Recycling Works Newsletter Spring 2018

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

In the Spring 2018 Recycling Works issue:

DEACS Announces New Recycling Section Chief and Division Director

 

The Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service (DEACS) is pleased to announce that Wendy Worley has accepted the position of Recycling and Materials Management Section chief. In this role, Worley will lead the state’s recycling section, overseeing the Recycling Business Assistance Center (RBAC) and the local government assistance team. She succeeds Rob Taylor who transitioned to a new position in the private sector.

Worley has been with the state’s recycling section for the past 15 years, and has more than 25 years of experience in recycling, solid waste management and program planning. Most recently, she served as the RBAC manager, leading the recycling economic development team to develop strategies to expand and support private sector recycling capacity in the state. Prior to coming to state government, she worked in local government recycling program management and private consulting.

Worley can be reached at 919-707-8136 or wendy.worley@ncdenr.gov. 

 

DEACS also welcomes Jamie Ragan as the new division director. Ragan will oversee the state’s recycling section; environmental assistance section, which includes the permit assistance providers and Environmental Stewardship Initiative; resource and energy efficiency section, including Waste Reduction Partners; and the Department of Environmental Quality’s regional office administrators. 

Ragan began working with the department in 2003. She has 20 years of experience providing pollution prevention technical assistance to the agricultural community, businesses, industries and government entities. She can be reached at 919-707-8141 or jamie.ragan@ncdenr.gov.  

Visit the DEACS website for more information about programs and assistance.

N.C. Recycling Business Grants Spur Private Investment, Job Creation

State recycling business grants awarded this spring are expected to generate approximately 66 jobs, spur more than $2.1 million in new, private business investments and further reduce the state’s dependence on landfill disposal. Twenty-one companies that collect, process and manufacture new products with recycled materials will receive more than $570,000 in funds from N.C. DEQ's Recycling Business Assistance Center in 2018. 

“Recycling businesses benefit the state’s long-term economic development while working to provide a cleaner environment for future generations,” said DEQ Secretary Michael Regan. “The projects funded by these grants build lasting ways to divert materials from the waste stream, redirect recyclables back into the economy as manufacturing feedstock and spur job growth. It just shows that the environment and industry are not mutually exclusive.”

Awarded grant projects include:

  • Expanding plastic processing capacity: 10 companies will increase the quantities and types of recyclable plastic they are able to process such as agricultural plastic, PVC, polystyrene (Styrofoam) and post-industrial plastic.
  • Upgrading material recovery facilities: Two companies will install glass clean-up systems, while another will install an optical sorter – these upgrades will improve material quality and processing efficiency.
  • Building recycled end-product manufacturing capacity: Two companies will manufacture new products using recycled wood waste and plastic, respectively.
  • Increasing processing capacity of other recyclable materials: Four companies will increase recovery of other recyclables, including electronics, tires, and wood waste from pallets and construction and demolition debris.
  • Expanding residential curbside recycling: Two companies will offer curbside recycling collection to new customers in rural areas.

For additional information, read the 2018 awards press release and see the Recycling Business Development Grant Program website. For questions, please contact Wendy Worley at 919-707-8136 or wendy.worley@ncdenr.gov.

DEQ Leadership and N.C. House Representatives Visit Synergy Electronics Recycling

Synergy Electronics Recycling hosted a facility tour on March 28 and welcomed DEQ leadership staff and N.C. House Representatives Jon Hardister (Guilford County) and Kyle Hall (Rockingham and Stokes counties). Synergy is an R2-certified electronics recycler located in Madison and is one of the six electronics recycling vendors on the statewide convenience contract for electronic recycling services. Established in 2000, Synergy has steadily grown and made investments with support through RBAC grants to manage the increasing volume of electronics collected for recycling in the state. 

 

Synergy Electronics Recycling hosts facility tour with DEQ leaders and area members of the N.C. House of Representatives.

2018 CRA Annual Conference and Trade Show

The Carolina Recycling Association (CRA) celebrated its 28th year at the annual trade show and conference March 19-22 in Cherokee. More than 500 recycling professionals from North and South Carolina attended the conference.

In addition to new features like the Healthcare Sustainability Workshop that focuses on recycling in the healthcare industry, this marked the first time in CRA history that the conference took place while it snowed.

Hot topics including China’s National Sword program and recycling contamination were discussed throughout the conference. Presentations from all the sessions are available at the CRA 2018 Conference website.

Next year the conference returns to Charleston, S.C. March 18 - 21. 

 

DEACS staff promote new outreach materials to help educate the public and reduce contamination. Outreach materials are available at no cost for local governments and recycling collectors to use and distribute.

Announcements and Opportunities

  • May 16: Northeast Recycling Council Webinar on Finding Opportunity in MRF Glass. Hear from the Closed Loop Fund (CLF) about a recent MRF glass study; the Governmental Advisory Associates' about data that informed CLF study; and Aero Aggregates, a manufacturer of foam aggregate from 100 percent post-consumer, mixed color recycled glass. Need to register?

  • May 17: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Webinar on Business Innovations in reducing food loss and waste. Hear from three companies that are leading the way to help the U.S. reach its goal of 50 percent food loss and waste reduction by 2030. Want to register?

  • May 21: Carolina Recycling Association (CRA) Lunch and Learn at Reconsidered Goods in Greensboro. Join the CRA, Reconsidered Goods, and the Scrap Exchange for a lunch, learn and network event all about creative reuse, selling used materials for good, and a make-and-take buffet of activities. Register here.

  • May 22: Association of Plastics Recyclers (APR) Webinar on the Recycling Demand Champions Campaign: Proactively Building Demand for Recycled Plastics. Learn about how the Recycled Demand Champions Campaign is expanding the market for residential plastics, driving investment, increasing supply and producing more high-quality applications for post-consumer recycled plastics. Need to register? 

  • June 26: Association of Plastics Recyclers (APR) Webinar on Sustainable Materials Management: A Compliment or a Barrier to Recycling? Learn about the basic principles of sustainable materials management and why recycling should remain a crucial element in its adoption. Want to register?

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.