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NRC News and Events
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How and When to Apply for Federal Funding
The National Recycling Coalition held a webinar today highlighting the results of research it has been conducting on the availability of Federal funding for waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting. A recording of the webinar will be available
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This webinar included Requests for Proposals (RFPs) currently underway at the US Environmental Protection Agency. It provided an update on when regulations and RFPs to implement the new Infrastructure funding adopted by Congress will be available. Finally, this webinar gave tips on how to prepare and apply for federal funding, including clearly articulating grant goals, objectives, outcomes and evaluation plans and early identification of potential collaborative grant partners (e.g. public agencies, private businesses, and nonprofit subcontractors and consultants).
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The webinar recording will be available soon!
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The Environmental Injustice of Waste Incinerators
by Sophia Huda, Ohio Recycling Coalition
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In the Environmental Justice (EJ) lexicon, an EJ community is one that is most impacted by environmental harms and risks. EJ communities are naturally lower-income communities. These may be communities that were built up around industrial areas due to the lower cost of rent or property and they are generally communities where it is far easier to site polluting industries as they have less resources and access to fight against these decisions. Communities located near waste incinerators would fall under that category.
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Vaping Products Scrutinized for High Impacts
By Marialyce Pedersen, NRC Secretary and Board Member
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Some National Recycling Coalition members are sounding the alarm about a newly burgeoning and often hazardous wastestream: vaporizer (“vape”) pens with disposable plastic/metal “pods,” attached to sealed batteries, used to deliver both nicotine and cannabis concentrates to smokers. These products are exacerbating existing packaging issues with cannabis flowers and edibles sold to consumers in flexible film plastic or a wide variety of other plastic containers and lids. None of these packaging options offer much hope of end-of-life recycling (not dissimilar to other pharmaceutical containers).
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Recyclers may already be aware of longstanding environmental issues around illegal growing operations of traditional cannabis plants, including damage to public lands and waterways. Now, recycling coordinators attention will be required in every state where nicotine vape pens are sold and in the 18 US states plus Washington DC, where recreational cannabis has been legalized to date (or 37 states total, including those allowing medical use).
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Myth Busting: A Deeper Dive into Characterization & Contamination
Thursday March 24, 1-2:15 Eastern Time
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Think you know your waste stream? Or what’s been causing more contamination? Strong interest in a December 2021 National ZW Conference session indicated a more in-depth webinar on these topics is warranted. This webinar drills down into recent shifts in waste characterization, and successful strategies for addressing contamination.
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Amity Lumper: President and Owner at Cascadia Consulting Group
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Lisa Skumatz: Principal of Skumatz Economic Research Associates (SERA)
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Ann Gibbs Vander Vliet, SERA
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Positive Prospects for Polypropylene
By Marialyce Pedersen, NRC Secretary and Board Member
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Investing in Zero Waste Infrastructure, a January 18th webinar hosted by the Institute for Local Self Reliance, provided a fresh overview on areas of greatest opportunity for recycling investments. The distinguished panel of speakers addressed plastic, fiber, organics, metals and glass – citing imminent private investment, along with capital from federal legislation which is expected to provide billions of dollars more in the coming years.
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Health Threats of Used Lead Acid Battery Recycling
By Sophia Huda, Ohio Recycling Coalition
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This past November I traveled to Dakar, Senegal to lead a project on measuring blood lead levels in children in at-risk neighborhoods as part of my work with the Global Alliance for Health and Pollution.
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In 2008, 18 children died from lead poisoning in the Dakar suburb of Thiaroye-sur-Mer. Scores more experienced permanent developmental and neurological damage due to the elevated levels of lead in their blood. They were exposed to lead through environmental contamination from the informal recycling of used lead acid batteries (ULABs) in their neighborhood.
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