In This Issue
Upcoming Events
Iowa Recycling and Solid Waste Management Conference 
Oct 6 - 8
Cedar Rapids, IA
More Info
State of Texas Alliance for Recycling Summit 
Oct 6 - 8
Arlington, TX
More Info
SXSW ECO
Oct 6 - 8
Austin, TX
RAM SWANA Conference
Oct 8 - 9
Bloominton, MN
More Info
Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference
Oct 8 - 10
Chicago, IL
More Info
Oklahoma Recycling Association Conference
Oct 9
Edmond, OK
More Info
AOR & SWANA Ohio Buckeye Chapter Conference
Oct 20 - 21
Oregon, OH
More Info
E-Scrap 2014
Oct 21 - 23
Orlando, FL
Asphalt Shingle Recycling Webinar
Oct 21
1:30-2:45pm EDT
ReuseConex 2014
Oct 23 - 25
Austin, TX
Mississippi Recycling Coalition Conference
Oct 28
Jackson, MS
More Info
New York State Recycling Conference
Nov 5 - 7
Cooperstown, NY
NERC Fall Conference
Nov 6 - 7
Amherst, MA
Register Here
International Computer Refurbisher Summit
Nov 10 - 12
Denver, CO
SERDC Recycling Summit
Nov 11 - 13
Point Clear, AL
Renewable Energy from Waste Conference
Nov 17 - 20
San Jose, CA
Mattress Recycling Webinar
Nov 18
1:30 - 2:45pm EDT
Register Here
Recycling Markets Development Summit- Plastics Symposium
Dec 4
Harrisburg, PA
Carton Recycling Webinar
Dec 16
1:30 - 2:45pm EDT

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
NewGreen Consulting, LLC
North Carolina

Maggie Clarke
Maggie Clarke Environmental
New York

Susan Collins
Container Recycling Institute
California

Jeffrey Cooper, NRC Board Chair
Cioti Enterprises
New York

John Frederick
Intermunicipal Relations Committee COG
Pennsylvania

David Juri Freeman
City and County of Denver
Colorado
 

Jack DeBell, NRC Campus Council Chair
University of Colorado Recycling Services
Colorado

Marjie Griek, NRC Executive Committee At-Large
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 Executive Committee At-Large
Gary Liss & Associates
California 

Stephen London
ReCommunity
North Carolina

Fran McPoland,
NRC Executive Committee At-Large
Paper Recycling Coalition & 100% Recycled Paperboard Alliance
Washington, D.C.

Michelle Minstrell, NRC Secretary
Waste Management Sustainability Services
Virginia

Maite Quinn
Sims Municipal Recycling/ Sims Metal Management
New Jersey

Julie Rhodes
Julie Rhodes Consulting
Indiana

Antonio Rios
Puerto Rico Recycling Coalition
Puerto Rico
 

Will Sagar
Southeast Recycling Development Council
North Carolina

Lisa Skumatz
Skumatz Economic Research Associates & Econservation Institute
Colorado

Michael E. Van Brunt
Covanta
New Jersey 

Robin Wiener
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 and
Staff Lead
Lisa Ruggero
NRC eNews Staff

Laura Flagg
October 2014
President's Report

Dear NRC Members,

 

Mark L

The NRC is assertively and confidently moving through its fifth year of rebirth (referring to the reorganization we faced during 2009-2010). Last year was a very important year for us:

  • We officially moved from a debt to surplus position;
  • The Recycling Organizations of North America (RONA), their inspirational leaders, and their critically acclaimed programs consolidated with the NRC; and
  • We once again regained a place on the mantle for essential advocacy dialogue and decisions regarding issues important to our "industry" (including redefining "recycling" with the assistance of author Bill McDonough of Cradle 2 Cradle fame-see story below).

Moving forward, NRC leadership recognizes how important it is to have a targeted agenda for the coming year. To that end, we will focus on the following four strategic areas:

  1. Clarifying and promoting the economic case for recycling and sustainable materials management;
  2. Expanding NRC's National Standards Certification Efforts and associated recycling jobs initiative (promoting the creation of new jobs, as well as the retention of existing jobs);
  3. Hosting a National Sustainable Materials Management Summit with the goal to develop a succinct action-plan intended to accelerate SMM strategies across the continent; and
  4. Facilitating important policy deliberations and positions, and developing an associated advocacy action plan (this includes issues such as single-bin / mixed-materials processing, the right mix of market-based and policy-based solutions, innovative and new infrastructure financing schemes, and others).

Clearly, there are other things the NRC does that will continue to be important, such as supporting the state- and regional-level recycling organizations, and the NRC's Recycling Organization Council (ROC); our very active Campus Council; the Murray J. Fox Recycling Scholarships, and renewed NRC Awards Program; and others. Nevertheless, the NRC will align most of its resources with its four strategic initiatives, and these priorities will permeate through our organization, from how we organize our board agenda, to budget priorities.

 

Let me end by thanking our outgoing board members Mick Barry, Dan Hagan, Jim Hanna, Brian Hawkinson, Bob Hollis, Jeff Miller, Meg Morris, and Michele Nestor. Words alone cannot describe the debt of gratitude we owe these people, many leading this organization since those challenging days in 2010! I'd also like to welcome our incoming board members (see the story below). Maia Corbitt, outgoing ROC Chair also deserves our sincere appreciation. She is a stalwart supporter of ROs, and as such, we won't let her go far! In addition, join me in welcoming the new ROC leaders (again, see story below).

 

I firmly believe that our efforts in the four strategic areas noted above will help lead to a reduction in discarded material produced, and more recovery of material across North America. For us, that's what it is all about. Won't you join with us on this worthy endeavor?

 

Sincerely yours,

Mark Lichtenstein

President & CEO 

NRC Adopts Updated Recycling Definition

   

The NRC Board of Directors met at the 2014 ResourceRecycling Conference in New Orleans, LA, and discussed the organization's definition of recycling to ensure that it remains relevant within the ever-changing recycling "industry." Special guest, Bill McDonough (author of the popular book, Cradle2Cradle) joined the Board for the lively and insightful discussion after his inspiring keynote presentation. After excellent dialogue, the updated definition of recycling adopted by NRC is:

"Recycling is a series of activities by which material that has reached the end of its current use is processed into material utilized in the production of new products." 

The definition is a section of a larger policy document that is still being finalized by the Policy Committee and will be released soon. You can access any updates about the recycling definition and policy committee decisions on our news page here

NRC to Host National Summit in D.C. this Spring
Purpose: Accelerate SMM across North America!
Plan now to join the NRC and its partner, the Syracuse University Center for Sustainable Community Solutions, for a one-day policy summit focused on the sustainable management of discarded materials in the United States. The Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Summit, to be held in the Washington D.C. area in late Spring of 2015, aims to enrich the value and role of SMM initiatives in communities across the United States. Its ultimate goal will be to assist in the adoption of SMM as a method of choice for managing discarded materials. NRC will facilitate a dialogue among participants to reach deeper connections for actions and activities in the future. The key to this Summit will be the development of action-oriented strategies intended to promote SMM throughout North America.  

"The NRC views this SMM Summit as a critical step in engaging policy-makers and experts to accelerate SMM as the priority strategy for how to sustainably manage materials in the future," said Mark Lichtenstein, NRC President. "There has never been a more important time to discuss issues around discard reduction, reuse, recycling, composting and other sustainable management options than right now, when we are seeing reduction and recovery rates fairly flat-lined."

A committee of the NRC Board, led by board member Gary Liss, is meeting monthly and working with an Advisory Committee and state and regional recycling organizations to ensure a broad spectrum of perspectives and considerations in the summit development. The NRC expects approximately 200 participants representing  key stakeholders from federal, regional, state and local governments, recycling organizations and other nonprofits, trade and industry groups, and progressive businesses.

NRC is offering supporter opportunities at various levels to assist in the funding of this important policy forum.  Those interested in providing financial support and receiving recognition can contact Gary Liss at gary@garyliss.com or call (916) 652-7850.  Those interested in attending the event should keep an eye out for more details about the dates and location to be announced soon.
Congratulations to the New NRC Board Members!



David Juri Freeman, Recycling Program Manager,
City and County of Denver



Doug Hill, President,
EcoVision Environmental



Antonio Rios, President,
Puerto Rico Recycling Coalition



Michael E. Van Brunt, Director of Sustainability,
Covanta

New officers will be elected at the next NRC Board meeting, October 29th in New York City.
Congratulations to the New ROC Officers!



Michele Nestor, Chair (Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania)



Tim Lee, Vice Chair (Virginia Recycling Association)



Kerrin O'Brien, Secretary (Michigan Recycling Coalition)



Carrie Hamilton, At-Large (Indiana Recycling Coalition



Marie Kruzan, At-Large (Association of New Jersey Recyclers) (Photo not available)

Murray Fox Scholarship Winners
Since 1996, the Murray J. Fox Scholarship Trust Fund has awarded scholarships to more than 35 college students who planned to study in fields related to recycling and waste prevention. This year, four Tulane University students were selected to each receive $1,500 scholarships towards their educational expenses. Congratulations to Anne Bevis, Alissa Bilfield, Jamie Garuti and Cheyenne Lignon!


NRC Awards Winners

At a special luncheon at the Resource Recycling Conference in New Orleans, the National Recycling Coalition announced seven winners of their National Awards - honoring counties, companies, organizations, and individuals that led recycling across North America. Congratulations to those that received these awards!

  • Outstanding Recycling Community or Government Program:  Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency in New York, accepted by Andrew Radin.
  • Outstanding Business Leadership - For-Profit Business:  Emerge Knowledge - Re-TRAC Connect, accepted by CEO Rick Penner.
  • Outstanding Business Leadership - Non-Profit Business:  Call2Recycle, Inc.
  • Outstanding Recycling Organization: Indiana Recycling Coalition, accepted by Executive Director Carey Hamilton.
  • Outstanding Higher Education Award:  The Pennsylvania State University, accepted by Alex Novak
  • Bill Heenan Emerging Leader Award: Brandie Sebastian, Steel Recycling Institute.
  • Lifetime Achievement Award: Gregory L. Crawford, Steel Recycling Institute.

 

(Rick Penner, Andrew Radin, Carey Hamilton, and Gregory L. Crawford after the ceremony. Not pictured: Alex Novak and Brandie Sebastian) 

Recycling Jobs
Gary A. Bilbro
NRC Board Member,
NRC Recycling Jobs Task Force Co-chair, and Fund Development Chair
SMART Recycling of South Carolina, President 

A friend of mine recently asked me how I got into the business of recycling. He followed that with a statement that amazed me. He said I was the only person he knew that had anything to do with the waste, recycling, and reuse industry. I figured he must know hundreds of people in our hometown and even more from his many years growing up in New York. I got to thinking that it may not be that he did not know people in this industry; he just did not understand the industry and all the jobs that are related.

 

The most common misconception is that the only jobs created by the industry are those of collection truck drivers, landfill workers, or municipal solid waste employees. Well those are all indeed important. Collection and processing are critical sectors of handing waste and recycling and municipalities are chartered to handle a community's solid waste. But this is only a drop in the bucket by whom and how discarded materials are handled. There are so many more jobs that are directly related to waste, recycling, and reuse. In fact, there are so many jobs related to this industry it is difficult to list them all.

 

This issue has been around for many years. The US Government is not alone in dealing with the issue of defining what jobs are supported by this industry; many other countries have spent years looking at all the "hands" touching discarded material and the hands processing this material and turning it into new commodities. Then there are the jobs that take these commodities and turn them into new products. In addition, there are the consultants, brokers, equipment manufacturers, software developers, accountants, managerial and administrative jobs and the list goes on and on.

 

The NRC has in the past tried to tackle the issue of identifying jobs related to recycling and reuse. It is a task that continues today and one that needs industry leaders to step up and help. The US Government needs to create job codes that cover more than just the truck driver or municipal worker. This industry has grown so much over the past 30 plus years and it will only continue to get larger going forward. It is time the industry gets the credit for all the jobs it is responsible for generating. It is time to put this industry in the spotlight for the enormous growth that has happened and the growth that is still to come.

 

This industry is growing larger everyday and with this growth comes new jobs. It is time to give the industry the support it needs to help with this growth.

 

To get involved, contact the NRC and ask about our Jobs Task Force that I co-chair with fellow Board member Robin Wiener or ISRI, and how you can help in this important program. Visit the NRC at NRCRecycles.org.

Current NRC Affiliates
We thank our affiliated recycling associations for their continued membership and support! We look forward to another successful year of promoting Sustainable Materials Management in North America together!
  • Alabama Recycling Coalition
  • California Resource Recovery Association

  • Carolina Recycling Association
  • Colorado Association for Recycling

  • Georgia Recycling Coalition

  • Illinois Recycling Association

  • Indiana Recycling Coalition
  • Iowa Recycling Association 
  • Maryland Recycling Network

  • Michigan Recycling Coalition 
  • Missouri Recycling Association

  • Recycling Association of Minnesota
  • New Mexico Recycling Coalition

  • New York Association for Reduction, Reuse & Recycling

  • Association of New Jersey Recyclers
  • Oklahoma Recycling Association 
  • Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania

  • Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center
  • Coalicion de Reciclaje De Puerto Rico, Inc.

  • State of Texas Alliance for Recycling

  • Virginia Recycling Association  

  • Associated Recyclers of Wisconsin   

Benefits of affiliation include automatic membership and voting privileges in NRC elections for all members of the state recycling organization, free webinar hosting, and more! 

Contact info@nrcrecycles.org for details. 

New NRC Staff Member 

The NRC is very happy to welcome Laura Flagg as our new Staff Assistant! She will join with Lisa Ruggero, who has been a stalwart for the NRC since 2010. Lisa will now engage in more strategic initiatives for the NRC. Laura will directly work with the NRC's membership, recycling organizations, and will support the NRC's general programing.

Laura holds a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology and Urban Environmental Policy from Occidental College. She previously interned with the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, working on their Don't Waste LA campaign, which focused on revitalizing the waste management system in Los Angeles. Resulting from her experience on the campaign, Laura wrote her undergraduate thesis on the impact that non-profit and community organizations have on waste management policy, specifically focusing on waste management campaigns in Los Angeles and New York City. Additionally, she has conducted international research on waste management in Hong Kong, focusing on the city's landfill and incineration policies, as well as comparing air quality in Hong Kong to Los Angeles and researching their air pollution policies.
 
Having worked on regional sustainable materials management and recycling issues in the past, Laura shared that she is very excited to work with NRC on a national scale. In her first few weeks she has already had the chance to work on some exciting projects and meet many of NRC's members and hard-working Board Members. She is elated to be a part of the team, and looks forward to the exciting work ahead!
Next NRC Board Meeting

The NRC Board will be meeting October 29th in New York City to welcome the new Board and elect new officers. Additionally, working from the approved updated definition of recycling (see story below), the Board will review the recommendations of the Policy Committee to expand on that definition to cover the following areas:
1. Policies on processing activities,
2. Degree of flexibility in meeting needs to produce recycled commodities,
3. New technologies,
4. Exclusions, and
5. The benefits of recycling. 
 
Where: Syracuse University Fisher Center, 19 East 31st St. between 31st and 32nd.
When: 12-5pm

Register here to call into the meeting.
National Recycling Coalition | 1220 L St NW | Suite 100-155 | Washington, DC 20005 | nrcrecycles.org