessary for the association to refine their program to meet the national standard. Accreditation Subcommittee member Marie Kruzan was appreciative of PROP's efforts to address all their requirements.  "Each state has been a little different and presented unique review challenges for our subcommittee.  We are confident that the process has been beneficial, in allowing applicants to examine what they are doing and understand if they are addressing sustainable resource management in all parts of their program."

 

PROP, for its part, is delighted to have been recognized.  "We're very happy to have attained accreditation. We hope that it will further enhance our program as well as efforts to increase appreciation of the value of training programs nationally," PROP Certification Committee Chair Joanne Shafer said after receiving official word of accreditation.   

 

NSC Board Chair John Frederick is happy to see the growth of the accredited program list. "We are optimistic that the list of accredited programs will continue to grow and that the growth will encourage even more sharing of resources among programs."

 

The standards were the result of a series of stakeholder discussions over the last half dozen years that began with NRC's State Recycling Organization Council. The Recycling Organizations of North America (RONA) continued the effort during NRC's reorganization and is now under the NRC umbrella again following RONA's consolidation with the NRC.

 

Interested organizations should visit http://nrcrecycles.org/national-standards-certification-board/ for more information.   

 

For additional information contact NSCB Chair John Frederick at jfrederick@ircenvironment.org or 814-942-7472.

Building Capacity for Training and Certification
The NRC's National Standards Certification Board (NSCB) has developed a set of guidelines to certify organizations to train professionals and implement and improve recycling. The Board is  reaching out to state and regional organizations to take advantage of these guidelines and develop training programs for their members.   Organizations and associations that wish to explore the program further are invited to submit letters of interest through June 30.

 

Trained professionals build credibility for our industry, increase safety, open avenues for advocacy and expand participants' professional horizons. Training programs also boost conference attendance and membership in recycling organizations.

 

NRC has developed the structure for a program that each state can build upon. Other accredited state programs have offered to share expertise, mentoring, program development assistance and their class agendas to support growth of new programs.

 

Join states like New Jersey, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania which already have certification programs accredited by the NRC.  Request an information packet at NSCB@NRCrecycles.org

 

For more information about the NRC's National Standards Certification Board, visit http://nrcrecycles.org/national-standards-certification-board/   

Early Bird Ending Soon: 4th Annual USZWBC National Zero Waste Business Conference
On May 5-7, 2015, the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council will host its 4th annual national conference, "The Stars of Zero Waste," in partnership with the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation. The event will provide educational resources, professional training for businesses to start (or complete) their efforts to pursue Zero Waste, and presentations by industry leaders on Zero Waste business operations, economics, policies, and more. Professionals from all sectors (private, public, nonprofit, academia) are invited to gain practical knowledge, explore new business opportunities, and learn how to create healthier, more productive and more efficient businesses. Please visit the USZWBC website for more information including early bird registration, sponsorship opportunities, conference topics and much more.
 
Special offer for NRC network: enter the code " nzwbc15NRC " during registration and a set of 20% off discounted rates will appear!!!  

Register today at   www.uszwbc.org!
USZWBC Zero Waste Business Certification Training
The  U.S. Zero Waste Business Council is offering a course to help businesses get started (or complete) their efforts to pursue Zero Waste and prepare for Zero Waste Business certifications. The 6-hour course provides an overview of the USZWBC Zero Waste Business Scorecard certification system and gives corporate examples of Zero Waste policies and programs that reduce waste and save money. There will be a course April 8, 2015 in Chicago, IL and May 5, 2015 in Los Angeles, CA.

Register today at http://www.uszwbc.org/!
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