Full of Scrap Newsletter- December 30, 2020 |
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Happy New Year! Good Riddance to 2020 and Welcome 2021! |
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Your source for recycling & waste reduction news in the Northeast (and beyond). |
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Happy New Year & Thank You Essential Workers! |
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As we are nearing the end of 2020, the Northeast Resource Recovery Association would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to facility operators and public works staff for the essential work that they do for us and for their communities as well as all other essential workers such as educators, grocery store staff, healthcare workers and first responders all of whom have worked hard to get us through this pandemic.
In 2020, the NRRA had to make the difficult decision to cancel our highly anticipated 39th Annual Recycling Conference & Expo. We pivoted our focus to create our 2020 Summer Webinar Series, which included 18 presentations that would have been available as workshops at our conference. We hosted two webinars (in April and December) with Dr. Ben Locwin, expert on infectious disease epidemiology to provide both members and nonmembers with updated information regarding safe recycling during COVID-19. We transformed our Member Operation Meetings to a virtual format to help keep our Members informed and connected. We also launched a brand new website in June that is regularly updated with new content by NRRA staff, and finally, we also chose this year to implement a new database in which staff are continuously learning and entering data into.
We look forward to recycling with you in 2021.
Happy New Year from the NRRA!
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Update to Best Management Practices for Recycling Facilities During COVID-19 - Recording Now Available |
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On December 18, 2020, Reagan Bissonnette, NRRA Executive Director, met virtually with Dr. Ben Locwin, an expert on infectious disease epidemiology, for a much-anticipated second webinar to discuss COVID-19 best management practices for recycling and solid waste facilities.
Dr. Locwin presented on issues that are top of mind during the spike in COVID-19 cases, including the status of developing a vaccine, the best types of masks based on scientific studies, what we know about surface transmission, and how to effectively ventilate buildings and vehicles as we approach winter. Following his presentation, Dr. Locwin answered questions from attendees.
In addition to the webinar recording and presentation slides, a transcript of the webinar with time stamps is provided for reference purposes.
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Will You Help Us Keep Recycling Strong? |
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If you appreciate the resources we provide, like the free Dr. Locwin webinar, please consider supporting our work with a donation.
Your fully tax deductible contribution to the Northeast Resource Recovery Association will help strengthen recycling programs throughout New England. Choose a gift level that works for you. We are grateful for the support of our members and donors. Give a donation of $50 or more and you will also receive an individual Associate Membership to the Northeast Resource Recovery Association.
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'Tis the Season....For Weight Deductions and Fees |
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It's winter in New England and that means snow, freezing rain and ice. As a reminder to all of our marketing members, please remember to keep all of your dumpsters & containers covered and the roofs clear of snow, ice and debris. Many of our Vendors deduct money from your revenues if there is snow, ice and water in with your recyclable materials. Other vendors charge extra fees for debris weighing down your MSW/Trash containers. Furthermore, due to Jessica's Law, it is illegal for haulers to transport any container with snow/ice on it and it is, in many cases, a liability for our haulers and vendors to attempt to clean off town owned/maintained containers, therefore they arrive to find a container covered in snow/ice or blocked in by it, they will refuse to move it and are within their rights to charge a "truck not used" fee. |
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NH Company Reaches out to NRRA for Recycling Education |
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A NH-based company recently reached out to NRRA looking for ways to reduce their production carbon footprint and make better choices in packaging. Headquartered in Peterborough, NH, SoClean was originally known for its sleep equipment maintenance device and now sells indoor air purifiers and device disinfectors.
NRRA's Education Manager, Heather Herring, virtually presented to members of the SoClean team including distribution center, operations, and marketing staff. She reviewed where NH garbage goes, the current recycling markets, and the basics of extended producer responsibility. Then she fielded questions on how to better manage their resources, disposal options, recycling and how SoClean may consider product design and product end of life. Recycling with results is easy once a new standard operating procedure is set in place.
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Register Today for a Virtual Tour of ecomaine's Facilities (Municipal Members Only)
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Wednesday, January 13, 2021
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Municipal members (only), you are invited to save your spot by registering today as there is an attendance limit (40 municipal members) for this private virtual tour of ecomaine's material recovery facility and waste-to-energy facility! As we are unable to hold our popular Fall Bus Tour in 2020 due to the pandemic, we are pleased to offer this virtual tour in lieu of our January Member Operations Marketing Meeting.
This live tour will provide municipal members with a behind-the-scenes look at ecomaine's operations at their facilities in Portland, Maine.
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NRRA Summer Webinar Recording Spotlight: Refill Not Landfill |
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For years, we have focused on recycling as the way to manage our ever changing waste stream. The industry has done a wonderful job finding new ways to use our waste in products. The Solid Waste Hierarchy gives guidance as to how we should approach waste management decisions. The first two concepts are “reduce and reuse”. It is time we take a hard look at these methods for managing waste and how they fit into an integrated waste management system in this recorded webinar. The City of Lebanon started an outreach campaign in 2018 that focused on reuse.
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The December NRRA Pricing Guide is Now Available |
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Our website has a section that houses the NRRA Monthly Pricing Guide as well as many other pricing lists. These pricing lists are only accessible to NRRA Municipal Voting Members. If you are an NRRA Municipal Voting Member and want access to this part of the website, simply visit the site to create your new username and password.
The Fiber market continues to improve as does Scrap Metal and Aluminum Cans. Read Bonnie Bethune's full market update for December.
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Announcements:
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NRRA CLOSED- New Year's Day; January 1, 2021
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Virtual Facility Tour of ecomaine - Wednesday, January 13, 2021; 9:00AM-10:30AM
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NRRA CLOSED- MLK Jr. Day; January 18, 2021
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NRRA Classifieds
Do you have a job opening you need to fill or used equipment to sell? Submit it to us at info@nrrarecycles.org and we'll share it on our website and in future issues of Full of Scrap.
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What We're Reading & Other News
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Northeast Resource Recovery Association
Epsom, NH 03234
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