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New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse & Recycling |
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Kelli Timbrook, President
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Hello NYSAR
3 family! Fall is my favorite time of the year - the cooler weather plus the colorful trees, not to mention the Annual Recycling Conference in Cooperstown! What's not to like?
I recently attended a lecture by a contractor whose expertise was advising towns and municipalities on how to achieve a Zero Waste Plan. While I was fascinated and thought this person had some excellent points and advice, I was disturbed to hear phrases like the "China Myth" and "working against private companies." As many people in the NYSAR
3 family can attest to, and what the 2019 NYSAR
3 Recycling conference is focusing on, is right now is a trying time in our industry. Commodity outlets have dried up and prices have risen dramatically. It is no myth that China has stopped accepting most materials from the US, and no one has bottomless pockets from which to ride this period out.
So how do we not just survive, but thrive during these challenging times? None of these problems are insurmountable, but we can achieve success only though working together as a community. This includes public and private partnerships as well as federal and state funding opportunities. I feel very strongly that this is a time for unity and innovation rather than separation and an "us vs them" mentality. No person (or town or municipality or college or any of the other numerous entities that make up NYSAR
3) is an island and collaboration is the only path forward.
Want to join this discussion on unstable markets and high contamination rates? These topics and more will be discussed in-depth at this year's NYSAR
3 Recycling Conference, November 4-6 at the Otesaga in Cooperstown. There will be a pre-conference day focusing on Product Stewardship, as well as plenty of networking opportunities and other fun events!
This month, local chapter elections were held, and we welcome a new Board member in Region 7- Melissa Cadwell, Sustainability Coordinator at Syracuse University. The Board is thrilled to have someone of Melissa's experience and caliber joining us, and we look forward to the fresh perspective she will bring.
One last bit of exciting news to share- two of our Board members, Melissa Young and Theresa Evans, both grew their families by one this summer! Melissa had an adorable little boy and Theresa a sweet baby girl. Make sure to congratulate them when you see them!
I hope to see you all in a few weeks at the conference, if not enjoy this beautiful fall weather!
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The 2019 NYSAR³
Fall Recycling Conference is marking its 30th Anniversary from Nov. 4-6 at the Otesaga Resort Hotel in Cooperstown. Read More about
what this conference has to offer you!
A few booths are still available!
Learn more
about being a exhibiting or sponsoring at the conference.
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Important reminder for those attending the conference:
Registered voters can vote early between October 26 to November 3. In this case, you don't need an absentee ballot! Just show up at one of the polling places in your county. Use the League of Women Voters website and click on your county to find locations and hours of polling places available to you. (Note: rules for polling sites vary by county).
If you can't make it to any of the polling places within your county, you can complete and mail in an
absentee ballot no later than 7 days before the election.
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The NYSAR
3 Green Schools Grant program is now accepting fall 2019 applications!
Applications are due by November 8th.
This grant program is established for public, private, and charter schools Grades K-12, for the purpose of providing seed, or start-up money for waste reduction and recycling programs in schools. Learn more and apply today!
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Please join us in congratulating the winners of the 2019 Odd Chapter Elections!
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Bodhi Piedmont-Fleischmann
Cornerstone Environmental Group
Middletown, NY
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Chapter 5
Currently Vacant
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Melissa Cadwell
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
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Gary Carrel
Erie County
Buffalo, NY
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During the month of October, the New York State DEC and entities across the state will be promoting the message about proper glass recycling to residents in NY. The information provided will focus on recycling glass bottles and jars only - keeping all other glass out of the recycling stream - and why this is important for recycling programs. Free Resources will be distributed through the Recycle Right NY campaign that provides grab-and-go social media posts, custom graphics and images, newsletters and newspaper articles, and other free resources. Read more on this month's resources. Click here to access free downloadable resources.
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SU-CSCS is planning a zero-waste, farm-to-table dinner in partnership with LoFo and Farm to Fork 101 for Monday, October 28, 2019 at Chuck Hafner's Farmers Market and Garden in North Syracuse. This event will highlight and celebrate Syracuse area farmers and culinary talent, and draw attention to the fact that 30-40% of food produced in the U.S. does not get eaten. One hundred seats will be available to the public for $40 each, which will include a five-course meal expertly crafted by five different Syracuse chefs using gleaned produce from five nearby farms.
Learn more about this event
here.
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In 2019, NYS passed the Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling law. Effective January 1st, 2022, large generators of food scraps (those that generate 2 tons per week or more) must donate any unsold edible food and must separate and recycle all remaining food scraps if they are within 25 miles of an organics recycler. Learn more.
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| The Syracuse University Center for Sustainable Community Solutions (SU-CSCS) is excited to announce the recent launch of an online database for grants, low interest loans, and other funding opportunities to support sustainable materials management (SMM) initiatives and activities across NY. Switching to an online platform will aid users in locating
funding more quickly and easily, as well as enable SU-CSCS to update the resource on a moreconsistent basis.Learn more about how to access funding resources here. |
When released into the air, balloons can fall onto our beaches and degrade our waterways, harm marine life, and hurt our eco-system. The Suffolk County legislature passed a ban on intentional balloon releases, which will reduce this negative environmental impact.
Learn more
.
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School cafeterias throughout the country can now freeze and vak-pak plant-based meal ingredients for school meals or for meal kits that go home with students once HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) processing steps are approved by local health departments.
Millions of pounds of produce go to waste from local farm harvests and school gardens. This can change if schools, teachers and dietitians add freezing and vacuum packaging to their food & nutrition classes for teens, community members and cafeteria staff. Read more.
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Wells College awarded their "Sustain-a-Cell" project with one of their Biology faculty. Multiple teams of students in the Biology of Organisms class are tasked with a project to create a cell model. The catch? The projects criteria outlines that each team must build their models from "found materials". This years project were very inventive! View this fall's winning entries here.
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Mayor Byron W. Brown with members of the Oxford Square Block Club.
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On September 5th, Mayor Byron W. Brown announced that the Oxford Square Block Club was the top winner of the City of Buffalo's Let's DO This! Block Club Recycling Competition for 2019. The Oxford Square Block Club increased community participation in curbside recycling by 69.84%! Second place went to the Lafayette Ave Block Club. As winners of the competition, these Block Clubs will receive a Community Shredding Event and/or a Street Planter. Read more.
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The Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency (UCRRA) is planning a special art/environmental education program in celebration of America Recycles Day on November 15th. A "Call for Submissions" is open to local youth ages 5-18 to help UCRRA decorate their holiday tree with upcycled ornaments. UCRRA staff also will be conducting a special presentation called "Rethinking Our Waste" at the Town of Saugerties Public Library in celebration of America Recycles Day. Learn more about the event here.
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Waste audits reveal 77% of "trash" is NOT trash at all
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Have you looked in your trash lately? Understanding what is in your waste stream is key to helping you reduce, reuse and recycle effectively. Great Forest, a sustainable waste management consultancy, found that 77% of materials the average commercial office throws out was really NOT trash at all, but made up of recyclable and compostable materials. Only about 23% was real "trash, with the rest made up of organics (34%), followed by paper (23%), glass/metal/plastic (19%), and e-waste (1%).
That is a lot of lost value. And a lot of costly waste. Read More.
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You might have heard the expression "Fast Fashion" and been intrigued over the opportunity to find low prices on the latest trends in jeans or dresses. Who does not love a good bargain? The sad truth is that the fashion industry contributes significant pollution to the overall quality of our fresh water, climate change and recycling infrastructure. Read more.
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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are an emerging contaminant that is becoming a more prevalent issue in organic waste processing.
In the absence of regulations on PFAS waste management and disposal, generators of PFAS waste are questioning what the most appropriate methods of treatment or disposal for solid and liquid waste are. Read more.
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Americans generate more waste per person than any population on Earth, and US solid waste generation continues to grow year-on-year. Meanwhile, US cities are growing and becoming denser, and international political developments are making it much more difficult for local governments to recycle. Against this backdrop, many municipalities are struggling to cope with the logistical and environmental challenges of managing waste flows responsibly. Read more.
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Enter your design today! The contest ends on November 1st.
The ICAW 2020 Poster Contest is open to anyone in the world age ten and up. Learn more.
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"
Beach Trash Bird Project" from Carl Davis: Using recovered ocean plastic to make plastic birds illustrates the harm that ocean plastic inflicts on real birds.
"Sort it Out Song and Dance"
f
rom GrowNYC Recycling Champions: Wiggle when you sort it away! This fun song and dance teaches young kids which color bin to sort items into when they have finished eating their lunch.
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Hosted by Walmart, and presented by The Association of Plastic Recyclers:
This webinar will discuss design for plastics recyclability and communicating the common messages within the Walmart Recyclability Playbook and the APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability.
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Are you interested in receiving recycling and sustainability news, updates, and related events in NYS?
Or maybe you're interested in receiving solid waste regulatory updates, funding opportunities, and solid waste related events?
Sign up for the DEC Delivers
Solid Waste and Recycling listserv.
If there is a public event or workshop related to recycling (organics, textiles, electronics, traditional recyclables, etc.) you'd like the greater community to know about, please email Kristine Ellsworth at [email protected] and she can include it in upcoming DEC Delivers publications.
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