The Carolina Recycling Association (CRA), in collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC), The Recycling Market Development Advisory Council (RMDAC), and South Carolina Department of Commerce (SC DOC) is offering scholarships to South Carolina residents to attend the 2016 Carolina Recycling Association Conference in Wilmington, NC. These scholarship funds are available as a result of the SC Recycling License Plate Fund.

The scholarships are being offered to SC Government Employees and Recycling Entrepreneurs. These scholarships cover only the conference registration fee and associated meals. Transportation, additional meals, and lodging are not included in the scholarship. Scholarship funds will be allocated directly to CRA. Recipients do not have to pay their registration up front.

Applications are due TODAY, January 29, 2016

Click here for more details & the scholarship application

Each year, the Carolina Recycling Association honors top performers that advance waste reduction and recycling in the Carolinas. Award recipients will be honored at the 26th Annual Conference. For the first time, the award categories have all been consolidated into a general pool and a panel of judges will select outstanding people, projects, and/or programs to recognize with our 26th Annual Awards.  The awards are open to companies, individuals, governments, schools, organizations, non-profits, and councils - Projects and programs large and small.  If you're recycling or reducing waste, you're eligible!

The awards nomination deadline is February 5, 2016.

Submit a Nomination Now

The Carolina Panthers teamed up for the seventh season with City of Charlotte Solid Waste Services, Keep Mecklenburg Beautiful, Bojangles and Charlotte Center City Partners to sack waste and score big for recycling with the Tailgate Recycling Program.  Throughout the season, tailgaters received a specially marked bag sponsored by Bojangles for their tailgating recyclables.  Since the program began, Panthers fans have recycled 198 tons of materials.  For it's seventh season, the program organizers had a big goal, recycling 50 tons of waste.  Did they make their 50 ton goal as the Panthers kept pounding towards Super Bowl 50?  Yes!  The Tailgate Recycling Team of 144 season volunteers collected 50.36 tons surpassing last season's 45.35 tons.  Inside the stadium, the Panthers' recycling program collected 92.72 tons of material and diverted 10.69 tons of food waste.  Overall, both recycling programs diverted 153.77 tons from the landfill.

The 2016 RecycleMania Tournament is right around the corner, and CRA encourages all colleges and universities in NC & SC to get involved. Throughout February and March campuses across the country will be rallying students and staff to up their game by recycling and reducing waste as part of this friendly competition.  Registration is now open for all colleges & universities. Check out the schools who have already signed up for 2016.

North Carolina has announced it will be the second state to officially partner with WRAP.  The American Chemistry Council's Flexible Film Recycling Group (FFRG) represents materials suppliers, brand owners, retailers and recyclers, and its Wrap Action Recycling Program ("WRAP") works directly with states, municipalities and retailers committed to increasing plastic film recycling through store drop-off programs.

Through this program, WRAP and North Carolina will implement a series of campaign initiatives using effective communications tools and best practices to support community outreach efforts on plastic film recycling. The program will also work to encourage commitment by more retailers to collect a broader mix of polyethylene film materials from consumers. Additionally, the program will work to expand collection and recycling of commercial film (pallet wrap and transport packaging) from small- to mid-sized businesses.

The Carton Council is proud to announce that great progress was made in carton recycling during 2015, with 57% of U.S. households now reporting access to carton recycling. Thanks to collaborative industry efforts and support from communities nationwide, 67.1 million households across 48 states can now recycle their food and beverage cartons through curbside and drop-off programs.