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In mid-May, over 270 attendees from New England and beyond gathered in person to attend the Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA) annual Recycling Conference & Expo. Recycling and waste management industry attendees were treated to a dynamic keynote panel, connected with expo vendors, and participated in over a dozen workshops, presented by experienced recycling industry professionals. The event had the buzz of a reunion, as many attendees had not gathered together since NRRA's last in-person conference in May 2019.
For those who attended, the planning for another engaging and impactful conference is already underway, and for those who couldn't join us this year, we hope to see you in 2023!
We hope you enjoy this video compilation of the 2022 Recycling Conference!
The federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides an unprecedented $375 million in funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop three new waste prevention, reuse, and recycling programs : (1) Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program; (2) Recycling Education and Outreach Grant Program, Model Recycling Program Toolkit and School Curriculum; and (3) Battery Collection Best Practices and Voluntary Battery Labeling Guidelines. Learn about these new grant and initiatives being designed and share your feedback.
Solid Waste Infrastructure and Recycling Grant ProgramFunding Available: $275 million total; $55 million nationally per year from fiscal year 2022 to 2026; no match requirement Goals: improve post-consumer materials management and infrastructure; support improvements to local post-consumer materials management and recycling programs; and assist local waste management authorities in making improvements to local waste management systems
Eligible Entities: include municipalities, states, and tribes...Read more
NRRA members gathered at the Moultonborough, NH Transfer Station for a MOM meeting and to talk about the use of security cameras at recycling facilities. It turns out that Moultonborough has other natural guards at the station, too. Members got to see a black bear lumber by the building during the meeting and observed a snapping turtle during egg laying-season.
Many recycling facilities are spread out, which make it difficult to see what residents are unloading and if they are being safe. Staff shortages are common, so it makes it impossible to be in all places at once. Security cameras are useful not just for documenting safety issues with residents, but also safety for the staff as well. Some towns have one person on duty at the facility, and accidents can happen.
Ken Filpula, Moultonborough Transfer Station Supervisor and NRRA Board of Trustees member, let members know that...Read more
Lithium battery disposal is a hot issue. Recently, NRRA shared a post on how to properly dispose of batteries, including lithium batteries, which are serious fire hazards. When not properly disposed, lithium batteries can easily combust, causing costly damage, injury, or even death.
This fact was brought to life, unfortunately, at the Lee, NH Transfer Station earlier this week when an improperly disposed-of lithium battery caught fire.
"Thanks to the quick thinking of the Transfer Station crew today, this situation was handled quickly and safely. Their training was put to good use, and there was no damage to any equipment or the building," said the Lee NH Public Works Department in a Facebook post . "Again, we got really lucky this was spotted quickly, or the situation could have been much much worse!"
For Operators: What can...Read more
The New Hampshire Legislature's 2022 session included numerous bills related to solid waste and recycling. Of the original 19 bills NRRA was tracking, two have been signed into law by the Governor, and four more are pending either the Governor's signature or veto. All other bills have been referred to interim study or were killed. The two bills signed into law are SB 380, which adds duties to the solid waste working group relative to solid waste plans and disposal sites, and SB 396, which allows the Department of Environmental Services to require an applicant to contract with an engineer or hydrogeologist when evaluating a permit for a landfill. This article was last revised on May 25, 2022.
Need a refresher about how the legislative process works in New Hampshire? Here's an overview of how a bill becomes a law . A Glossary of Terms is...Read more
270 attendees from New England and beyond attended the recycling nonprofit Northeast Resource Recovery Association’s (NRRA) annual Recycling Conference & Expo on May 16 and 17. Recycling and waste management industry attendees gathered in person at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown Hotel in Manchester, NH, with a few joining online for select livestreamed workshops. The event had the buzz of a reunion, as many attendees had not gathered together since NRRA's last in-person conference in May 2019.
For over forty years, NRRA’s annual Recycling Conference & Expo has been a premier conference focused exclusively on municipal recycling and waste reduction in the Northeast. Day one’s keynote panelists Keefe Harrison, Founder and CEO of The Recycling Partnership, Kevin Roche, CEO of ecomaine, and Peter Blair, Staff Attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation discussed their vision of the conference theme “ What’s Next: Rethinking Resource Recovery .” An extensive and...Read more
The Recycle Right Campaign is a 4-month social media campaign created and design FOR you, to be shared BY you!
In case you missed it, you can access: Week 1 , Week 2 , and Week 3 respectively.
You can share the campaign however you see fit - in emails, on websites, and across social media. The social posts you see below were posted on Facebook and Instagram . You can share them directly on social media, or download the images and text to use in your own Recycle Right Campaign. You can also sign up for the bi-weekly Recycle Right Campaign Newsletter , which is a compilation of 2 weeks-worth of posts and videos over the course of the full campaign, with 10 emails...Read more
The Recycle Right Campaign has been created and designed to be shared -- in emails, on websites, and across social media. The social posts you see below were posted on Facebook and Instagram over the course of the previous week. You can share them directly on social media, or download the images and text to use in your own Recycle Right Campaign. You can also sign up for the bi-weekly Recycle Right Campaign Newsletter , which is a compilation of 2 weeks-worth of posts and videos over the course of the full campaign, with 10 emails in total.
How to use the following image posts in 3 easy steps:1. Drag the image onto your desktop or right-click and save it.
2. Upload the image to your email, website, or Instagram OR click...Read more
The NH Solid Waste Working Group , which is responsible for assisting the NH Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) with solid waste planning and policy initiatives, held its first three subcommittee meetings and a full group meeting on April 22, Earth Day. NRRA Executive Director Reagan Bissonnette serves on the Recycling & Composting subcommittee and provides an update regarding the subcommittee's work and welcomes input from NRRA members. The subcommittees and full Working Group are next scheduled to meet on Friday, May 27.
At the first meeting of the Recycling and Composting Subcommittee, members discussed a variety of topics as listed below. Subcommittee members agreed to be prepared to discuss the following at their next meeting on May 27, 2022: (1) top priority materials for increased diversion (based on weight being disposed); and (2) short and long-term recommendations for improving recycling or composting of those materials.
Pay-as-you-throw...Read more
The Recycle Right Campaign has been created and designed to be shared -- in emails, on websites, and across social media. The social posts you see below were posted on Facebook and Instagram over the course of the previous week. You can share them directly on social media, or download the images and text to use in your own Recycle Right Campaign. You can also sign up for the bi-weekly Recycle Right Campaign Newsletter , which is a compilation of 2 weeks-worth of posts and videos over the course of the full campaign, with 10 emails in total.
How to use the following image posts in 3 easy steps:1. Drag the image onto your desktop or right-click and save it.
2. Upload the image to your email, website, or Instagram OR click...Read more