Promoting sustainable recycling in the Southeast by connecting local supply and regional demand of recovered material.
July 2018   Sharing News and Events in our Region
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SERDC News
 & Announcements

Upcoming Webinars
July 31, 2018

August 20-23, 2018
Wastecon* and SWANA./ISRI MRF Summit (Aug. 22-23)
Nashville, TN

August 22-24, 2018
Orange Beach, AL 

September 16-19, 2018
St. Simons Island, GA

September 16-19, 2018
Baton Rouge, LA

October 8-10, 2018
Eureka Springs, AR

October 9-11, 2018
New Orleans, LA

October 22-24, 2018
St. Louis, MO

*SAY HELLO TO SERDC AT THESE EVENTS
Wed. July 18: 2:30 - 3:30 PM ET
Zero Waste and Climate Change
An alternative 'consumption' GHG inventory approach reveals that over 40% of global GHG emissions come from production, consumption, and disposition of food and manufactured products.  In this class, you will learn about the different types of GHG inventories, and how and why Zero Waste Climate Protection (ZWCP) is a significant yet overlooked solution. 

Requires a $25 fee. (GreenEducation)


Thurs. July 26:  1:00 - 2:30  PM  ET
Pay-as-You Throw Best Management Practices and Success Programs
This webinar will  describe PAYT programs and other policies that may help increase recycling, and  share examples of implementation at the local level.


Tue. August 21:  1:00 - 2:30 PM ET
Life Cycle Inventory Analysis: The First Inventory to Include Recycled PET, HDPE, and PP
The soon to be published 2018 Life Cycle Assessment includes updates to the PET and HDPE information from the 2010 LCI, with the addition of Polypropylene (PP). This webinar will provide a summary of the 2018 LCI, the implications for the plastics recycling industry, and the potential impact on demand for recycled resins. (
APR)

SERDC News and Announcements SERDCNews
Recycling Industry Unites with Goal of Addressing Key Issues  
In May, SERDC joined a group of organizations representing various segments of the recycling industry met to discuss ways to better collaborate to advance the industry as a whole. The initial meeting, which took place in Washington, DC, at the headquarters of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, was an open discussion aimed at identifying ways throughout the recycling stream to improve quality, increase demand for material, and promote products made with recycled content.

As part of the initial phase, the organizations have released the following statement of cooperation:

"As representatives of the complete recycling chain, we understand that improving the quality of the recycling stream and increasing the demand for recyclables in the manufacture of new products will deliver economic and environmental benefits nationwide. We commit to actively engaging with one another to enhance the nation's recycling systems, while simultaneously continuing our own organizations' work to influence change."

The groups have scheduled a meeting in August to determine specific courses of action and efforts to work on collectively. 

Organizations participating in the effort include:
  • American Forest & Paper Association
  • Ameripen
  • Association of Plastic Recyclers
  • Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries
  • Keep America Beautiful
  • Northeast Recycling Council
  • National Recycling Coalition
  • National Waste & Recycling Association
  • Plastics Industry Association
  • The Recycling Partnership
  • Southeast Recycling Development Council
  • Sustainable Packaging Coalition
  • Solid Waste Association of North America.
Please contact SERDC if you'd like to learn more about the objectives being developed to meet this goal or would like more information about becoming involved.


Early-bird Attendee Registration now open!

This November will be the biennial Southeast Recycling Development Council Summit. Held every other year, this event brings national speakers, exhibitors and attendees together for collaboration, education and networking.

The Summit this year will be packed with information and guidance on how to meet recycling's biggest challenges ever-- contamination, creating cohesive relationships and improving markets for materials.

Early-bird registration saves you $100 off the regular rates and being a SERDC member saves you even more.  Reserve your spot today.

NRC is  Forging New Paths: Making Recycling Markets Happen

Event on July 31, 2018 in Peachtree, GA brings dialog to industry

SERDC's Executive Director, Will Sagar will be one of the speakers at this upcoming workshop.

Recycled materials and trash should look very different from each other, but for years they have been converging in the U.S. China has not been the creator of today's crisis in the industry - U.S. mills have been complaining for years - but China's recent embargo of U.S. recycling imports is shining a mirror on our recycling industry and providing a clear signal that we can no longer pretend diversion of waste into a recycling bin is recycling.

Material Recovery Facilities can produce quality materials out of both single stream and dual stream inputs, but not when 20+% of the input "recyclable" stream, in some cases, are not recyclables. A combination of "wishful recycling" and insufficient enforcement of quality is proving very damaging to the industry - abysmal and volatile markets, a dirty product that is not a reliable "commodity", closed plants, and programs that are hurting economically.

We cannot continue to act and behave as if business as usual will offer a solution to today's issues. We must fundamentally shift how we speak to the public, how we collect and process our recyclables, and what our end markets accept and utilize to truly recycle.

Join NRC and the Georgia Recycling Coalition for the second in our series of Markets Development Workshops and learn how we can create jobs, improve the quality and quantity of recyclables and increase efficiency in our systems.

Register now!           $85 GRC and NRC members, $115 non-members.

For more information visit the NRC website.

The National Recycling Coalition is a Non-Profit member of SERDC.
Monday, August 20 from 1-5 pm

Quality of material has never been more important. The Recycling Partnership, in partnership with Keep America Beautiful, and SERDC will facilitate an energetic and creative workshop that will engage the audience and present proven best management practices
and operational protocols that have been proven to decrease contamination and increase the capture of recyclables. Participants will learn tactics and practical strategies for operations and outreach to take on the challenge of contamination. 

Travel scholarships are now available to KAB affiliates and community recycling program managers throughout the Southeast.  The deadline for application for the scholarship is Monday July 23 at 12 pm CT!

From SERDC MembersFromMembers

SWANA and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) present the 2018 Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) Summit, to be held on August 22-23 at SWANA's WASTECON® conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

"This summit is the first of its kind," said Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. "We expect to host the most spirited debates that have ever occurred in this industry."

ISRI is a Business member of SERDC.
York County, South Carolina Gets New Single Stream MRF with Machinex Equipment
 
Announced June 18, 2018

Machinex was awarded the bid to provide a new single-stream material recovery system  (MRF) for York County, South Carolina, who plans to go operational in July.  This new system will allow the County  to process the growing tonnage of residential recycling materials being generated in the surrounding area, currently from  16 Collection & Recycling Centers located throughout the County.

The recovery facility is designed to process 10,000 to 15,000 tons per year of mixed single stream that comes primarily from residential with a limited amount of commercial. It features equipment such as a MACH double-
deck OCC screen which reduces wrapping and improves cardboard recovery as well as a fines screen at the beginning of the process. A MACH Ballistic Separator was installed instead of a traditional disc screen to separate the fiber from the containers. The automated container-sorting line includes a PET optical sorter, a magnet and an eddy current separator. Finally, a Machinex II-ram baler was selected to complete this system.

Rusty Angel, Eastern Region Sales Manager at Machinex comments: "The County has been processing all of the recyclables collected from their 16 Collection & Recycling Centers at a dual-stream facility that utilized nearly all
manual labor. We applaud the County for having the vision to build this new, single-stream facility to process their material for many years to come.  Machinex will be a great partner to help them meet the demands of their
rapidly-growing population."

Machinex is a Bronze Sponsor Member of SERDC.

Posted June  11, 2018 on Coca-ColaCompany.com

This summer, The  Coca-Cola  Company and its family of 68 independently owned bottlers across the country are inviting young Americans to help deliver a better tomorrow through the "Dear Future [Community] Challenge."

Through Oct. 15, 18 to 24-year-olds across the U.S. can submit ideas to tackle community-specific challenges at  coke.com/dearfuturecommunity Coca-Cola  USA partnered with local bottlers and partners to identify issues that matter to local communities across the country and are grounded in its  #CocaColaRenew priorities - from recycling in Boston, to getting women and girls involved in public service in Los Angeles, to helping military veterans transition to civilian careers in Dallas. 

Coca-Cola and its local bottlers will team up with  Coca-Cola  Scholars and community partners to evaluate submissions and award $30,000 grants to 17 change-making ideas. These community leaders will mentor and collaborate with the winners to make their visions a reality by early 2019.

Coca-Cola is a Platinum Sponsor Member and The Recycling Partnership  is a Bronze Sponsor Member of SERDC.


Nancy Womack
Director of Acct & Rep Development
Caraustar Recyclin
Former SERDC Vice President now Communications Committee Chairman for ISRI

Posted July 10, 2018 from ISRI


This year, Nancy Womack celebrates twenty years with Caraustar Recycling. In Nancy's current position as Director of Account and Representative Development, she manages the productivity of 23 Sales Associates. Prior to Caraustar, Nancy assisted local municipalities in beginning and managing their curbside recycling programs as well as building recycling collection centers. After 10 years in this capacity through local Keep America Beautiful Affiliates, Nancy made the switch to the private sector.

Nancy has served in the following capacities:

  • 1991 President, Keep Georgia Beautiful Executive Director's Association
  • 2008 Volunteer of the Year-GRC; Honorary Board Member-GRC
  • 2012 Vice President, SERDC

Caraustar is a silver sponsor member of SERDC.

Posted June 20, 2018 on AmericanChemistry.com

The Materials Recovery for the Future (MRFF) research program today announced a new partnership with J.P. Mascaro & Sons Inc. to pilot single-stream curbside recycling of flexible plastic packaging (FPP) at its TotalRecycle materials recovery facility (MRF) in Berks County, Pennsylvania. This will be the first pilot to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of recycling household FPP from municipal residential single-stream recycling programs.

FPP is becoming a more commonly used form of packaging, thanks to its light-weight properties and enhanced product performance and protection. According to Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) the recycling system consultancy which conducts the MRFF research program, 12 billion pounds of the material is introduced into the market for consumer use every year, and it is the fastest growing form of packaging. RRS estimates TotalRecycle will produce 3,100 tons/year of high-quality post-consumer FPP feedstock for various end market uses that are being tested.

Van Dyk Recycling Solutions will add sophisticated sorting equipment to Mascaro's TotalRecycle facility that will target FPP out of the single stream flow. The FPP will be identified and separated by advanced optical sorters, resulting in a new generation bale of FPP.

The pilot program will begin in late 2018 with the installation of the sorting equipment. After an internal testing period, TotalRecycle will begin accepting FPP for recycling from the municipal residents it serves. From equipment order to acceptance of FPP in curbside carts, the pilot program is expected to last two years time.

ACC is a Bronze sponsor member and VanDyk is a Business member of SERDC.
Around the SoutheastAroundSE

Posted by WasteDove.com on June 22, 2018

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has released a report,  Beyond 34: Recycling and Recovery for a New Economy, aimed at increasing the average 34% recycling rate in the United States. The goal is to help cities and businesses create more sustainable futures.  T he report provides a scalable model to improve recycling rates based on a public-private pilot conducted in the Orlando, Florida region, which began in September 2017. 

Researchers' analysis of Orlando led to conclusions and advice repeatable in other municipalities who aim to improve recycling rates. A recurring theme is that greater recycling can boost local economies in a number of ways, such as reducing landfill costs, creating jobs and capturing the value of recoverable materials instead of landfilling them. The report notes the total cost of lost recyclables in the Southeast United States has an estimated value of $721 million and a disposal cost of $220 million. 


Recommendations point to regional recycling plans and relying on public-private partnerships, especially for actions such as MRF upgrades and operations and organizing a recycling champions network.

Both neighboring communities and private partners can assist with developing educational campaigns, which are recommended because improved education on the topic leads to better recycling. Cities should expect to spend about $1 per household on educational campaigns, or $3 to $4 per household if the campaign addresses changes to an existing recycling program. Again, partnerships can help individual cities defer some of the costs of developing such campaigns.

Posted by WasteDove..com on June 20, 2018

RePower South has  officially been selected  to reopen the newly named 
Montgomery Recycling and Recovery Facility in Montgomery, Alabama. City officials have projected that recycling service will now resume in late 2018 via a mixed waste collection system.   RePower will spend $7 million on new 
equipment - as part of an estimated $12 million overall investment - to update the facility, according to  the Montgomery Advertiser  and  other local outlets .  It is is expected to create 60 "green jobs".

The city also announced a new "smart cities" partnership with Rubicon Global for Montgomery Sanitation vehicles.

Posted by WasteToday.com on July 11, 2018

A Conyers, Georgia, alternative energy company is planning to build a waste-to-energy facility at the Augusta, Georgia, city landfill,  a report by the Augusta Chronicle saysAllied Energy Services says the 55,000-square-foot facility would be capable of converting up to 175,000 tons of waste per year into small pellets that could be used as biomass fuel or converted into engineered building materials, such as flooring and paneling.

The $38 million project is expected to be complete by early next year and would be the first of its kind in Georgia, the report says. Allied is waiting for permits from the  Georgia Environmental Protection Division, Atlanta, but once the permits are issued, construction could start by the end of summer.

The pellets created at the waste-to-energy facility would be marked as an industrial fuel. The second phase of the project, a manufacturing plant that will cost $30 million to develop, would convert the pellets into high-density fiberboard.

SRI
Now a Bronze Sponsor Member--Thank you!
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