Member Spotlight

Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC)

The mission of the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) is to encourage and assist citizens, businesses, and government agencies to prevent pollution, conserve natural resources, and reduce waste to protect human health and the environment of Illinois and beyond.

ISTC integrates applied research, technical assistance and information services to advance efforts in the areas of pollution prevention; water and energy conservation; and materials recycling and beneficial reuse.

The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) has frequently worked with University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Facilities and Services to reduce waste and improve diversion as part of overall efforts to achieve campus carbon neutrality by 2050. Recent efforts have resulted in deployment of new collection stations that collocate trash and recycling bins and improve clarity of material placement for source separation. The new bins are made of 97% recycled HDPE. For more information, see https://blog.istc.illinois.edu/2020/03/09/technical-assistance-program-helps-ui-facilities-services-improve-recycling-collection/ .

The ISTC is a member of the Illinois Recycling Association. The IRA is proud to have Dr BK Sharma, Senior Research Scientist, on its Board of Directors.

Members of the Illinois Recycling Association enjoy the benefit of spotlighting their Business, Government, Educational Institution or Non-Profit entity in a future Newsletter. If you would like to be featured, please send an email to info@illinoisrecycles.org

April 22, 2020 - 50th ANNIVERSARY OF EARTH DAY

The first Earth Day was conceived by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin as an environmental teach-in. On April 22, 1970, an estimated 20 million people participated in rallies and protests. As many public events and gatherings have been cancelled, the opportunity for us to stay engaged has not. There are many ways for us to tap into the virtual resources available.

 

EARTH DAY NETWORK ANNOUNCES SHIFT TO GLOBAL DIGITAL MOBILIZATIONS FOR 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF EARTH DAY

https://www.earthday.org/press-release/coronavirus-announcement-digital-earth-day/

If your organization is offering a program for Earth Day, please don’t hesitate to share the information with us. We encourage people staying at home to consider watching movies, documentaries or other programs on reuse, recycling, composting and waste reduction. Some may declutter and donate items to charity while others may mend or fix some items in disrepair. Whatever you do, value Earth’s resources.

NUCOR Tour Event - Canceled

The Illinois Recycling Association respects all public health strategies designed to protect everyone’s health and safety. In light of current conditions surrounding the Coronavirus COVID-19, the tour of the NUCOR recycling facility in Bourbonnais IL is canceled. We will revisit tours once business returns to normal and this public health threat is resolved.

IRA Webinars and Learning

Stay tuned for more updates as the Board of Directors coordinate webinars and other quality educational workshops for the remainder of this year. We will highlight topics that support the relevancy and expansion of recycling, waste reduction, reuse and composting efforts in Illinois.

Legislative Update

Springfield has been busy this past month with First Readings, Assignments and Hearings on a wide variety of House and Senate Bills. They were on a break from March 9 through the 13 but extended that through March 20 due to concerns over Coronavirus. It is uncertain how this impacts the March 27th Committee Deadlines. Of interest to IRA members are:

·          HB 2651/SB 3424 Recycling - Beverage Containers - creates deposit act

·          HB2831 Carpet (not fully published as of March 17)

·          HB3335/SB 3423 Carryout Bag Fee (corrected HB# from previous publication)

·          HB4058 CMS-Recycling Program

·          HB4432 Exclusive Disposal Contracts

·          HB4704 Right to Garden Act

·          HB4715/SB 3087 IEPA - Compost Facility

·          HB4888 Pharmaceutical Take-Back

·          HB4902 Income Tax - Anaerobic Digesters

·          HB5169/SB3677 Polystyrene Foam Ban

·          HB5351 Balloons

·          HB5496 Mercury Thermostat Collection

·          SB1828 Needle and Hypodermic Needle Access

·          SB2909 Renters Right to Recycle

·          SB2920 Plastic Straw Ban

·          SB3663 Paint Collection and Recycling (not fully published as of March

Recycling Best Practices: Glass

Glass bottles and jars have always been recyclable and broken glass remains part of the ingredient list when making new glass products. However, glass is heavy, making it costly to transport and must be pulled from other materials in a MRF first to prevent wear and tear to conveyor belts and sorting equipment. Once separated, it may have a high level of contamination from other mixed materials in a single stream or dual stream system. This means it requires further processing.

The color of glass is also a factor when marketing it. Clear glass has the highest value as it can become any color when recycled. This is not the case with brown, green, or blue. Due to this, even though glass processors are in and around Illinois, some areas in the State do not have curbside glass recycling service. In addition, many high volume generators, such as restaurants and bars, are unable to contract for service. This results in heavier waste being sent to our landfills which increases profit at the loss of air space and resources. IRA encourages communities to work with MRFs and C&D processors to recover glass. If not turned into bottles it can be used as road base, as cullet in concrete and in construction.

Note from the Board of Directors

We want to thank all of you for your participation and support. We’re looking forward to continued work with Members and followers of the Illinois Recycling Association. You are always welcome to submit topics of interest to the recycling industry to info@illinoisrecycles.org

It is not loo late to join / renew your membership!

Stay healthy and safe!

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"Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase."

Martin Luther King Jr