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NRC News and Events
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National Product Policies Town Hall & Webinar
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September 10, 10am-12pm PST / 1-3pm EST
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The National Zero Waste Conference is presenting a National Product Policies Town Hall & Webinar next in our webinar series. Many healthy debates arise when discussing the gamut of product recycling and disposal policies. Are bans and fees useful tools to encourage waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting? Why is there more interest in deposits on beverage containers in recent years? Are Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs best used for hard to recycle materials? Join this webinar for a moderated Town Hall-style event, featuring a fantastic panel of experts. Help identify areas of consensus among the different perspectives on the panel. There will be a robust discussion of these and other topics with panelists to help build a better understanding of various policies, with a lively Q&A session! Feedback from panelists and attendees will be used to guide how NRC should update its policies on these issues. The NRC Policy Committee will compile the results of these sessions into recommendations for action to the NRC Board of Directors to consider in updating NRC policies and programs to support these topic areas.
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Topics to be discussed include: Bans, Fees, Deposits (including Bottle Bills), Minimum Content, Extended Producer Responsibility
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- Moderator, Susan Collins, Container Recycling Institute and NRC Board
- Ruth Abbe, Zero Waste USA
- Heidi Sanborn, National Stewardship Action Council
- Miriam Gordon, Upstream Solutions
- Scott Cassel, Product Stewardship Institute
- Clarissa Morawski, Reloop Platform
- Jamie Kaminski, Zero Waste Canada
Visit zwconference.org/webinars for more info on the content of this and other webinars. Register for webinars for a small fee of $25 each or $100 for all webinars in the National Zero Waste Conference Series (does not include conference registration).
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Circularity in Motion
by Marialyce Pedersen, NRC Board Secretary
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More than 12,000 people across the globe convened virtually on August 25-27 for a free GreenBiz Circularity 20 conference (using the Hopin platform), which felt momentous to participants in its potential to impact acceleration of the circular economy.
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“The pivot from linear to circular is finally advancing meaningfully, and leaders—from the business sector (Eastman Chemical, UL, Morgan Stanley, Walmart and many others) to US Members of Congress (including Senators Tom Udall and Jeff Merkley and Representatives Alan Lowenthal and Katherine Clark - Break Free From Plastic Pollution sponsors)—know that we are out of time. We must embrace big change now,” said NRC Board Member Nina Butler, who presented at a Policy for a Circular Economy session, along with Sarah Peery from Senator Portman’s office (RECYCLE Act Sponsor). Dylan de Thomas, VP of Collaboration at The Recycling Partnership, served as moderator. The session conveyed that the emergence of a circular economy has created an opportunity for brands and packaging producers to shift from antagonism regarding US packaging policy toward value chain engagement and collective participation in the policy-making process. Decision makers are considering policies from Extended Producer Responsibility to Check-Off programs aimed at curbing waste.
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The National Recycling Congress Is Coming Back!
The National Recycling Coalition will be hosting the National Recycling Congress for the first time in 12 years! The (virtual) Congress will take place on the third day of the National Zero Waste Conference on December 3 2020, and includes interactive discussion on major policy issues and positions. Trust us, you don't want to miss it!
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NRC Award Nominations Due October 1, 2020
The National Recycling Coalition announces the “Call for Nominations” for the 2020 Awards – with awards presented at the NRC Annual Meeting (virtual) on October 20, 2020. Spread the word – Quick Turnaround!!
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Nominate the best programs or individual you know in the following categories:
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1. NRC’s Lifetime Achievement Award
2. Bill Heenan Emerging Leader Award .
3. Outstanding Recycling Organization
4. Outstanding Business Leadership
5. Outstanding Non-Profit Business Leadership
6. Outstanding Community or Government Program
7. Outstanding Outreach Program
8. Outstanding Higher Education Program
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Nominate a worthy candidate (you may self-nominate) by clicking on the following link. For questions, please contact Lisa Skumatz at [email protected], or at (360)261-3069. Deadline is 5pm on October 1, so get your nominations in now!
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Midwest Markets, MRF's and Movements
by Marta Keane, Illinois Recycling Association Board Member
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Recently we spoke to a Midwest recycling processor and longtime NRC-member with decades of experience. Although our source must remain anonymous due to proprietary concerns, the information they have shared is consequently uncontaminated (pun intended). Let’s call the company: WeSort, Inc. for the purposes of the article. We asked for WeSort, Inc.’s perspective on today’s recycling markets still struggling with Chinese trade restrictions, lower commodity values, high contamination, and COVID-19 pandemic shifts. Recognizing the importance that local, regional and global markets play in the success of any business, but few more than the movement of recyclables, it is crucial that we understand the current plight of recycling companies.
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“Movement is key, it is the most important issue for a MRF. Without valuable and sustainable markets, there is no recycling.” said a WeSort, Inc. representative.
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NRC Call for Board Nominations Is Open!
The NRC is now accepting nominations for the 2020 NRC Board Of Directors Election. If you are interested in making a difference at the national level, consider running! The 2020 Election will take place at this year’s virtual Members Meeting on Tuesday, October 20. You may nominate yourself or someone else by completing the nomination form that can be found on the nrcrecycles.org web site. Please do not nominate someone else without their consent. The deadline to apply for the NRC Board of Directors is Tuesday, September 22, 2020.
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The basic requirements for board members are:
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- Must be at least 18 years old
- Must have been an NRC Member for at least one year OR be a designated representative of a state Recycling Organization that has been a member of NRC for at least one year.
Contact NRC for more information and to learn more about serving on the Board.
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Field Trip – Food Waste to Renewable Natural Gas
by Marialyce Pedersen, NRC Board Secretary
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About 10 conference attendees drove solo on August 20th (due to the pandemic), 55 miles east of Los Angeles, into San Bernardino County, and while socially distanced and masked, saw the nearly completed facility. It is the largest facility of its kind to date in North America, which expects to begin accepting about 2,000 tons of food waste per day beginning this Fall. It will be anaerobically digested in massive tanks which mimic the action of human stomachs, in order to produce renewable natural gas and soil amendments.
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Missed the Last Webinar? Catch the Recording!
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Thank You National Zero Waste Conference Sponsors!
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