Recycling Works Newsletter Summer 2019

RBAC's quarterly newsletter discusses current topics of interest to recycling businesses, including information on financing opportunities, commodity markets and new technologies.

In the Summer 2019 Recycling Works issue:

Coming Soon: 2020 Recycling Business Development Grant Cycle Kickoff

The 2020 Recycling Business Development Grant Request for Proposals, including the application materials, will be released and posted on RBAC’s grant webpage in September 2019. It is anticipated that the 2020 Recycling Business Development Grant priorities will focus on materials impacted by challenged recycling market conditions. For more information, contact Mike Greene at (919) 707-8137.

Recycle Right NC Campaign

The Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service (DEACS) is excited to announce the Recycle Right NC campaign. This 10-week anti-contamination campaign, which will be launched this fall, is the culmination of meetings with material recovery facilities (MRFs), local haulers and local governments’ representatives to create unified messaging to reduce residential curbside recycling contamination.

Residential recycling collection companies and local governments will have access to newly designed educational materials that have been approved by each MRF in North Carolina. Participating recyclers will be able to request customized outreach materials with features such as company logos, specific collection instructions and collection calendars. They will also have access to free social media posts and website content to educate communities about what to put in the bin and what to leave out. The division is also providing customizable press releases and facts to support a unified message about reducing residential curbside recycling contamination. 

Companies or organizations involved with residential curbside recycling collection are encouraged to participate. For more information, contact Mike Greene at (919) 707-8137.

North Davidson Garbage Rebuilds MRF with First Awarded DEACS Recycling Infrastructure Grant

In August of 2018, Lexington’s North Davidson Garbage Service and Recycling Center suffered a devastating loss when its 54,000 square-foot material recovery facility (MRF) was destroyed by a fire.  One year later, it is re-opening the MRF – thanks to commitments from the City of Thomasville and Forsyth County – and with assistance as the first recipient of DEACS’ Regional Recycling Infrastructure Grant.

North Davidson Garbage, which operates as a residential recycling processor, was able to maintain all of its waste collection operations and some of its recycling collection during reconstruction. While some communities were forced to find other outlets for recyclables, North Davidson Garbage was able to haul some recyclables to other MRFs in the state.

“Even with the set-back of the fire, we never stopped providing waste and recycling collection service in Davidson County and the surrounding areas,” said North Davidson owners Brad and Brooke Everhart.

As of August 1, North Davidson Garbage sold its curbside collection operations to Waste Industries as they plan to focus on recycling processing. The Everharts will continue to receive residential recyclables once their MRF re-opens this summer, and they anticipate the new MRF will have improvements in efficiency and throughput. 

The grant funds from the Regional Recycling Infrastructure Grant will be used to purchase a metering bin for the new MRF, which is scheduled to reopen in the summer of 2019.
 

DEACS Regional Recycling Infrastructure Grants

The Regional Recycling Infrastructure Grant program was designed to assist areas in need of developing or refurbishing residential comingled recycling infrastructure on a regional basis. Eligible applicants include local governments or private recycling businesses who are partnering with local governments. Grant funds must be used to develop new infrastructure or upgrade a MRF or recycling transfer station that will serve customers from multiple counties.

Proposal Deadline: None – applications accepted on an ongoing basis

Maximum Grant Award: $80,000

Minimum Cash Match: 20 percent of grant award 

Contact:  Matt James, (919) 707-8133

Announcements and Opportunities

  • Aug. 26-28: Resource Recycling Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, brings together the recycling industry’s most influential policy-makers, industry leaders and government officials. Key conference topics include: the latest from Asia, concerns and opportunities in plastics and paper, drilling down on contamination, and safety throughout the chain. 

  • Aug – Oct: Association of Plastics Recyclers Webinar Series offers five upcoming webinars around designing for plastics recyclability. 

  • Nov. 7-8: Carolinas Plastics Recycling Council will hold its annual meeting in partnership with the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) in Fort Mill, South Carolina. The event will offer tours of nearby recycling facilities, networking opportunities and presentations from industry leaders on plastics identification, processing, end uses, market trends and chemical recycling. 

The Recycling Business Assistance Center (RBAC) is a program of the N.C. Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service (DEACS) that provides technical, business and financial assistance to recycling companies.