E-newsletter highlighting grant deadlines, upcoming workshops and available resources for municipal recycling and solid waste leaders. |
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FULL COALITION MEETING
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
2:00pm-4:00pm
Since 2020, DEEP and over 90 municipalities from across the state have joined together to form the Connecticut Coalition for Sustainable Materials Management (CCSMM), to explore ways to reduce the amount of waste that is generated in our state.
Please join us on Wednesday, June 15th at 2pm for a meeting of the full CCSMM coalition to discuss new opportunities to work together in 2022 including: an update on key legislation and funding opportunities that resulted from the 2022 legislative session; news about CCSMM working groups that will be reconvening. Members will also have the chance to share and learn about efforts CCSMM members are implementing. Agenda coming soon. Let's keep the momentum going with positive changes!
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Want to get CET to speak to your local Chamber of Commerce about Business Recycling?
CET is under contract with CT DEEP to provide Business Recycling Assistance are would benefit with an introduction to your local Chamber or Business Association.
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Opportunities to Reduce Food Waste in the 2023 Farm Bill
JUNE 22, 2022
1:00 P.M.
The Farm Bill is at the core of how our food system operates. Authorizing more than $400 million in federal funding, it's the largest piece of food-related legislation in the United States. The 2018 Farm Bill was the first to include any funding for food waste reduction, but much more still needs to be done.
Join us as we welcome experts from the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic, NRDC, and WWF to share specific recommendations for Congress to include in the 2023 Farm Bill across four key areas of food waste reduction – food waste prevention, surplus food recovery, food waste recycling, and food waste reduction coordination.
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Exploration of Recycling Markets
Surrounding Solar Panel Systems
Thursday, June 23, 2022
9:00 am - 12:45 pm
- Developing Standards of Recycling Practice
- Manufacturing, Operations, Reuse & Recycling Options
- Emerging Policy
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Call for Papers for NERC’s Fall 2022 Conference
November 2 – 3, 2022
Rocky Hill Connecticut
Submission deadline 6/24/2022
The Northeast Recycling Council invites you to submit an abstract about one of the topics listed below for its Fall Conference on November 2 - 3. NERC’s Conferences are unique in that they provide an opportunity for government and industry to discuss the issues considered the most important and timely for advancing toward a circular economy. The Conferences attract an expert speaker pool and a diverse audience of government, industry, non-profits, consultants working in sustainable materials management, and students interested in recycling issues
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CALL FOR SPEAKERS, POSTERS & WORKSHOPS
COMPOST 2023
USCC Conference & Tradeshow
January 24, 27, 2023
Ontario, California
The USCC's Annual Conference and Tradeshow is the premiere professional meeting for composting, organics recycling and related topics. All events are IN-PERSON ONLY in Ontario, California.
Submission Deadline: June 30, 2022
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NERC Annual Environmental Leadership Award
Applications Being Accepted
Applications due by August 12, 2022
Advancing and supporting a sustainable economy and environment is especially critical this year. In recognition, NERC seeks nominees for its annual Environmental Sustainability Leadership. This year, NERC will honor an organization or individual that has demonstrated activities that resulted in expanded markets for post-consumer feedstock of materials collected from residential recycling programs in one or more of the NERC member-states. The end-market itself, does not need to be in one of the NERC states, but preference may be given if it is. Applications are due August 12.
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Introduction To Zero Waste Classes
4-hour class, $100 per person *
Click date of interest to register.
(Note, TIMES ARE PST)
Richard Anthony, 8am-12pm PST
Gary Liss, 10am-3pm PST, 1 hour break
Richard Anthony, 8am-12pm PST
* Group discounts available, as well as 2-for-1 scholarships. No one turned away for lack of funds. Promotional help welcome!
For more information, please use this form to contact the office.
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Grants and Other Funding Opportunities |
Composting and Food Waste Reduction Cooperative Agreements
This is the third year of USDA’s Composting and Food Waste Reduction (CFWR) cooperative
agreements, and so far, USDA has invested $3 million in community composting in urban areas across the country. The $10.2 million to be awarded in 2022 will fund pilot projects that develop and implement strategies for municipal compost plans and food waste reduction plans.
Local governments may submit projects that do one or more of the following:
- generate compost;
- provide access to
- compost to farmers;
- reduce fertilizer use;
- improve soil quality;
- encourage waste
- management and permaculture business development;
- increase rainwater
- absorption;
- reduce municipal food waste; and/or
- divert food waste from disposal.
For more information, see the full press release here.
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Reports, Toolkits and Other Resources |
PROMOTING THE PRACTICE OF DECONSTRUCTION
A Resource for Developing and Implementing Municipal Deconstruction Policy or Initiative
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Connecticut Mattress Recycling Program
The Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) is a nonprofit organization that operates the mattress recycling program known as Bye Bye Mattress in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Certain facilities can use MRC’s Bye Bye Mattress Commercial Volume Program to receive no-cost recycling of discarded mattresses and box springs.
View updated fact sheets for CT: Connecticut Mattress Recycling Program
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Maine Compost School
The Maine Compost School is the longest continuously running compost program in the United States — 2022 marks their 26th anniversary! The Maine Compost School will be holding two sessions for 2022. Upcoming 2022 Maine Compost School Sessions
- June 13-17, 2022
- October 3-7, 2022
Note there is a fee to attend the Maine Compost School. Find out more about the school https://composting.org/. Contact Sandy Moody, Environmental Specialist, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Lead and Asbestos Unit, by phone at 207-242-0877 or by email at sandy.j.moody@maine.gov to register.
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Missed CET's Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink event last week? delivered by the Center for EcoTechnology (CET).
Please find a recording of the program here
Additional Resources:
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Missed NERC's 4-part DE&I training series?
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Webinar Recap:
Aiming for Extra Credit with K12 Recycling and Waste reduction, 5/19/2022
Achieving a high diversion rate requires more than simply putting out a few bins with recycling labels attached. Successful K-12 waste reduction programs require well planned strategies to address issues as diverse as collection equipment and logistics, working with stakeholders, data tracking, food waste, and most importantly, guiding students and staff on how to participate. This webinar (recorded live) combines local case study presentations with an extended panel discussion spotlighting school districts that have built effective, high-performing programs.
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Payments to Municipalities from Fees on Miniature Alcohol Bottles
Section 10 of Public Act 21-58 established that "on and after October 1, 2021, any beverage container containing a spirit or liquor of fifty milliliters or less shall be assessed a five-cent surcharge by the wholesaler of such beverage container to the retailer of such beverage container and by the retailer of such beverage container to the consumer of such beverage container."
Also, on April 1, 2022, and every six months thereafter, payment shall be remitted by each wholesaler to every municipality where any such beverage container was sold during the preceding six-month period by such wholesaler. Such payment shall be at the rate of five cents for every such beverage container sold within such municipality by such wholesaler."
In order to reduce the number of checks that a single town might receive, the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of CT (WSWC) agreed to aggregate the 5-cent fees collected by all wholesalers and send a single check to each town in which the 50ml (or smaller) containers of spirits or liquors were sold.
P.A. 21-58 also specifies that "All payments received by any municipality...shall be expended by such municipality on environmental measures intended to reduce the generation of solid waste in such municipality or reduce the impact of litter caused by such solid waste, including, but not limited to, the hiring of a recycling coordinator, the installation of storm drain filters designed to block solid waste and beverage container debris or the purchase of a mechanical street sweeper, vacuum or broom that removes litter, including, but not limited to, such beverage containers and other debris from streets, sidewalks and abutting lawn and turf areas."
A list summarizing the payments to towns for the 6-month period of
10/01/21-03/31/22 can be found here.
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Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) Creates
DEI Connect Listserv
Upon completion of its 4-part diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) training series, NERC received feedback from attendees about their interest in having the opportunity to continue learning and sharing information about DE&I. In response, NERC developed DEI Connect listserv.
DEI Connect is the first online forum in the US to support and promote DE&I for the recycling and solid waste industries. The free listserv provides members with the opportunity to find and share tools and resources with their peers, as well as build new networks.
The listserv is hosted by NERC on Google Groups. Membership to the listserv must be approved, and Google requires that you have a Gmail account to join and participate in groups.
Two Ways to Access the Listserv
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Sign in to Google Groups and search the groups list for DEI Connect. Then request to be added to the list, or
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Request to be added by emailing Mary Ann Remolador (include your name, state and affiliation).
Go here to learn about all of NERC's work on DE&I.
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Missed the last Newsletter or recent Webinar?
Check out the
on the CT DEEP webpage.
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Upcoming Events:
JUNE 2022
June 14, 2022 - 10:00am - 11:00am - Tracking Solid Waste Generation in Your Community webinar. Register here. Hosted by Sustainable CT, Eligibility to Earn Points.
June 14, 2022 - 1:00pm - Avoiding Contamination in Food Waste Feedstock for Composting webinar. Register here. Presented by NEWMOA and NERC.
June 15, 2022 - 11:00am - 12:00pm - Enhancing Policies to Support Recycling Webinar. Register here. Hosted by SERDC.
June 15, 2022 - 2:00pm - 4:00pm - Full CT Coalition for Sustainable Materials Management meeting. Register here. Hosted by CT DEEP. Virtual.
June 21, 2022 - 9:30am - 11:30am - CT Solid Waste Advisory Committee meeting. Register here. Hosted by CT DEEP. Virtual.
June 23, 2022 - 9:00am - 12:45pm - Solar Panel System Recycling: Virtual Markets Development Summit. Register here. Hosted by the Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center.
June 23, 2022 - 1:00pm - 2:30pm - Government Support for Community Composting Part 3: Cities and Counties with Public-Private Partnerships webinar. Register here. Hosted by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. $ Free to local government (use code LOCGOV)
June 29, 2022 - 11:00am - Starting a Glass Recycling Program in Rural Areas - the Nuts & Bolts Webinar. Register here. Presented by NEWMOA and NERC.
JULY 2022
July 13, 2022 - 11:00am - 12:00pm - Increasing Collection and Improving Materials Management Infrastructure Webinar. Register here. Hosted by SERDC.
AUGUST 2022
August 10, 2022 - 11:00am - 12:00pm - Standardizing Measurement and Increasing Data Collection Webinar. Register here. Hosted by SERDC.
OCTOBER 2022
October 3-4, 2022 - Reuse22: Reflecting on our past, renewing our future conference. Register here. Minneapolis, MN. Hosted by Reuse Minnesota.
SEPTEMBER 2022
September 14, 2022 - 11:00am - 12:00pm - Improving Markets for Recycling Commodities Webinar. Register here. Hosted by SERDC.
NOVEMBER 2022
November 9-10, 2022 - 2022 NRC Congress conference. More information here. Virtual. Hosted by the National Recycling Coalition.
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The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request an accommodation contact us at (860) 418-5910 or deep.accommodations@ct.gov. |
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CT DEEP | Source Reduction & Recycling Group | 860-424-4193 | www.ct.gov/deep/recycle |
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