April 2021 www.newmoa.org |
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We welcome the spring and the feeling of renewal. All of us at NEWMOA hope you are healthy and safe. |
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Welcome Krishana Abrahim-Petrie to the NEWMOA Staff
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Krishana Abrahim-Petrie started as a Project Staff person in April. She is supporting the Interstate Mercury Education and Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC), wasted food reduction projects, the Climate and Materials Workgroup, the Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2), Environmental Justice (EJ) Workgroup, among others. Krishana holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Political Science from Northeastern University and is currently pursuing a Master of Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School. Prior to joining NEWMOA, Krishana completed internships with the Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance and Division of Conservation Services focusing on incorporating environmental justice in each agency's daily work. She also worked with the City of Boston's Greenovate program to further community engagement in the City's Climate Action Plan. Krishana enjoys hiking with her husband, traveling, and reading. We are excited to have her join our staff and hope you will get to know her over the next year. |
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NEWMOA 2020 Annual Report
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There is very little to write about 2020 that has not already been said about this historic year. NEWMOA just produced its 2020 Annual Report with the theme of resiliency. Everyone experienced a crash course in how to adapt to a completely new reality in a very short amount of time last year. Small businesses and non-profits have been particularly hard hit by the impacts of this pandemic, and NEWMOA was no exception. Despite the pandemic, NEWMOA accomplished a number of important milestones in 2020 as documented in the Report. For a quick view of NEWMOA’s accomplishments, see the NEWMOA-by-the-Numbers and the Highlights. Visit: www.newmoa.org/publications/Annual2020.pdf
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Solid Waste & Sustainable Materials Management
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Webinars
Lithium Battery Webinar Series
Organized by NEWMOA & NERC in partnership with the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) New England Chapters, MassRecycle, & the Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA)
Overview of Lithium Batteries, Their Uses, & Recycling
May 18, 2021, 1:00 – 2:30 PM Eastern
Presenters:
- George Kerchner, The Rechargeable Battery Association (PRBA): A 30 Year Evolution of Lithium Battery Applications, Chemistries, & Form Factors
- Eric Fredrickson, Call2Recycle: Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling, Challenges & Opportunities
- Kirk Sander, National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA): NWRA/ISRI/SWANA Managing Lithium Batteries Recommended Practices
Examples of Actions by Waste Haulers & Storage & Processing Facilities to Reduce the Risk of Fires Associated with Lithium Batteries
May 25, 2021, 1:00 – 2:30 PM Eastern
Presenters:
- Kevin Roche, ecomaine: Early Detection & Rapid Response Measures to Reduce Fire Risks
- Marc Morgan, Solid Waste Manager, City of Lebanon: Transfer Station & Landfill in Lebanon, NH: Effective Responses to Fires & Best Practices in Educating Residents About Lithium Batteries
- Marc Buckley, Republic Services: Strategies That Haulers Can Deploy to Reduce Risk of Fires from Li-Ion Batteries
Environmental Benefits Calculators: How They Work & How They Can Help
June 8, 2 – 3:30 Eastern
Join the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) and NEWMOA for a comprehensive webinar highlighting environmental benefits calculators demonstrating the climate change value of source reduction, reuse, and recycling. Featured calculators include:
- WARM – is a tool for solid waste planners and organizations that tracks and voluntarily reports greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions, energy savings, and economic impacts from different waste management practices. WARM calculates and totals these impacts from baseline and alternative waste management practices—source reduction, recycling, anaerobic digestion, combustion, composting, and landfilling.
- ReCon – companies, government entities, and individuals can estimate the environmental impacts from purchasing and/or manufacturing materials with varying degrees of post-consumer recycled content.
- ReFed – food waste reduction impact calculator.
- Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculators – tool to estimate the impacts of cellphones, monitors, computers, televisions, servers, and imaging equipment.
All of these webinars are free.
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Solid Waste Disposal Capacity Report |
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Solid waste officials, researchers, advocates, industry members, and consultants have raised concerns about the available disposal capacity in the Northeast U.S. in recent years. NEWMOA prepared a first-of-its kind Report to inform these conversations and provide an overview of current solid waste disposal capacity in the Region. In addition to a regional summary, the Report includes disposal and capacity information for each state in an Appendix. Disposal facilities covered in this Report include waste to energy (WTE) facilities that dispose of municipal solid waste (MSW) and landfills that dispose of MSW, WTE ash, construction and demolition (C&D) debris, and/or other bulky wastes, such as furniture and mattresses.
The Report found that solid waste disposal facilities located in the northeast disposed of a total of 35,180,905 tons of solid waste in the timeframe covered by the analysis. 67 percent of the solid waste disposed of at facilities in the Region was MSW, and 33 percent was other wastes, including C&D debris and WTE ash. WTE facilities dispose of mainly MSW, and landfills are used for the disposal of other types of solid waste, in addition to MSW.
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and New York have WTE facilities. A total of 31 WTE facilities disposed of about 33 percent of the solid waste that was disposed of at facilities in the Region. WTE facilities generate a significant quantity of ash. For the covered years, region-wide 2,424,301 tons required landfill disposal. WTE facilities in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York sent ash to landfills in Massachusetts. All five of the landfills in Massachusetts that dispose of WTE ash are likely to reach their currently permitted capacities within the next five years.
Currently, there are 87 landfills in the Region, and these handle 67 percent of the solid waste that is disposed of. Based on the currently permitted landfill disposal capacity in the region, the landfills that received approximately 23 percent of the total solid waste that is disposed of will reach their currently permitted capacity within the next five years. If additional capacity is not permitted, 7,888,356 tons of solid waste that went to those facilities will need to be reduced, recycled, or find new disposal locations before 2026.
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NEWMOA is hosting a webinar series to share available information on the prevalence of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment, risks to public health, and options for alternatives and remediation. All of the webinars are from 1:30 to 3:00 (Eastern).
Understanding Usability of PFAS Data
Tuesday May 4, 2021, 1:30 Eastern
Presenters: Dr. Nancy Rothman, Chief Executive Officer, New Environmental Horizons, Inc. & Elizabeth Denly, Quality Assurance & Chemistry Director, TRC
In-situ Treatment of PFAS in Groundwater
Tuesday May 18, 2021, 1:30 Eastern
Presenters: Dr. Fiona Laramay, AECOM & Maureen Dooley, Regenisis
Destroying PFAS in Groundwater & Landfill Leachate
Tuesday May 25, 2021, 1:30 Eastern
Presenters: Rebecca Mora & Dr. Shangtao Liang, AECOM & Ivan Cooper, Civil & Environmental Consultants
PFAS in Water: Removal, Treatment, & Destruction
Tuesday June 8, 2021, 1:30 Eastern
Presenters: Dr. Charles Schaefer, CDM Smith & Dr. Michelle Crimi, Clarkson University
PFAS: Air Emissions & Stack Testing
Tuesday, June 22, 2021, 1:30 Eastern
Presenters: Catherine Beahm, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) & Wesley Fritz, Weston Solutions
All of these webinars are FREE for federal, state, and local government officials only (read the webinar webpage for details). All others must pay with a credit card when registering. The fee is $75 with a reduced rate of $25 for non-profit organizations, students, and academics (make sure to read the webinar webpage).
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Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2) |
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Update to Model Packaging Legislation Webinar
John Gilkeson, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Chair of the Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse (TPCH) presented TPCH's recent update to its model legislation. In February, TPCH announced the organization’s 2021 proposal for their Model Toxics in Packaging Legislation. The update includes the addition of the class of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and ortho-phthalates as regulated chemicals, as well as new processes and criteria for identifying and regulating additional chemicals of high concern in packaging.
This webinar is a joint presentation of the IC2 (Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse), a program of NEWMOA, and TPCH, a program of NERC (the Northeast Recycling Council).
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NEWMOA's Board of Directors virtually met in March to discuss state and EPA waste, toxics, PFAS, and pollution prevention challenges and NEWMOA's FY 2021 finances, projects, and strategic priorities.
NEWMOA’s FY 2021 Officers:
- Mike Hastry, NJ DEP, Chair
- Dave Burns, ME DEP, Vice Chair
- Greg Cooper, Mass DEP, Treasurer
Additional FY 2021 Board members:
- Yvonne Bolton, CT DEEP
- Diane Baxter, Mass DEP
- Tiffany Skogstrom, Mass OTA
- Mike Wimsatt, NH DES
- Melissa Zych, NH DES
- MaryJo Aiello, NJ DEP
- John Vana, NYSDEC
- Mike Ryan, NYSDEC
- Ron Gagnon, RI DEM
- Leo Hellested, RI DEM
- Chuck Schwer, VT DEC
FY 2021 Program Chairs:
- Chris Nelson, CT DEEP - Solid Waste and Sustainable Materials Management
- Tom Killeen, NYSDEC - Hazardous Waste
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Trish Coppolino, VT DEC - Waste Site Cleanup
- Pam Hadad-Hurst, NYSDEC - Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2)
- Melissa Zych, NH DES - Pollution Prevention and Sustainability
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Tom Metzner, CT DEEP - Interstate Mercury Education and Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC)
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news@NEWMOA is designed to help our members and colleagues keep informed about the Association's projects and activities. You are receiving this e-newsletter because you are a member of a NEWMOA working group, committee, or program; invitee to NEWMOA events; a colleague at a related organization or EPA; connected to the Association in some other way; or have expressed interest in our work. news@NEWMOA contributors include Andy Bray, Terri Goldberg, Jennifer Griffith, Lois Makina, and Melissa Nadeau.
If you have questions about the delivery of this e-newsletter, contact Lois Makina, lmakina@newmoa.org.
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Follow us on NEWMOA’s Facebook page! We are now using Facebook to post notices about our events, new publications and information resources, projects, and members. We’d love to hear your ideas for how to make our Facebook page engaging and helpful. Check it out by searching for Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA). |
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Leading the Northeast to a sustainable, waste-free future
NEWMOA provides a strategic forum for effectively solving environmental problems through collaborative regional initiatives that advance pollution prevention and sustainability, promote safer alternatives to toxic materials in products, identify and assess emerging contaminants, facilitate adaption to climate change, mitigate greenhouse gas sources, promote reuse and recycling of wastes and diversion of organics; support proper management of hazardous and solid wastes, and facilitate clean-up of contaminant releases to the environment.
NEWMOA is a non-profit, non-partisan, interstate association whose membership is composed of the state environment agency programs that address pollution prevention, toxics use reduction, sustainability, materials management, hazardous waste, solid waste, emergency response, waste site cleanup, underground storage tanks, and related environmental challenges in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
NEWMOA is an equal opportunity employer and provider.
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