November 2019
E-newsletter highlighting grant deadlines, upcoming workshops and available resources for municipal recycling and solid waste leaders.
Status of Recycling Markets in the Northeast
Reagan Bissonnette of the Northeast Resource Recovery Association provided an update on northeast markets at the October 22, 2019 Solid Waste Advisory Committee meeting.

Her Status of Recycling Markets in the Northeast presentation reviewed NRRA's approach to marketing materials - including opportunities on using glass as an aggregate in roadways and that many of their communities collect materials separately, resulting in less impact from China Sword policy. Her slides include commodity values of source separated materials and cited NERC's recent Report on Blended Commodity Values in the Northeast .
Bridge to Circularity, a new report from The Recycling Partnership
Rachel Kapir, of The Recycling Partnership presented their Bridge to Circularity initiative, an effort to expand the new plastics economy, at the October SWAC meeting. Their new report of the same name, The Bridge to Circularity was inspired and endorsed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

The report can be downloaded from their webpage here.
Missed the Packaging Webinar Series hosted by NERC?

Canadian Packaging EPR webinar, October 24. 2019 Recording

US Regulatory Strategies for Packaging webinar, September 11, 2019 Recording

They have one more scheduled for December 5th at 1:30pm, European Packaging EPR webinar. More information.
CT’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Recycling to hold first meeting on Tuesday

Link to article here.

(WTNH) — A new group is being put together to try to find ways to improve recycling efforts in Connecticut and lower costs for cities and towns.

The Blue Ribbon Panel on Recycling is scheduled to hold its first meeting Tuesday in Hartford. Earlier this year, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities said communities across the state have seen recycling move from being a revenue generator to a growing expense.

In January of 2018, China stopped accepting lower grade recyclables, leaving many states in the U.S. without a market for recycling.
MORE School Recycling Resources
THE PLASTIC FILM RECYCLING CHALLENGE

Every year hundreds of schools and communities across the nation compete against each other to recycle the most plastic film. In addition to providing a better understanding and appreciation for the importance of recycling, Trex will happily donate a high-performance composite bench to the winning school, and bestow honorary awards to every school that participates.
  • The challenge begins each year on America Recycles Day, November 15, and lasts until April 15
  • Trex will provide your school with promotional materials and three recycling bins
  • A volunteer must weigh and report the collected materials every month before delivering them to one of our participating drop-off retailer locations
  • Winners are announced on Earth Day
New School Resource from CET!

The  Center for EcoTechnology  (CET) helps people and businesses save energy and reduce waste. In Connecticut, CET has helped reduce wasted food at a number of K-12 schools and universities by implementing technology solutions. They recently completed some resources to help schools recover food for donation and food scraps for composting or anaerobic digestion. 

Food Donation by Connecticut Schools Guidelines and Resources - a guidance document for Connecticut schools on opportunities to donate food internally through share tables as well as externally to food banks and charitable organizations. The document consolidates federal and state regulations, including information on liability protection, health codes, and more.

Food Scraps Diversion Guide for West Hartford Public Schools - provides guidance on how to implement a district-wide food scraps diversion program.

For additional resources from CET check out their Wasted Food webpage for Connecticut .
Recycle Your Milk Cartons at School!

At the recent School Recycling Workshop at CCSU, Barbara Heinekin of the Carton Council shared how best to collect milk cartons in your cafeteria. Here's a link to their Best Management Practices Guide .
Bay State Textiles School Box Programs

The focus of the School Box Program is to spread awareness to the problem of unwanted textiles, educate on acceptable items for textile recycling/reuse, while generating much-needed revenue for the school communities. A cross branded donation box is placed outside of each school in a district, the box is serviced weekly and a rebate check is disbursed monthly, based on the weight of donations. There is no cost to the program and Bay State Textiles handles all of the logistics to the program.
The Bay State Textiles Program brings the REAL world to your classroom:
  • Economics
  • Environmental
  • Community Service
  • Peer to Peer Education
RecycleCT School Grant RFP

Application deadline is
November 20, 2019 at 5:00pm. 

The goal of the School Grant program is to fund efforts in Connecticut K-12 schools that foster greater understanding of and promote action and engagement in:

*       waste reduction
*       reuse
*       recycling
*       composting and/or anaerobic digestion
 
The RecycleCT School Grant program has one grant cycle per year.  Application deadline is November 20, 2019 at 5:00pm.
 
Grant RFP is posted on RecycleCT website
 
All applications should be emailed to RecycleCT1@gmail.com. 
Webinar
Setting Up a Recycling Program
at Your School

Monday,
December 16, 2019
3:00pm EST




Speakers:
C.J. May, Recycling Coordinator, City of Waterbury and
Dan Colleluori, Supervisor of Recycling and Sanitation, City of Stamford

Facilitator:
Sherill Baldwin, CT DEEP



Archived Municipal Recycling Coordinators E-News and Webinars

Missed the last newsletter on product stewardship or a recent webinar? Look for archived webinars and e-newsletters on the CT DEEP webpage.
What's IN? What's OUT?
Recent Questions from CT residents & Added to RecycleCT Wizard
CT In the News

The Recycling Squeeze (CT News Junkie, October 23)
Panel to vote on ash landfill expansion (Norwich Bulletin, October 8)
Why cows are part of the climate solution (Hartford Courant, October 6)
 Upcoming Events: 

November 13, 2019 - 7:00pm - 8:30pm - Waste Management: Ecological and Economical impacts Town Hall Meeting Room, Greenwich. For more information. Hosted by Waste Free Greenwich and Conservation Commission.

November 20, 2019 - 12:00pm - Education and Outreach Tools for Your Recycling Program: DIY Signs webinar. For more information . Hosted by The Recycling Partnership.

November 22, 2019 - 7:30pm - Event at the Connecticut Forum: Climate Crisis. The Bushnell, Hartford. For more information . Hosted by The Connecticut Forum.

December 5, 2019 - 1:30pm - 3:00pm - European Packaging EPR webinar. For more information . Hosted by NERC.

December 16, 2019 - 3:00pm - Setting Up a Recycling Program at Your School webinar. For more information . Hosted by CT DEEP.

Save Date : January 30, 2020 - 8:00am - 4:00pm - 2020 Connecticut Recycling Conference . The Hartford Club, Hartford. For more information . Hosted by the CT Recyclers Coalition.

Save Date: April 21-22, 2020 - NERC's Spring '20 Conference. Rocky Hill, CT. For more information. Hosted by the Northeast Recycling Council.
Have an idea or topic for future municipal recycling webinar? Let us know what you and your colleagues would like to learn more about. Contact Sherill Baldwin.

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.
CT DEEP | Source Reduction & Recycling Group | 860-424-4193 | www.ct.gov/deep/recycle