Monthly News & Updates in the Southeast
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Upcoming Events
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
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Upcoming Webinars
October 24, 2019: 1:00 pm ET–
Over the last three years, EPA has consulted with the Consumer Technology Association, the Staples Sustainable Innovation Lab and Dr. Callie Babbitt from the Rochester Institute of Technology to develop, design and implement research to explore the impacts of electronics across their life cycle.
October 30, 2019: 12:00 pm ET–
Participants will take part in a discussion about ways to make the most of your community events by utilizing effective community outreach strategies. We will highlight Partnership tools for event outreach and feature one community’s recipe for success for engaging with residents through outreach at events.
November 20, 2019: TBD –
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SERDC News & Announcements
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Last Chance- Registration ends Monday at noon!
SERDC Fall Workshop and Annual Meeting
October 16, 2019
Riverbanks Zoo, Columbia SC
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Join us October 16 for an intensive one-day workshop and annual membership meeting at the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC.
Because this is a ticketed event, the last day to register is Monday, October 7 by noon.
Includes discussion from these great speakers:
America Recycles Day Update
- Cheryl Coleman, EPA
Discussion on markets, but not another markets discussion
- Andy Johnson, KW Plastics; Will Newsome, Sonoco;
Recycling Programs Under Fire?
- Lisa Skumatz, SERA
States Panel
- Michael Grappe, AK; Gary Logsdon, KY; Wendy Worley, NC; Richard Chesley, SC; Justin Williams, VA
Lunch and SERDC Annual Member Meeting
Messaging
- Jen Dabbs, SERDC
Success
- Sheila Sarovich, Waste Management
Cart Tagging Training
- Rachel Kipar, The Recycling Partnership with Allison Brockman, City of Greenville, SC
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Grants Available for Recycling Infrastructure Improvements
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Funding for another round of Grant funds from SERDC through a grant from the Coca-Cola Foundation is open.
Read more.
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SERDC sits on Congressional Caucus again
This time for the House
U.S. recycling industry employs more than 164,000 Americans, generating $110 billion in economic activity and $13 billion in tax revenue
On September 24th, a group of recycling-focused advocates briefed the Recycling Caucus on The State of U.S. Recycling. Hosted by Recycling Caucus Co-Chairs, House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Representative John Shimkus (R-IL), the event focused on the many of the economic and environmental benefits of recycling while addressing how changes to global environmental and trade policies are changing the industry's landscape.
In addition to SERDC, the event brought together other key stakeholders including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ISRI, DC Public Works, The Recycling Partnership, and the Paper Recycling Coalition.
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Why we shouldn’t backpedal on carton recycling
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Posted August 5, 2019 on resource-recycling.com
Lately, consumers have been exposed to new – and often confusing – information about recycling, encountering many headlines about the effects of China’s ban on waste imports from the U.S.
Suddenly, avid recyclers may be feeling somewhat uncertain about the practice. In fact, according to a poll commissioned recently by The Recycling Partnership, 73% of consumers are uncertain about what is recyclable.
One piece of good news in all this is that food and beverage carton recycling is still going strong.
When materials recovery facilities (MRFs) sort post-consumer cartons into their own Grade #52 bale, they create a valuable commodity that has several domestic end market options. China has never been a market for Grade #52 carton loads from the U.S., meaning that we can and should continue to recycle our cartons, paying particular attention to sort them into their own grade.
Misconceptions about material makeup
Cartons are made primarily of high-quality fiber that should not end up in landfills. One common misconception about cartons is that they can’t be recycled – or are hard to recycle – because they have multiple layers.
With all of this in mind, residents ought to rest easy knowing that their cartons are being recycled and that they are going on to become a variety of new products. This is where recycling coordinators and other stakeholders invested in their communities’ recycling infrastructures have a critical role to play.
At the center of robotic revolution in sorting
Meanwhile, work is ongoing to ensure cartons are efficiently sorted at facilities. To further encourage separating of cartons into Grade #52, the Carton Council has partnered with AMP Robotics since 2017 to bring the first recycling robots to Alpine Waste and Recycling in Denver and Dem-Con Companies in Minneapolis.
And in mid-June, it was announced that Single Stream Recyclers in Sarasota, Fla. was installing a catron-sorting robot from AMP in its facility. The unit is the first of six planned for the 100,000-square-foot MRF.
These robots have been programmed to recognize common logos, shapes and labels typically associated with food and beverage cartons. Using this repository of information, they each can pick about 80 cartons per minute with remarkable accuracy while also taking up less space than other mechanical sorters. With the help of artificial intelligence, these robots learn as they sort more cartons and go on to share their data and learnings with one another via cloud technology, offering a stunningly accurate means of sorting cartons into Grade #52 bales. They are also being used to sort other materials, helping to reduce contamination and improve the collection of the most valuable materials.
Jason Pelz is vice president of recycling projects for Carton Council of North America and circular economy director for Tetra Pak.
The Carton Council is a Silver Sponsor Member of SERDC.
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ISRI Releases 2019 Economic Impact Study Results
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ISRI released the 2019 Economic Impact Study Executive Summary highlighting the significant economic and environmental impact of the U.S. scrap recycling industry. The study, commissioned by ISRI and undertaken by John Dunham and Associates, looks at different kinds of economic activity – jobs and exports – and both direct and indirect economic impacts at the national, state, and congressional district levels.
The economic analysis shows that the U.S. scrap recycling industry is a major economic engine powerful enough to create 531,510 jobs and generate $12.9 billion in tax revenues for governments across the country, all while making the old new again and helping to protect the earth’s air, water, and land for future generations. The U.S. scrap recycling industry is particularly important because its operations are so widespread. In fact, the total economic activity generated by scrap recycling in the United States is nearly $110 billion.
ISRI is a Business Member of SERDC.
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The Recycling Partnership Launches Free Online DIYSigns
Free Tool Designed to Help Educate about What's Recyclable
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The Recycling Partnership announced the public beta launch of DIYSigns, the debut of a free online resource that anyone can use to help people know what to throw into the recycling. Whether at home, at the office, at school, at a sports stadium, or anywhere, education is needed to show what is recyclable and where.
"We know that consumer confusion is one of the top reasons why trash still ends up in recycling bins and carts. Our community partners have asked for our help in creating free and customizable posters, labels and signs and we were happy to deliver. Anything we can do to help public and private sector recycling succeed is a boost for the industry," said Keefe Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership.
DIYSigns is an online tool with editable templates available in a variety of sizes from a bumper sticker to a poster - to fit just right wherever it's needed. Check out DIYSigns!
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The Recycling Partnership is a Business Member of SERDC
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North Carolina 2020 Recycling Business Development Grant Round now OPEN
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The NC Recycling Business Assistance Center (RBAC) is now accepting applications for grant projects for the 2020 Recycling Business Development Grant Round. The purpose of this grant program is to reduce the flow of solid waste to disposal facilities and encourage the sustainable recovery of materials from North Carolina's waste stream. To achieve that purpose, RBAC seeks viable, well-planned and effective proposals from recycling businesses in North Carolina wanting to start up or expand recovery efforts.
Projects involving the collection, processing or end use of materials in the solid waste stream are eligible for funding. Generally, the grant money is intended to fund sustainable investments in equipment and buildings necessary for increasing the capacity of a recycling business to divert more materials from disposal and into economic use. Grant money cannot be used to cover labor costs, general operational costs, or the cost of contract processing. Summaries of previous years' awarded grant projects are provided below.
Proposals are due by 5 pm on Thursday Nov. 14, 2019.
NC DEACS is a Government Member of SERDC.
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‘One-of-a-kind’ new Beaufort, SC business plans to hire more than 50. Here’s what’s planned
A new manufacturing business coming to northern Beaufort County plans to create about 50 jobs.
Glass WRX SC will collect glass from numerous sources throughout three states to be converted into various products, including kitchen counters, floor tiles and wall materials, he said.
“We are going to open up a one-of-a-kind glass manufacturing plant,” Fisher said.
Fisher founded Fisher Recycling in North Charleston in 1992, and the company now serves 800 commercial and residential customers, according to its website. The business also includes an arm that builds recycled glass countertops and other hard surfaces.
The manufacturing operation will move to Beaufort with the opening of Glass WRX, while the North Charleston facility will continue to collect glass, Fisher said. In addition to making products from glass, the company will offer air and water filtration systems, he said.
Chris Fisher is an Individual Member of SERDC.
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Posted August 20, 2019 on resource-recycling.com
A newly formed company plans to build what it calls the first new U.S. glass bottle factory in over a generation. The $123 million plant will use recycled glass.
The project in Valdosta, Ga. is being developed by Arglass Yamamura, a joint venture between Japanese bottle maker Nihon Yamamura Glass Co. and Cambium Arglass, a privately held investment company. The plant will have an annual capacity of 100,000 metric tons of product, or about 265 million bottles.
The office of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp issued a press release announcing the factory, noting Arglass Yamamura plans to hire 150 workers. A groundbreaking occurred this month, and furnace start-up is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2020. Full operation is planned for the first quarter of 2021.
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