January 2021 www.newmoa.org
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Happy New Year! We welcome 2021 and a time of renewal. All of us at NEWMOA hope you are healthy and safe.
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Thank You & Best Wishes to Peter Pettit, NYSDEC
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For many years, Peter Pettit led various New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) solid waste and sustainable materials management (SMM) programs until he retired at the end of 2020. Most recently, he directed the Bureau of Waste Reduction and Recycling and oversaw many of DEC's SMM efforts, including the State's Bottle Bill program, waste reduction and recycling programs, disaster debris management, the organics recycling and management activities, mercury product reduction and management efforts, pollution prevention, and the product stewardship programs. Peter actively worked on implementing EPR for paint and electronics in NY. Over the years, he has provided considerable expertise and energy toward advancing SMM in NY and the region.
Peter was a member of NEWMOA's Board for about 10 years and was the Chair in 2015 and Vice Chair in 2014 and 2020. He was also always willing to help with those important aspects of the Board's oversight and management that others are reluctant to take on, such as interviewing potential new hires and assisting with recruiting and selecting NEWMOA's auditor. He chaired NEWMOA's Solid Waste and Sustainable Materials Management Program from 2017 to 2020.
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We only have space to highlight a handful of Peter's numerous contributions to NEWMOA over the past two decades. He was particularly active in NEWMOA's joint Workgroups with NERC, including those focused on Food Recovery and Extended Producer Responsibility, and he initiated a regional group to share information on implementation of state bottle bill programs. During the past year, he supported NEWMOA and NERC's efforts to launch a Recycled Content Legislation Workgroup. He helped lead NY's efforts to enact and implement EPR programs for e-waste, pharmaceuticals, and paint. He provided leadership in the regional efforts to reduce mercury in products and waste. He was active in NEWMOA's Disaster Debris Workgroup and a regular contributor to the annual meetings that NEWMOA convened of state, territorial, and federal solid waste officials in EPA Region 2 over the past five or so years. He has been an invaluable colleague and friend to the NEWMOA staff and his colleagues on the Board. All of us will miss his leadership, good humor, insights, kindness, and dedication. Peter loves to hike the Adirondack mountains, and we hope he will continue to pursue this passion now that he has more time. Peter - we wish you much continued success and happiness!
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NEWMOA is Hiring Project Staff
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NEWMOA is seeking to hire a Project Staff Person who has a minimum of one year of full time or equivalent part time professional experience in the field of environmental science, policy, or planning. The successful candidate must have an undergraduate degree from a recognized school with a major in biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, environmental science or health, environmental planning or policy, or engineering. A graduate degree from a recognized school with a major in one of the fields listed above may be substituted for a maximum of one year of the required experience.
NEWMOA is seeking the following basic knowledge and skills:
- Knowledge of federal and state waste management, toxic chemicals, and pollution prevention policies and programs
- Good communications skills, both verbal and written
- Excellent organizational skills
- Good problem-solving skills
- Ability to work effectively with scientists, engineers, and policy makers and to establish professional credibility
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Facility with spreadsheets and other basic software systems
The general duties and responsibilities include:
- Gathers and presents information for members and others
- Assists with implementing projects and with project planning and reporting
- Assists with organizing meetings and documenting NEWMOA Workgroup/s activities
- Gathers and presents information for members and others
- Assists with organizing presentations, community events, and workshops
- Conducts research and drafts presentations of the results
- Helps to draft technical or policy documents, fact sheets, handouts, reports, guidance, presentations, and memos
- Assists with updating and maintaining NEWMOA's websites and social networking sites
The satisfactory performance of the above duties and responsibilities requires the staff person to
The satisfactory performance of the above duties and responsibilities requires the staff person to have a thorough understanding of NEWMOA's programs, organization, and policies. The ideal candidate must be able to exercise initiative and exhibit resourcefulness in complicated situations. They must be able to work effectively with state and federal officials at both staff and management levels and with varied professional backgrounds. The ability to organize the workload and perform tasks in an accurate, conclusive, and timely manner is required.
The Project Staff person will assist with development of educational materials for wasted food reduction and recovery projects; help with planning and holding webinars, meetings, and other events; conduct analysis of state municipal solid waste data; support NEWMOA's Interstate Mercury Education and Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC) and Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse activities; and assist with other projects and activities, as needed.
NEWMOA accepts applicants who are located in the Boston area as well as other parts of New England that are within two hours of the City.
To apply, send a cover letter, resume, and 2-3 references to Terri Goldberg, tgoldberg@newmoa.org. Applications are due by February 8.
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Solid Waste & Sustainable Materials Management
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Webinars
Strategies for Collecting Residential Food Waste
Joint NERC and NEWMOA's Free Webinar, February 3, 2:00 Eastern
Sponsored by Vanguard Renewables
Composting and anaerobic digestion are great, but first the organics have to be collected. This free webinar being offered by NERC and NEWMOA, will present three models for successful collection of food waste from households:
- Amy Donovan, Franklin County Solid Waste District (MA), who will focus on transfer station drop-off
- Bob Spencer, Windham Regional Solid Waste District (VT), who will focus on municipal curbside and transfer station drop-off
- Phoebe Lyttle, Garbage to Gardens, who will discuss a subscription service that collects curbside organics from households
De-packaging & Commercial Composting - An Integrated System for Organics Recycling
Joint NERC and NEWMOA Webinar, held on January 20; sponsored by Vanguard Renewables & ADS.
De-packaging is a relatively new player in the commercial anaerobic digestion and composting industry, providing a tool for commercially-generated food waste - such as unsold and damaged food and beverages - to be separated from its packaging. The food is processed in an anaerobic digestor, the packaging is recycled, and some of the residuals can be composted. In this free NEWMOA and NERC joint webinar, we heard from three industry experts:
- Debra Darby, Tetra Tech
- John Hanselman, Vanguard Energy
- Brian Paganini, Quantum BioPower
Joint Virtual Workshop on Use of Recycled Content in Roadway Projects The virtual workshop was co-sponsored by NERC and NEWMOA in partnership with the Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA), Maine Resource Recovery Association (MRRA), the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Transportation, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and Department of Transportation, and the New Hampshire Technology Transfer Center. The November 16th workshop provided new insights and examples of practical applications. Presentation covered: - Plastic corrugated drainage pipes with recycled content
- Ground asphalt for roads
- Use of crumb rubber in roads
- Processed glass aggregate
Joint Virtual ReCook Café Webinar NEWMOA and NERC held a virtual ReCook Café in November. The Café featured a mix of live and recorded cooking demonstrations by four professional chefs who shared their favorite tips, tricks, techniques, and more to help participants get the most out of home cooked meals, reducing waste while creating delicious dishes. Gary Feinland, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Anne Bijur, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, and Jesse Kerns, Syracuse University Center for Sustainable Community Solutions planned the webinar. The presenters included Chef Peter Ricardo, Product Donation Manager, Food Bank of Central New York; Chef Morgan Waite, Culinary Educator, Honest Weight Food Coop; Chef Abigail Henson, Founder,Farm Girl Juicery; and Chef Jim McCarthy, Chef/Owner, The Market Mill.
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New Documents
End Food Waste
NEWMOA has partnered with the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA) in New York on a project to produce outreach materials to help the public reduce food waste that also provide recipe ideas. To date, four handouts have been published and are available on the OCRRA website:
Comments to EPA on Proposed National Recycling Strategy
NEWMOA submitted a comment letter to EPA HQs regarding the proposed EPA "National Recycling Strategy" (available at https://www.epa.gov/americarecycles/national-recycling-strategy-and-framework-advancing-us-recycling-system). In the letter, NEWMOA expressed its agreement with EPA that contamination, recycling markets, and infrastructure are key challenges in the U.S. recycling system and that national leadership by EPA to address those challenges is important. NEWMOA believes that the highest national priority under the proposed strategy should be improving the markets for recyclables; contamination of the recycling stream is a challenge that is affecting those markets.
NEWMOA's most significant concern about the proposed strategy and framework is the lack of clarity about how the plan would be implemented. State solid waste authorities play a major role in the oversight and implementation of solid waste recycling programs and should be actively represented and involved in the implementation of any national recycling strategy. Municipalities manage the services on the ground, and their budgets are severely constrained, and cannot be expected to fund needed infrastructure improvements. The recent increases in recycling costs have exacerbated their financial challenges. Under normal circumstances, and particularly now during the pandemic, these local and state programs are understaffed and lack adequate resources to implement their mandates and provide effective services. For them to take an active role in the proposed national strategy would require additional resources.
NEWMOA believes that the U.S. needs to consider alternative recycling policies to advance and increase recycling, improve efficiency in the system, and relieve local and state budgets. A national bottle bill, separate collection of glass, national mandatory minimum post-consumer recycled content standards, and bans on such materials as styrofoam and single use plastic bags are a few examples of national policy approaches that would be effective at improving our national recycling system. NEWMOA also encourages EPA to consider the potential role of national extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs. State and municipal recycling programs have no control over the materials in municipal solid waste, which are rapidly changing, particularly the materials in packaging. The manufacturers and brand owners, who make the decisions about the content of their products and packaging, should play a much more significant role in their management at end-of-life. We believe that EPR approaches offer solutions that engage manufacturers and brands in financing collection and management of the recycling of their products. A nationally consistent approach to EPR for packaging and paper products and other materials in municipal solid waste would be preferable to a patchwork of state laws and programs. EPR programs can be complemented by the other policy strategies listed above and where applicable, assisted by landfill/disposal bans.
While EPA's proposed strategy focuses on recycling, which is important, NEWMOA believes that it would be enhanced by the integration of source reduction and reuse. These are equally critical and economically important approaches to reducing disposal of solid waste.
For the complete letter, visit:
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PFAS Webinar Series & Conference
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NEWMOA is hosting a webinar series to share available information on the prevalence of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment and the risk it might pose to public health. The webinars scheduled so far are listed below. NEWMOA is working to schedule at least 8 additional webinars. All webinars are 1:30 to 3:00 (Eastern).
Health Effects of Exposure to PFAS
Tuesday February 23, 2021, 1:30 Eastern
Presenters: Dr. Angela Perez, Center for Toxicology & Environmental Health & Dr. Carmen Messerlian, Harvard University School of Public Health
Health Effects of PFAS Mixtures
Tuesday March 2, 2021, 1:30 Eastern
Presenters: Greylin Nielsen & Dr. Jennifer Schlezinger, Boston University School of Public Health
The Case for a Class Approach to PFAS
Wednesday March 24, 2021, 1:30 Eastern
Presenters: Dr. David Andrews, Environmental Working Group & Dr. Simona Balan, California Department of Toxic Substances Control
All webinars are FREE for federal, state, and local government officials only (read the webinar webpage). All others must pay with a credit card when registering. The fee is $75 with a reduced rate of $25 for non-profit organizations, students, and academics.
Science of PFAS Conference: March 29-30, 2022
In the face of the COVID-19 crisis, NEWMOA has postponed its Science of PFAS until March 29-30, 2022. It will take place at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel and Conference Center. All registrations, exhibits, and sponsorships have been transferred to the new dates.
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Waste Site Clean-Up & Brownfields
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Brownfields Summit: May 18 & 19, 2022
The Revitalizing New England: Brownfields Summit was originally scheduled to take place on October 7-8, 2020 but because of the pandemic restrictions and the dates of the national brownfields conference, the new dates for the Summit are May 18-19, 2022.
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NEWMOA's Board of Directors virtually met in December to discuss state and EPA waste, toxics, PFAS, and pollution prevention challenges and NEWMOA's FY 2021 finances, projects, and strategic priorities.
NEWMOA's FY 2021 Officers are:
- Mike Hastry, NJ DEP, Chair
- Dave Burns, ME DEP, Vice Chair
- Greg Cooper, Mass DEP, Treasurer
The other FY 2021 Board members include:
- Yvonne Bolton, CT DEEP
- Diane Baxter, Mass DEP
- Tiffany Skogstrom, Mass OTA
- Mike Wimsatt, NH DES
- Melissa Zych, NH DES
- MaryJo Aiello, NJ DEP
- John Vana, NYSDEC
- Mike Ryan, NYSDEC
- Ron Gagnon, RI DEM
- Leo Hellested, RI DEM
- Chuck Schwer, VT DEC
Program Chairs:
- Chris Nelson, CT DEEP - Solid Waste and Sustainable Materials Management
- Tom Killeen, NYSDEC - Hazardous Waste
- Trish Coppolino, VT DEC - Waste Site Cleanup
- Pam Hadad-Hurst, NYSDEC - Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2)
- Melissa Zych, NH DES - Pollution Prevention and Sustainability
- Tom Metzner, CT DEEP - Interstate Mercury Education and Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC)
NEWMOA's Board greatly appreciates Nicole Lugli's leadership as NEWMOA's Chair in FY 2020. Great job!
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news@NEWMOA is designed to help our members and colleagues keep informed about the Association's projects and activities. You are receiving this e-newsletter because you are a member of a NEWMOA working group, committee, or program; invitee to NEWMOA events; a colleague at a related organization or EPA; connected to the Association in some other way; or have expressed interest in our work. news@NEWMOA contributors include Andy Bray, Terri Goldberg, Jennifer Griffith, Lois Makina, and Melissa Nadeau.
If you have questions about delivery of this e-Newsletter, contact Lois Makina.
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NEWMOA is an equal opportunity employer and provider
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