Full of Scrap Newsletter- January 27, 2021
Your source for recycling & waste reduction news in the Northeast (and beyond).
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NRRA's 2021 Annual Recycling Conference!
SAVE THE DATE FOR THIS 2-DAY EVENT!
May 10th & May 11th
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
It's a new year, and our newly designed conference will be held virtually over two mornings: Monday, May 10th and Tuesday, May 11th from 8:00 am-noon. We are inviting solid waste and recycling operators and supervisors, department of public works staff, town administrators, recycling committee members, school teachers, school administrators and students. We will offer speakers who are engaging and relevant to current matters faced by the solid waste and recycling industry with time for questions. 

We wanted a conference theme with action and practical knowledge so we chose "Recycling with Results." We will explore how the material you put in the recycling bin travels from your home to the recycling center, then to the mill and what new products are made from it! We plan to offer a variety of workshops, free to our existing municipal members and associate members as of January 15, 2021. Yet-to-be-members will pay one price of $75 (for both days). Dr. Ben Locwin, a healthcare executive and international COVID-19 advisor living in Portsmouth, NH, will be one of our speakers.
The conference will count toward NHDES continuing education credits for each hour attended (live) and certificates of attendance will be awarded.
Resource Recycling: Collective Action
Over 100 communities in the Northeast U.S. work together to move recovered glass to two downstream outlets. They also found a unique way to communicate the process to the public.

By Reagan Bissonnette

At a time when depressed recycling markets and negative news stories about recycling have residents across the country wondering what actually happens to their recyclables, the industry could use a case study that highlights recycling sustainability.
One such example can be found in efforts around glass recovery in the Northeast U.S., where the recycling nonprofit group Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA) has worked with over 100 member communities to reliably move material to fiberglass insulation and glass aggregate end users. In addition, the systems in place are being detailed through digital storytelling, helping residents, government officials and others better understand what happens to the glass material they recycle.
ecomaine Tour Energizing and Engaging
As an alternative to NRRA’s usual fall bus tour, NRRA Staff and municipal members joined ecomaine staff on January 13 for a private virtual tour of their Portland, Maine facilities followed by a question and answer session about their processes. In one campus, ecomaine runs a single-sort facility since 2006, offers food waste recovery, operates a waste-to-energy plant, and also has room for a landfill on site.

Ecomaine’s goal is the reduction of waste generated; reuse of resources; recycling and employing materials back into the marketplace; composting or digestion of organic waste; creating electricity via waste-to-energy; and landfilling as a last resort. They are a leader in public awareness to provide long-term public waste solutions and serve 450,000 people in 70 communities in southern and central Maine.
Information Sheet: Household Batteries
Do you know how to safely dispose of batteries? Several options are available for a variety of battery types.

Alkaline and Carbon Zinc Batteries 
These everyday household batteries can now be thrown in with trash. However, these batteries can be shipped to reclamation companies through NRRA where the batteries are put in a smelter where certain metal oxides are recycled out of the batteries. Examples: Alkaline; Carbon Zinc (9-volt, AA, AAA, C & D) – please contact NRRA for options.
If you opt to throw them away, individual batteries MUST be taped on the positive ends or individually bagged as a fire prevention measure. Read more to learn safe practices for other battery types.

NRRA Speaking Engagements
Wednesday, April 7, 2021, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM - Increasing Waste Diversion - Beyond Recycling
This NH Dept. of Environmental Services sponsored virtual workshop will cover waste diversion and why its important, how communities can calculate their waste diversion rates, and specific strategies and examples of how New Hampshire municipalities can reduce their waste. Reagan Bissonnette & Bonnie Bethune will present.
Wednesday, June 2, 2021, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM - Understanding Recycling Markets & Practical Tips
This NH Dept. of Environmental Services sponsored workshop will cover in the first part why recycling matters, material specifications and markets for recyclables, and common end markets for recyclables. The second part of the workshop will cover practical recycling tips, such as creative storage options for recyclables at municipal facilities, baling versus loose recyclables, and answering resident questions.
NRRA Summer Webinar Recording Spotlight: Disposal Capacity
This recorded panel webinar covered Materials Management Capacity in NH, MA, and VT, which encompasses all disposal capacity (landfill and waste to energy), transfer capacity, Construction and Demolition processing, Municipal Recycling Facilities, and compost.

Jeff Bourdeau's responsibilities at the VT Department of Conservation include the proper management of waste throughout Vermont. Jeff is also responsible for permitting, construction review and operations oversight at the privately owned Coventry Landfill located in Northern VT. Michael Nork works in the Solid Waste Management Bureau at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, and acts as the agency’s lead on recycling, composting and waste diversion. John Fischer is the Deputy Division Director of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
ANNUAL ACTIVITY REPORTS &
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORTS
2020 Annual Activity & Environmental Impact Reports were sent out last week. NRRA Staff worked diligently to get these reports out to everyone as quickly and efficiently as possible. Please call (603) 736-4401 or email [email protected] if you did not receive yours, and we can email another copy.
COVID-19 Vaccine Availability & Disposal
In response to questions from our members, NRRA reviewed the available information about when solid waste operators can expect to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and how to handle disposal of any vaccine waste received at transfer stations. 

Availability of COVID-19 Vaccine for Solid Waste Operators: The availability of the COVID-19 vaccine for solid waste operators varies by state. In New Hampshire and Vermont, the vaccine distribution plans do not provide a specific category for solid waste operators. Instead, solid waste operators will have access to the vaccine depending primarily on age and medical vulnerability based on a range of underlying medical conditions. In Massachusetts, sanitation and public works staff are included in Phase 2 of priority (out of 3 phases) and can expect to receive the vaccine in February or March 2021. 

The January NRRA Pricing Guide is Now Available
Our website has a section that houses the NRRA Monthly Pricing Guide as well as many other pricing lists. These pricing lists are only accessible to NRRA Municipal Voting Members. If you are an NRRA Municipal Voting Member and want access to this part of the website, simply visit the site to create your new username and password.

The Fiber market continues to improve as does Scrap Metal and Aluminum Cans. Read Bonnie Bethune's full market update for January.

Announcements:

  • NRRA CLOSED- Presidents Day; February 15, 2021
  • NRRA's Annual Recycling Conference - May 10th & 11th, 2021; 8:00AM - 12:00PM both days (virtual conference).
NRRA Events Calendar

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Northeast Resource Recovery Association
Epsom, NH 03234
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