Full of Scrap Newsletter- September 8, 2021 |
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Your source for recycling & waste reduction news in the Northeast (and beyond). |
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NRRA Pursues New Glass Recycling Opportunities |
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Since last fall and in recent months, NRRA staff have been working to develop three potential new outlets for recycling glass through NRRA. One involves a new facility in Massachusetts for current NRRA vendor 2M Ressources, one is a brand new company being established, and the last involves an existing company opening a new facility to recycle glass. NRRA carefully vets potential vendors and staff have had numerous communications with these potential glass recycling outlets.
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Recycling is Thriving, in Part Due to the Pandemic |
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The following op-ed, written by NRRA Executive Director, Reagan Bissonnette, was published on August 29 in the Concord Monitor and on August 30 in the NH Bulletin. We encourage you to share this with others.
You have likely heard about the supposed death of recycling in recent years. But have you heard that recycling is actually thriving again? If this comes as a surprise to you, you’re not alone. I recently read a local article with outdated and inaccurate information about recycling markets. So I thought I’d set the record straight. As a bonus, I’ll tell you the single most valuable item in your recycling bin today. The answer may surprise you.
It’s true that China used to be a major global purchaser of recyclables until it implemented a ban in 2018 that led to a dramatic disruption and decrease in pricing worldwide for many recyclable materials. As a result, some communities across the United States stopped recycling due to increased costs, including in New Hampshire. This bad news traveled fast. However, the less exciting truth is that the vast majority of New Hampshire communities continued steadily recycling even after China’s ban.
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NRRA receives photos of material from our recycling facility operators every week. We share the photos with vendors who want to buy the material in the marketplace. Vendors have specific things they are looking for: weight and size of a bale, percent amount of allowable contamination, whether it has been stored inside, and how it has been contained (wires, gaylords, etc.) Sometimes we gasp in awe of a spectacular bale or a super clean gaylord of material.
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NRRA is Hiring a Communications Manager! |
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The nonprofit Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA) seeks a self-motivated individual for the position of Communications Manager. The successful candidate will have a desire to learn and excel in a fast-paced environment, possess a bachelor’s degree and at least three years of communications experience, and support NRRA’s mission to partner with communities to make recycling and waste reduction strong through economic and environmentally sound solutions. This is a full-time, grant-funded position with benefits for one year, starting October 2021, with the possibility of extending the position longer.
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Information Sheet Spotlight |
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Information Sheets are a collection of valuable company suggestions for transfer station equipment/products and services, as well as instructions to commonly asked questions related to recycling - all sorted by topic.
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Food & Yard Scraps Services in NH
Food scraps and yard waste should be kept OUT of municipal solid waste (MSW) whenever possible. They can either be composted (in the luxury of your own yard), or deposited at a facility such as the examples below. Check out these resources to see if they offer a solution for you! Additionally, you may want to check with your local transfer station, local farms, and garden centers to see what options they offer as well.
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The September 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.
September Fiber pricing is on the rise once again! Move it if you have it! As one of our NRRA Vendors says, "High pricing is great but…”what goes up must come down, let’s enjoy these prices while we can”.
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Beyond the Curb: Recycling 101
Classes begin Sept. 14, 2021 through Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Dartmouth.
Instructor: Marc Morgan, Solid Waste Manager for NRRA member community Lebanon, NH.
Ever wonder what happens to your trash or recycling when it gets picked up at the curb or you toss it in a dumpster? Come demystify recycling and learn what happens next. Learn about the Solid Waste Hierarchy, Recycling Markets (both domestic and export), how your trash has a global impact, and much more of the stinky truth. We will also talk about what contaminates recyclables, emerging technologies, and how our behavior needs to change to make a truly lasting impact.
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SWOT: Facility Managers, Part II
Friday, September 17, 2021; 9:00 am to 12:00 pm EDT
This NH Department of Environmental Services Solid Waste Operator Training workshop is designed for renewing Solid Waste Operators who are in a supervisory or management position at a solid waste facility. Instructors will discuss full cost accounting methods that will enable municipalities and facility owners make educated budgeting decision as well as ways to manage volunteers in accordance with the rules. Attendees should be prepared to do a homework prior to class and to bring paper, calculators or even a laptop if it is available to them. *Registration will be limited to 15 facilities with a maximum of two representatives per facility.
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EBC Solid Waste Management Webinar:
Big Battles in The World of Recycling
Thursday, September 23, 2021; 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EST
This EBC Solid Waste Management webinar will shed light on the economic, social, and technical tensions in the world of recycling. How has the recycling infrastructure responded to market demand since China’s National Sword Policy? Everyone focuses on diversion, but what is the full diversion potential in the waste that remains? When not all plastic can “close the loop”, are pyrolysis and gasification the answer to making this material useful again?
NRRA members are eligible for a discounted registration price!
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NRRA's 2021 Annual Meeting (Virtual)
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM EDT
NRRA's 2021 Annual Meeting will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams. Watch our website and your email for more details as they become available!
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New Hampshire the Beautiful:
Engaging Residents Best Practices Contest
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Is your municipality doing something fun or innovative to engage its residents in recycling?
Register Your Town's Transfer Station/Recycling Center for a Chance to Win up to $3,000
Traveling across the state awarding grants has given NHtB Board members a unique opportunity to see New Hampshire municipal transfer stations in action. It has become quite clear that New Hampshire transfer station operators are some of the most dedicated and creative individuals in the recycling industry. NH transfer station operators serve their residents by designing and operating their facilities in a way that works best for their individual community. No two towns are alike. In many ways, no two transfer stations are alike. As towns differ, so does the way each town handles their solid waste and their recyclables.
To be successful, transfer stations must recognize that their resident’s participation in the recycling process is critical. In much the same way that operators run their facilities for maximum efficiency, many have sought out creative means to get their residents to recycle more.
*All entries must be accompanied by a summary of your town's recycling program or initiative (visit the NHtB website for further details)
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Announcements:
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September 9, 2021 - NRRA Trustee Board Meeting
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September 22, 2021 - NRRA Office Closes at 1PM
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October 11, 2021 - Columbus Day, NRRA Office Closed
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November 10, 2021 - NRRA's 2021 Annual Meeting (Virtual)
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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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