Recycling Works Newsletter Winter 2022

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

In the Winter 2022 Recycling Works issue:

CRA Conference

The Carolina Recycling Association Conference will return to an in-person format this year, holding its 32nd conference in Myrtle Beach from March 21 through 24. The conference is geared toward recycling professionals from North and South Carolina as well as different parts of the southeast. It will feature tours, workshops and sessions plus the exhibition hall, which will host vendors representing various recycling companies and equipment manufacturers. Conference sessions will cover recycling markets, policy updates, new technologies, composting, navigating the labor market, and so much more.

For more information, visit the Carolina Recycling Association website.

Glass Equipment and Infrastructure Grant

The deadline for the Glass Equipment and Infrastructure Grant is January 31, 2022. The grant provides $80,000 for glass cleaning equipment to eligible Material Recovery Facilities that recycle residential, commingled material. Grantees will be required to match at least 20 percent of the grant award. Competitive proposals will demonstrate how glass equipment will improve the quantity and quality of residential glass cullet. To find the Request for Proposal, visit: https://deq.nc.gov/conservation/recycling-business-assistance/financing/grants.

Please contact Matt James at 919-707-8133 or matt.james@ncdenr.gov with any questions.

EPA Report on Food Waste

The EPA has released a new report on food waste, “From Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste (Part 1),” that reveals the climate and environmental impacts of producing, processing, distributing and retailing food that is ultimately wasted. The EPA found that food waste comprised almost a quarter of all the municipal solid waste landfilled in the United States. This uneaten food represents lost water, energy, land, pesticides and fertilizers that are required for food production. However, the report finds that meeting the national goal to prevent 50 percent of food waste by 2030 would create several environmental benefits, including greenhouse gas reduction and decreased water use.

A companion report, “The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste: Part 2,” will examine and compare the environmental impacts of a range of management pathways for food waste, such as landfilling, composting and anaerobic digestion. Part 2 is expected in Spring 2022, and combined with Part 1, the two reports will describe the net environmental footprint of the United States’ food waste.

U.S. Plastics Pact Creates Problematic Materials List

In late January, the U.S. Plastics Pact identified a list of 11 materials that are not currently recyclable or compostable on a wide scale. The U.S. Plastics Pact signatories intend to reduce or eliminate these materials in packaging by 2025. The list includes:

  • Non-reusable, non-compostable cutlery
  • Intentionally added PFAS
  • Non-detectable pigments
  • Opaque or pigmented PET
  • Oxo-degradable additives
  • PETG
  • Problematic label constructions
  • Polystyrene
  • PVC
  • Non-reusable, non-compostable stirrers
  • Non-reusable, non-compostable straws

Carolina Plastics Recycling Council Webinar Recording

The Carolina Plastics Recycling Council (CPRC) held its annual meeting on November 10 through a virtual webinar. Speakers discussed current recycling markets, new plastic recovery technologies, brand commitments to using recycled content, and policies aimed to increase recovery. Watch the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDJ58r_9Auo&ab_channel=WasteReductionPartners

DEACS Hiring Organics Recycling Specialist

The Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service at DEQ is hiring an Organics Recycling Specialist to help composting efforts in North Carolina. This position will assess the state’s composting capacity and provide technical assistance for businesses and local governments. If interested, find the application at: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/northcarolina/jobs/3382338/organics-recycling-specialist

 

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.