In the Loop - Fall 2017
News & Events
Announcing AOR's Newest Board Member Taylor Greely is the Municipal & Public Sector Representative for Rumpke. Taylor manages recycling and collection programming, partnerships and agreements with communities, solid waste districts and organizations in Central Ohio and the surrounding counties. She has 6 years of professional experience in the environmental industry and is currently obtaining an MBA from The Ohio State University. Welcome to the Board, Taylor!
Invitation to AOR 's Annual Members Meeting & Holiday Luncheon The Association of Ohio Recyclers will be hosting our Annual Members Meeting & Holiday Luncheon on Monday, December 11, 2017 at 10:30 am - 1:00 pm. The event is free, but space is limited. Please register online. Seeking Input on AOR's Revised Code of Regulations The Association of Ohio Recyclers is governed by a code of regulations. The current code of regulations was recently reviewed and revised by the Board in an effort to improve the governance of our organization. Changes to the current code of regulations will be discussed and voted upon at the upcoming Annual Members Meeting. Click here to view the revisions. Upcoming Webinars from National Recycling Coalition (NRC) & US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)
NRC: Trash and Waste Management Around the World – What Happens at the Household Level | 11/15/17, 1:30-2:45 pm. An expert in the field of solid waste industry economic research will discuss how people around the world manage their waste and recycled materials. Register here.
NRC: Carton Recycling Update | 12/19/17, 1:30-2:45 pm. This webinar will provide an update on the Carton Council’s efforts in working with manufacturers, recycling program coordinators, haulers, processors and end users to set-up a infrastructure recycle used carton in sustainable manner. Register here.
US EPA: China's Green Sword: Impacts to State and Local Governments | 10/26/17, 1:00-2:30 pm. In a July 18, 2017 filing with the World Trade Organization (WTO), China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection announced that the country will prohibit the importation of some grades of recovered paper and plastic by the end of 2017. The WTO filing highlights the Chinese government’s efforts to clamp down on the quality of recovered material imports into the country. What is the impact of this filing, since China is a primary destination for materials from U.S. material recovery facilities? Join this webinar where we will discuss the impact of this “Green Sword” to State and Local Governments. Register here.
Ohio Materials Management Advisory Council (MMAC) Meetings
MMAC Meeting | 10/18/17, 10:00 am. The main purpose of MMAC is to provide advice and guidance to the Director of Ohio EPA on solid waste issues, including updates to the State Solid Waste Management Plan and Ohio EPA’s recycling and litter prevention grant programs.The meetings are held at Ohio EPA's Central Office, 50 West Town Street, Suite 700, Columbus, OH 43215. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP with Ernest Stall.
Keep America Beautiful (KAB) Updates
Registration is now open for Recycle-Bowl 2017, an exciting and engaging national K-12 competition that aims to invigorate student participation. Below are key dates for this year's competition, which we encourage you to share with your networks and the local schools within your community.
October 13 - Registration Deadline
October 16 - Competition Starts
November 15 - Competition Ends
KAB announced the theme for America Recycles Day 2017 (November 15, 2017) is "#BeRecycled." The intent of #BeRecycled is to encourage a commitment to the "Reduce. Reuse. Recycle." mantra in every aspect of your life - at home, at work/school, and on-the-go. And it doesn't have to stop there. When you purchase items, try to look for those made with recycled content - this supports the circular economy! We invite you to share the theme with your networks and volunteers and encourage them to start brainstorming for event ideas - November will be here before we know it!
Highlights from the Resource Recycling Conference MaryEllen Etienne and Matthew Hittle
The 2017 Resource Recycling Conference, which was held the last week of August in Minneapolis, drew over 500* people from across North America to address the key challenges currently facing the industry—including contamination, the evolving ton, fluctuating commodity prices and China’s impending ban on some recovered materials. The conference was co-hosted by the National Recycling Coalition (NRC), which marked NRC’s return to conference convening in over 10 years. Here are some of the highlights from the conference:
Opening Plenary: Impactful Ideas in Action—The conference started with an informative session from the leaders at Closed Loop Partners, The Recycling Partnership and Keep America Beautiful—three nonprofit groups taking action to improve recycling programs in the U.S. today. The speakers offered concrete examples of how their partnerships have directly enhanced recycling programs across the nation.
National Recycling Coalition Board Meeting and Updates—In its annual members meeting, NRC announced that Marjie Griek would be its new executive director. Griek’s appointment marks the first time in nearly a decade that NRC has had an executive director. She formerly served as executive director of the Colorado Association for Recycling for 14 years.“The NRC board has realized for a little while that having an executive director would be inspirational and would help the organization grow,” Griek said.
Development Training for Recycling Organizations—NRC hosted a professionally facilitated workshop for leaders of State Recycling Organizations (SRO) leaders from around the country. The workshop covered several key organizational development issues such as crafting a value proposition, strategic fundraising, membership development and advocacy. The aim of the workshop was to not only provide worthwhile tips, tools and resources to SRO leaders, but provide education they can also transfer to their members who include haulers, processors, municipal agencies, nonprofits and other stakeholders.
Measurement Matters: A State and Local Government Conversation (Presented by U.S. EPA and Re-Trac Connect)—The State Measurement Program is a collaborative among 41 states that allows officials to share and compare their data, including stats on tip fees, funding mechanisms and annual tonnage data for disposal, recycling and composting. Analytics and visual comparison maps are made available through the Re-TRAC Connect software. Discussion provided focus on how data drives decision making efforts. Presenters included U.S. EPA, the Recycling Partnership and the states of Tennessee and Ohio (represented by M. Hittle).
Recycling Town Hall: Connecting Trade Groups and State Recycling Associations—Over 30 groups participated in the NRC Town Hall Meeting on Markets Development. The meeting was aimed at helping state and local programs expand and strengthen markets for recovered materials. The session brought together trade organizations including the American Forest & Paper Association, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Paper Recycling Coalition, Reuse International and many others; as well as leaders from SROs including Texas, Minnesota, Oregon and Ohio (represented by M. Etienne). The groups worked together to better understand the resources available to them and to open a dialogue between the two groups. Potential business opportunities were identified for collaborations in the future.
Hacking Recycling: Tools and Tricks for Growth—Another session provided attendees with tips and tools that programs can use to improve recycling in their jurisdictions. Speakers included AOR member, Michelle Balz, from Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District who presented on their targeted community outreach program. Emmet County Michigan provided their unique rural approach and North Carolina shared their best practices. Also, Atlanta presented on their recent transition to cart based residential recycling, Cartlanta.
Closing Plenary: Recycling Policies in the New Administration—The conference closed with a rousing plenary that explored zero waste policy changes at the very top: the federal government. U.S. Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District and Barnes Johnson of the U.S. EPA spoke on how U.S. political shifts could impact waste reduction, reuse and recycling efforts throughout the country.
*NOTE: Over 50 attendees were able to join the event due to a collaboration with The Recycling Partnership, who provided grants covering airfare, registration and hotel costs to attend the conference. We would suggest that AOR members keep an eye out for this opportunity next year!
