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MATERIAL MATTERS
AUGUST 2022 NEWSLETTER
Member Spotlight:
Resource Management Companies (RMC)

Resource Management Companies, founded in 1991 as a private company, has a storied histroy, being the first MRF in Illinois to prove it was safe to recycle empty aerosol cans in an effort done nationally through the Steel Recycling Institute in the 1990s. They began accepting commercial collections and running one curbside collection program for the City of Naperville from their Plainfield location. Eventually growing and opening a much larger facility in Chicago Ridge and today they own and operates material recovery facilities in several locations which procure, receive, process, and ship a variety of secondary commodities originating from curbside collection and commercial and industrial sources in the midwestern United States. RMC provides logistics and transloading services through its wholly owned RMC Logistics unit and is active in the procurement and sale of secondary fiber to Asia through its Los Angeles based RMC International subsidiary. RMC’s material recovery facilities are ranked among the largest in the nation (in terms of tons of material handled per year) and RMC International appears annually on the list of the 100 highest volume (U.S.) exporters of containerized goods.

Members of the Illinois Recycling Foundation enjoy the benefit of spotlighting their Business, Government, Educational Institution or Non-Profit entity in a future Newsletter. If you would like to be featured, please send an email to [email protected].
Final Days to Register for the Annual IRF Conference
The Illinois Recycling Foundation is proud to bring businesses involved in reuse, recycling and composting together with government, educators and environmentalists for a two day in-person conference on August 30 and 31, 2022 in Joliet, Illinois!
Conference Schedule
August 30

8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
  • Conference Registration & Exhibitor Set-up
  • Arrival Light Refreshment, Coffee, Tea
  • Guided Tour of Campus Environmental Features
10:00 – 11:15 a.m.
Opening Plenary and Keynote Address

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
  • Social Justice/Environmental Justice & Recycling Sites
  • Reuse Markets (non-textile)
  • C&D & Carpet Markets & Updates

12:45 – 1:45 p.m.
Awards Lunch and Annual Meeting

2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
  • Curbside Market Update & Commercial Glass Recyling
  • Electronics Recycling Commercial & Residential Markets
  • Campus Sustainability Challenges

3:15 – 4:15 p.m.
  • Certification Efforts
  • Legislative Challenges
  • IEPA Inspections for Permitted vs Non-Permitted Sites

4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
  • Packaging EPR Efforts
  • Compost Markets & Food Scrap Innovations
  • Polystyrene Recycling Options

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Silent Auction, Social Event at Heroes West
August 31

8:30 – 9:30 a.m.
  • Conference Registration
  • Hot Breakfast Buffet in Exhibitor Hall

9:15 – 10:15 a.m.
  • Textile Recycling Tracking
  • Paint: Now and with EPR
  • Educating Residents & School Students

10:15 – 11:00 a.m.
Mini Break—Visit Exhibitors

11:00 – 12:00 p.m.
  • Scrap Metal Markets
  • Batteries
  • PFAs

12:15 – 12:30 p.m.
Box Lunch and Board Bus for Tour

12:30-4:00 p.m.
Choice of one of three tours
Recycling Tour
Compost Tour
Campus Walking Tour (90 minutes)
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
GOLD LEVEL
SILVER LEVEL
BRONZE LEVEL
ADDITIONAL SPONSORS
BOARD MEMBER SLATE PRESENTATION

The Board of Directors has been pleased to find notable candidates to fill positions on the Board of the IRF. To this end, the Board will be taking steps to expand the Board to allow a variety of expertise guide the organization. The following members will remain to complete their two-year term:
Adena Rivas, City of Springfield
Mary Margaret Cowhey, Land and Lakes
Barb Day
Mike Nowak

Two Board Members were appointed to fill vacancies and are slated to complete the second year:
Bert Jacobson, Retired from Kankakee Community College
Mike Reinert, Cardinal Recycling

The following are presented as the slate to fulfill two-year terms:
Marta Keane, Will County
Luke Fikejs, MW Recyclers
John Lardner
Clair Ryan, Kane County
Jimmy Larkin, A-Team Recyclers
Anthony Tindall, Cook County
Aaron Harmon, Midwest Fiber
Heather Presutti, GDB
Many thanks to our outstanding Board Members that have made the launch of the IRF and split in IRA possible: Mindy Agnew, Village of Oak Park and Jon Tigchelaar, Resource Management Companies
Legislative Update from IRA

While our State legislators are on a break, we can take a peek at some federal efforts to improve recycling and composting. Here is a list of items that have passed or been introduced:
RECYCLE Act
(included in the INVEST in America Act)
Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act
REDEEM Act (National Bottle Bill)
CLEAN Future Act
COMPOST Act
Recycling and Composting Accountability Act
Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act
Recycling Is Infrastructure Too (RIIT).
Most recently, the president signed The Inflation Reduction Act. This law offers incentives for biogas, EVs, and has a social/environmental justice component. It is considered the largest effort to address Climate Change undertaken but also has a fair share of critics.
A Note from the President, Marta Keane

We are very excited to see everyone at the Conference and hear some fantastic speakers share insights into the market situation for everything from curbside items to carpet and paint. We want feedback on the proposed Packaging EPR bill and to hear how the proposed social justice bill fits within the EPA environmental justice efforts and what impact these may have on siting or expanding recycling and composting operations around the State. The Illinois EPA is speaking in several sessions, including one on what to expect if you are subject to an inspection on both permitted sites and non-permitted situations. Most of all, we are looking forward to sharing some time together networking and renewing friendships. See you August 30 in Joliet!
Nature Hike & Natural Areas Tour!
For those arriving to the IRF Annual Conference early on August 30 there is an excellent opportunity to tour some of the natural features of JJC with a professor of Biology as the guide!
 
Andrew J. Neill, Biology professor closing out his 30 years of teaching, will lead attendees on a tour of JJC's Natural Areas, a valuable natural resource for teaching lessons in biodiversity, land stewardship and conservation.
The Prairie & Forest Trails include exposed bedrock formation, erratics, deciduous forest, vernal pond, Rock Run Creek, an oak savannah, and more. This walking tour along mowed and rocky foot paths, will traverse oak-hickory woodlands and dolomite limestone prairie with an intimate experience of a rare calcareous fen. For some, this can be a life-changing experience.
 
Meet at the registration desk, students will walk attendees to the Cafeteria Patio at 8:30 am. Dress appropriately for the weather and terrain. Bring your reusable water bottle and a hat.
SEND US YOUR POSTINGS

Member Cook County posts a variety of job openings here.
Member LRS posts jobs local and out-of-state here.
Many of our members have job openings. Be sure to visit the IRF Membership Directory and find member's websites to see their job listings.
RECYCLING - REUSE - COMPOSTING ARE ECONOMIC DRIVERS

You can show off in a press release or simply show us your everyday operation. Either way, we can utilize your photos on social media and on our website. more reflective of our members, we are asking IRF Members to send photos of their recycling and collection operations. Pictures can be of office collection, residential drop-off, MRF sorting lines, curbside service, someone placing items in recycle bins, reuse events, compost operations, etc. Please send jpeg/jpg pictures to [email protected].
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE JOINED THE
ILLINOIS RECYCLING FOUNDATION FOR 2022
(It's not too late to add your name)
SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR 2022 IRF BENEFACTORS
Consider adding your logo here. Become a 2022 BENEFACTOR for $1000.
If you have already joined and would like to upgrade to this status, send an email to [email protected].
Why Membership is Important
As much as we appreciate everyone's interest in waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting; our organization can only provide the educational and networking opportunities needed to bring private business, government, educational institutions and non-profits together if we have paying members. So, please, if you are an avid reader of this newsletter, which we know hundreds are each month, then become a member today. Click to JOIN or RENEW!

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@illinoisrecycles
"A friendship founded on business is better than a business founded on friendship." John D. Rockefeller
Illinois Recycling Foundation / Illinois Recycling Association, PO Box 411, Geneva IL 60134
708 358 0050