E-newsletter highlighting grant deadlines, upcoming workshops and available resources for municipal recycling and solid waste leaders. |
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Never received this before but a member of the CCSMM? Municipal officials, members of town committees and COGs are invited to receive this newsletter |
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CCSMM
Full Coalition Meeting
Friday, July 16, 2021
1:00pm - 3:00pm
It's been six months since we completed the CCSMM Menu of Options and since April when we met as a Full Coalition. Join us to hear a legislative update, funding opportunities and time for Coalition members to share recent initiatives.
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Learning Series
Recycling Resources to Educate and Engage Residents
July 28, 2021
1:00pm – 2:30pm ET
Speakers:
Kathy Boucher, Decker Creative
Emily Welch, CT DEEP
Sherill Baldwin, CT DEEP
Learn about the importance of promoting recycling and ways to help residents understand how to #RecycleRight using new materials created by RecycleCT and CT DEEP. There will be opportunities to ask questions and share resources you've created that have made an impact or materials others can also use incl. videos, signage, messaging. Please plan to share your ideas and initiatives.
Learning Series program topics are based on priorities in the CCSMM survey results and the Menu of Options. They seek to be educational, engaging and provide needed resources to implement programs and are engaging.
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BAG TAX BECOMES BAN
July 1, 2021
In 2019, the CT General Assembly enacted a phased law to reduce litter and minimize the various environmental impacts stemming from the proliferation of single-use plastic check out bags. The first phase of the law CGS § 22a-246a went into effect August 1, 2019 . The second phase of the law meant the fee, which was applied to single-use plastic check out bags, will no longer be collected as of July 1, 2021. It is also the effective date of the ban on single-use check out bags in the State of Connecticut. See DRS Tax Payer Services Special Bulletin 2021-5.
Single-use check out bags are defined as bags with a thickness of less than four (4.0) mils that are provided by a retail store or other business that prepares food, to a customer at the point of sale. See DRS OCG-9 Bulletin for more information.
Retailers and other businesses who still have an inventory of single-use plastic check out bags can no longer use bags that are less than four (4.0) mils thickness.
These are some options for how to ensure your inventory is not wasted:
- If you have a full pallet of single-use plastic bags, work with the company that sold the bags to you to return full pallets of this product.
- If you have opened pallets of single-use plastic bags and the seller won’t take it as a return, consider donating these bags. These bags can be used by non-retail activities including food banks, food pantries, food recovery programs, mutual aid societies, etc.
- Did you pull single-use plastic bags from the cashier areas and they’re not good for reuse? These single-use plastic bags are plastic film and can be collected and recovered for recycling with other film you collect, back-haul and/or bale for recycling. Remember to keep the bags and other film clean and dry.
- Retailers with large quantities of plastic film and need assistance to donate or recycle bags, please contact the Recycling program at 860-424-3366.
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Did you miss the June CT Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) meeting
Agenda topics included:
- Legislative Session update, Harrison Nantz, CT DEEP, Office of Policy and Legislative Programs
- Recycling Markets update, Chaz Miller, CEO, Miller Recycling Associates
- CT DEEP staff updates, including food scrap collection and composting, debris storm management, convenience store recycling and RecycleCT
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Employment Opportunities at DEEP
Sustainable Materials Management
Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection Office Director (Program)
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is seeking to hire an Office Director to provide bureau-wide planning and policy development and strategic waste and capacity planning for the Bureau of Materials Management and Compliance Assurance (MMCA).
Materials Management and Compliance Assurance
Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau Chief
The State of Connecticut, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is currently seeking to hire a Bureau Chief to lead the Materials Management and Compliance Assurance Bureau in innovatively fulfilling its important mission and to be a part of DEEP’s senior leadership team. The Bureau Chief of the MMCA directs the operation of three divisions: Waste Engineering and Enforcement, Water Permitting and Enforcement, and Emergency Response and Spill Prevention.
Environmental Intern
The MMCA Waste Engineering and Enforcement Division/Hazardous and Solid Waste Regulatory Program has a current opportunity for an Environmental Intern. This is a permanent position with a one-year training classification and upon successful completion of the training period, the candidate will be promoted to an Environmental Analyst 1.
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USDA Cooperative Agreements for Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction
Due July 16, 2021
The USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production is announcing the availability of up to $2 million for local governments to host Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction pilot projects for fiscal year 2021. The cooperative agreements support projects that develop and test strategies for planning and implementing municipal compost plans and food waste reduction plans. Applications are due July 16, 2021. Projects should span two years with a start date of September 25, 2021 and completion date of September 25, 2023.
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Composting, Food Scrap & Food Recovery Resources |
Infographics:
Compost for a Better Planet
May 2021
The following comes from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (www.ilsr.org), a national nonprofit organization working to strengthen local economies, and redirect waste into local recycling, composting, and reuse industries. It is reprinted here with permission.
The FoodPrint Guide to
Reduce Food Waste
5/17/2021 FoodPrint blog
Infographic: “ABCs of
Reducing Food Waste”
May 2021, FoodPrint
Resources on PFAS and Compost on the U.S. Composting Council website
White Papers, Presentations & Other Useful Documents
RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts Compost Training
The RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts program provided a training workshop for compost site operators in April. The presentation, training materials, and a recording of the workshop are available online. Scroll down to Compost Site Operator Workshops to view these materials, as well as materials from past workshops.
Price Chopper Inventory Software Saves Grocery Chain Money and Reduces Wasted Food
Price Chopper/Market 32 is preventing over 20 tons of food from being wasted each week and is projected to prevent more than 3,000 tons of food waste over the next three years. By preventing its food waste, Price Chopper/Market 32 is reducing its methane emissions from landfills, lessening its carbon footprint, and helping to fuel a more sustainable, circular economy.
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Growing the Upcycled Food Economy
Webinar
7/14/2021 at 1pm ET
This joint NEWMOA and NERC webinar will focus on the emerging business of upcycling food waste. The presenters will cover:
- State of the upcycled food movement - definition, certification standard, and environmental benefits
- How upcycling is different than other methods of diverting wasted food – donation, animal feed, composting, anaerobic digestion
- Key challenges with upcycling food waste
- Business leaders who are building the food upcycling economy
Washington Organic Recycling Council (WORC) Webinar Series
all webinars begin at 3:00pm (ET)
Fee to Attend
- How to Develop a Successful Composting Project - Compost Facility Design and More, 7/15/2021
- Get an Inside Look at Three Compost and Wastewater Facilities - Virtual Tour Edition, 8/5/2021
- Compost Facility Siting and Permitting, 9/9/2021
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Updated Blended Value of a Ton Report
April 2021, NERC
This report, covering the period January - March 2021, is the seventh update of this important study. As has been evidenced through recycling media reports - and perhaps your own experience - the value of recyclables has increased dramatically in 2021. The full report is available on the NERC website: MRF Blended Commodity Values in the Northeast April 2021. View report
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Reusable vs Disposable – What’s the Future for Packaging?
June 2021
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Summary of Announced Increased Capacity to use Recycled Paper
Updated May 14, 2021, NERC
When the bans were announced in 2017, North American paper mills saw an opportunity. They are meeting the challenge with dramatic increases in recycled paper capacity. When NERC first published this list in November, 2018, it included new capacity at 17 mills, of which three projects were completed. This latest update includes new capacity projects at 30 mills, of which 15 have been completed. The full report Summary
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Zero Waste Case Study:
Berkeley, March 2021
Public-Private Reuse Partnership
Berkeley has a longstanding commitment to reducing and ultimately eliminating the waste that goes to landfills and established one of the first municipal recycling programs in the nation.
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EJSCREEN 101:
Mapping Tools and EPA Competitive Grants Webinar
On May 18, EPA hosted the webinar EJSCREEN 101: Mapping Tools and EPA Competitive Grants.
EJSCREEN is an environmental justice mapping and screening tool that allows users to access environmental and demographic information for locations in the United States. Anyone can use this web-based tool to access high-resolution content about environmental justice, and compare data across state, EPA region, and national locations.
This webinar provides guidance on how to use EJSCREEN effectively, as well as how to tailor its usage to specific needs, like responding to competitive grants or other organizational needs. To learn more about EJSCREEN, please visit the EJSCREEN website and access the EJSCREEN webinar here.
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Missed the last Newsletter or recent Webinar?
Check out the
on the CT DEEP webpage.
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Introducing the new RecycleCT Wizard app.
Now your smartphone is even smarter with the new RecycleCT Wizard app. It takes the guess work out of deciding What’s In and What’s Out of your bin.
Download the new RecycleCT Wizard app!
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Upcoming Events:
JULY
July 14, 2021 - 1:00pm - Growing the Upcycled Food Economy webinar. Register here. Hosted by NEWMOA and NERC. Virtual.
July 16, 2021 - 1:00pm - 3:00pm - Full Coalition Meeting - CCSMM. Register here. Agenda. Hosted by CT DEEP and CCSMM. Virtual.
July 28, 2021 - 1:00pm - 2:30pm - Recycling Resources to Educate and Engage Residents, part of the CCSMM Learning Series. Register here. Hosted by CT DEEP. Virtual.
July 28, 2021 - 1:00pm - Refine Product Management, Growing the Upcycled Food Economy webinar series. Register here. Hosted by NEWMOA and NERC. Virtual.
AUGUST
August 25, 2021 - 1:00pm - Maximize Product Utilization, Growing the Upcycled Food Economy webinar series. Register here. Hosted by NEWMOA and NERC. Virtual.
SEPTEMBER
September 22, 2021 - 1:00pm - Reshape Consumer Environments, Growing the Upcycled Food Economy webinar series. Register here. Hosted by NEWMOA and NERC. Virtual.
OCTOBER
October 12 - 13, 2021 - 1:00pm - 5:00pm ET. NERC's Fall '21 Conference.
October 20, 2021 - 1:00pm - Strengthen Food Rescue, Growing the Upcycled Food Economy webinar series. Register here. Hosted by NEWMOA and NERC. Virtual.
October 26, 2021 - 9:30am - 11:30am - Solid Waste Management Advisory Committee meeting. More information here. Hosted by CT DEEP.
NOVEMBER
November 17, 2021 - 1:00pm - Recycling Anything Remaining, Growing the Upcycled Food Economy webinar series. Register here. Hosted by NEWMOA and NERC. Virtual.
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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 [email protected]. |
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CT DEEP | Source Reduction & Recycling Group | 860-424-4193 | www.ct.gov/deep/recycle |
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