Recycling Works Newsletter Summer 2017

North Carolina’s state budget was finalized on June 28 when the N.C. General Assembly voted to override Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of the Appropriations Act of 2017 (Senate Bill 257).

Early versions of the budget proposed eliminating the state recycling program, which is a part of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service (DEACS). The final budget, Session Law 2017-57, leaves the state recycling program largely intact.

The final budget reduces funding for DEACS by $500,000 and eliminates seven DEACS positions in the state’s regional offices. The division will likely need to trim expenses during the next two years as part of broader cuts to the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. Details of how these funding reductions will impact the division have not yet been determined.

However, the state recycling program was not directly impacted and expects to continue its work to advance recycling in North Carolina including the operation of grant programs that support strategic investments by local governments and recycling businesses to advance materials recovery.

During the budget deliberations, many stakeholders in North Carolina’s recycling industry took the time and effort to express support for the state recycling program and the Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service. RBAC staff would like to share their gratitude for this show of support and to let you all know that we look forward to continuing to serve the recycling industry in North Carolina.

DEACS is pleased to announce that Rob Taylor has filled the role of section chief for Recycling and Materials Management. Rob succeeds longtime State Recycling Program Manager Scott Mouw, who retired from state service at the end of February.

Rob brings nearly 20 years of recycling experience at the state and county levels to his new role, including seven years as the leader of the Local Government Recycling Team for the state recycling program and 12 years with the Orange County Department of Solid Waste Management. Rob can be reached at 919-707-8139, or rob.taylor@ncdenr.gov.

New Hampshire-based electronics recycler, Colt Refining & Recycling, recently expanded with a new location in Hickory. The company purchased the Hickory facility and associated equipment through auction after the previous owner, e-scrap recycling company Zloop, filed for bankruptcy. After making some additional investments and upgrades, Colt’s Hickory facility is now fully operational and processing electronic scrap and copper wire.

Colt Recycling primarily serves industrial and commercial clients in addition to processing consumer devices from electronic collection vendors. The company has a metal refining facility in New Hampshire, allowing them to further process electronic scrap and extract precious metals. Colt Recycling is R2 certified and, with more than 20 years of electronics recycling experience in the Northeast, the company looks forward to expanding their business in North Carolina and the Southeast.

Recent equipment investments at Verity Resins in Forest City have yielded new jobs in addition to major increases in throughput. Specializing in post-industrial and post-consumer waste streams, the plastics recycling and compounding company used a 2016 Recycling Business Development Grant to purchase a double spiral ribbon blender, increasing their blending capacity by more than 45 metric tons per day. As a result of this investment, the company has already hired one additional employee with short-term plans to hire two more.  For more information, contact sales@verityresins.com.

MAPS AVAILABLE: Permitted Composters and Compost in Bulk

Two new North Carolina-specific maps have been created to expand the awareness of composting options in the state. DEACS created an updated map showing the composting facilities permitted by the N.C. Division of Waste Management and the N.C. Division of Water Resources. In addition to traditional composting facilities, the map also includes yard waste notification sites and the anaerobic digesters that process off-site materials, such as food waste, slurries and food manufacturing byproducts. Featured information includes contact information, permit number and amount of material managed last fiscal year.

Additionally, the North Carolina Composting Council released the new N.C. Bulk Compost Map in June 2017, listing more than 150 retailers who sell compost by the cubic yard. The information shown includes contact information, the source of compost, compost certifications and website.

DEACS’ Permitted Composters

NC Composting Council’s Compost in Bulk

Announcements & Opportunities