Environmental Justice Issues for Recycling Facilities

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

This webinar will discuss the environmental justice movement as it relates to recycling facilities, including project development and permitting of projects at new and existing facilities. The speakers will review recent developments at the Federal Level and State Level including E.O. 14008, the New Jersey environmental justice regulations, and the use of demographic and cumulative burden mapping programs and datasets. The speakers will provide perspectives and advice for ensuring meaningful involvement of communities and to assess and address potential local impacts of environmentally beneficial recycling projects.

When: Wednesday May 31, 2022 – 1:30-2:45 pm EST

Webinar Presenters:

Michael Trupin, Director of Air Programs, Sims Metal

Eli Brill, Attorney, Land Air Water Legal Solutions, LLC

 CLICK HERE TO REGISTER to participate in the FREE Webinar

Presenter Biography

Michael Trupin has 26 years of experience in addressing complex environmental permitting, environmental justice, compliance and sustainability matters. A majority of his environmental skills and experience are focused in air quality (PSD/NNSR permitting and avoidance, BACT analysis, risk assessment, agency interaction and regulatory analysis).  He currently serves as Director of Air Programs for Sims Metal. He previously managed Trinity Consultants’ New Jersey and New York Office operations. Prior to joining Trinity, Michael served as the Facility Manager of the Ocean County MRF (for WM), as Waste Management’s East Group Director of Environmental Protection and the East Group Director of Air Programs.  From an industry perspective, his work has focused on metal/auto shredders, landfills, gas-to-energy facilities, electric generating units, waste water treatment plants and various other source types.

Eli Brill is an attorney at Land Air Water Legal Solutions, LLC, located in Berwyn Pennsylvania.  Prior to LAW, he was senior legal counsel at WM where he focused on air and solid waste issues.  Eli has over 30 years of legal experience representing and counseling clients on environmental permitting, transactions, project development, compliance, enforcement matters, public participation in rulemaking and policy development.  For 20 years, he served on Pennsylvania DEP’s Environmental Justice Work Group, followed by its Environmental Justice Advisory Board.  Eli also has served for the last nine years on PADEP’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee.  Representative clients on environmental justice issues include incinerators, landfills, cement recycling facilities, waste-to-fuel projects, alternative energy facilities, and remedial construction contractors.

Battery Recycling
Markets Development Summit

Thursday June 8, 2023

Historic Hotel Bethlehem
Bethlehem, PA

Agenda At-a-Glance

SEE COMPLETE AGENDA HERE

Registration $50
To register contact Melanie Morrison.
Email | 717-798-0473 

Sponsored by:

CleanEarthInc.com

A New Economic Model Focused on a Profitable and Sustainable Future

July 19, 2022

The transition from a linear to circular economy is the most significant restructuring of global commerce since the industrial revolution. It is a completely new system of how products are designed, manufactured, sold, refurbished and recycled into new products. The transition will provide a framework for global corporations and start ups alike to reduce costs, increase efficiency and protect the environment we share. Learn how a unique business partnership is leading the way and breaking new ground by offering several types of funding strategies for circular projects and  effecting research, analysis and pre-competitive collaborations to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. And literally see two examples of circularity in action that utilize innovative localized material recovery facilities (MRF’s) whose model is designed to empower communities and independent haulers.

When: Tuesday July 19, 2022 – 1:00-2:00pm EST / 10:00-11:00am PST

Webinar Presenter

Bob Anderson, Vice President, Closed Loop Partners

Registration Link: https://psu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zQDLQx_fQhCjcYvxHwzpVQ

Presenter Biography

Bob Anderson, VP of Business Development and Growth at Closed Loop Partners, has worked in the solid waste industry for over 33 years. At CLP he is responsible for developing and executing projects for the Local Recycling Fund, Closed Loop Commodity Group and a clothing and electronics business unit called Retrievr, focusing on municipal and hauler relationships. Bob came most recently from ReCommunity Recycling / FCR. During his 12-year stewardship of the Mid-Atlantic region, processing more than tripled to over 530,000 tons per year. Bob managed some of the largest municipal contracts in the company, including the City of Philadelphia and Camden County, NJ.

Bob started his career at Browning-Ferris Industries (BFI) selling commercial waste services, where he managed a 90,000 household residential system before spending several years in M&A for BFI and Allied Waste after Allied’s successful acquisition of BFI in 1999.

Bob serves on the Board of Directors for the PA Recycling Markets Center in an executive capacity as Secretary and the Association of NJ Recyclers (ANJR). He was appointed by the Mayor of Philadelphia to serve on the Solid Waste and Recycling Advisory Committee, and he is a past Board Member of Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania.

Free NRC Legislative Committee Webinar on Key Topics for EPR for Packaging Legislation

May 12, 2022

The idea of holding producers accountable for the packaging that they use is being recognized as a way that state and local governments can reduce packaging waste and increase recovery for reuse or recycling without burdening local governments with the cost of managing these recovery programs.  The National Recycling Coalition (NRC) Legislative Committee has been discussing the topic of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging as it relates to NRC Policy and has recently developed a draft document entitled “Key Topics for Consideration Regarding EPR for Packaging and Producer Responsibility Legislation”.  The NRC has begun circulating this document as a draft to the NRC membership with the NRC Legislative Committee collecting comments to assist the NRC in further refining and building consensus regarding the document’s content.  The NRC Legislative Committee is hosting this free webinar to outline the draft document and facilitate a constructive dialogue regarding these topics.

When: May 12, 2022 – 2:00-3:00pm EST / 11:00-12:00am PST

Webinar Presenters

Pete Adrian, Recycling Coordinator, Solid Waste Agency of Lake County, Illinois (SWALCO)
Wayne Gjerde, Recycling Market Development Coordinator, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Moderator

Lisa Skumatz, Principal, Skumatz Economic Research Associates (SERA)

Registration Link: https://psu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zQDLQx_fQhCjcYvxHwzpVQ

Presenter Biographies

Pete Adrian is the Recycling Coordinator for the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County, Illinois (SWALCO).   He has been with SWALCO since 2001 and is principally managing the Agency’s Electronics Collection Program, monitoring 40+ municipal residential and commercial waste and recycling service contracts and implementing various food waste diversion and composting programs, including the coordination of a USDA Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction Grant.  He also assists with implementing various recycling education and awareness programs and their household chemical waste collection program.  Pete holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Northern Illinois University. As a board member of the National Recycling Coalition, he is Co-Chair of the NRC Legislative Committee.  He is currently Vice President of the Illinois Counties Solid Waste Management Association and is serving as the SWANA Sustainable Materials Management Technical Division liaison to the International Solid Waste Association, Recycling and Waste Minimization Working Group.

Wayne Gjerde is the Recycling Market Development Coordinator for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Wayne consults with startup and expanding companies in the areas of finance, new product development, business plan development, sales and marketing. Wayne has also done extensive work in economic analysis linking the environment and economy and extended producer responsibility and management. He has worked in the private and public sector. He earned his B.S. in Business Administration at St. John’s University-Collegeville, MN and attended the Minnesota Bankers Commercial Lending School and Robert Morris Associates Commercial Lending School. Wayne is an NRC Board member, was elected to the Executive Committee and Co-Chairs the NRC Markets Council.

Moderator Biography

Lisa A. Skumatz, PH.D. is an economist and has been active in performance evaluation, measurement, scenario modeling, and funding issues for solid waste programs and policies for more than 40 years. Her work is data-driven, and she has conducted projects at the local, state, and national level in the US and overseas, and has more than 150 publications in the field. Recent work focuses on Triple Bottom Line measurement, state and national policy / legislation options, national level work on contamination and carbon strategies, and state / local Organics and ZW Plans. She has been active in NRC since the 1980s, and currently serves as Board Chair. She is also an elected member of SWANA National’s Policy Advisory Committee. She has won multiple national and state-level Lifetime Achievement Awards for her work in Pay As You Throw and quantitative policy analyses. Lisa is Principal of the research and consulting firm Skumatz Economic Research Associates (SERA), a WBE based in Colorado. She can be reached at skumatz@serainc.com, www.serainc.com.

Topic – Turning Recycled Glass into a Unique Ultra-Lightweight Construction Material

April 21, 2022

Aero Aggregates of North America manufactures Ultra-lightweight Foamed Glass Aggregate (UL-FGA) for use on DOT, commercial development, and residential projects. UL-FGA are ultra-lightweight aggregates produced from 100% post-consumer recycled glass. The aggregates are an ideal lightweight backfill because they are highly frictional, non-reactive, and insulating in addition to their low unit weight and high permeability. The manufacturing process converts recycled glass cullet that would otherwise be disposed of in a landfill into a non-leaching, rot-resistant, non-flammable and durable construction material. Current geotechnical challenges require construction on soft soils, reduction of lateral earth pressures, decreased loads on structures, and the protection of tunnels and underground utilities. The unique properties of UL-FGA addresses these challenges and is a sustainable solution through the beneficial reuse of glass containers and the reduction of the number of trucks bringing fill to a project site. Additionally, UL-FGA is installed quickly and easily leading to accelerated construction. This presentation will include a brief history of UL-FGA, a description of the manufacturing process, and an explanation of the product properties and applications

When: April 21, 2022 – 1:30-2:45pm EST / 10:30-11:45am PST

Webinar Presenter

Theresa Andrejack Loux, Ph.D., P.E., Chief Technical Officer, Aero Aggregates of North America LLC

Registration Link: https://psu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_i-bihyptTKqOuQGU9QBPxQ

Presenter Biography

Theresa Loux

Theresa Loux is the Chief Technical Officer for Aero Aggregates of North America where her primary responsibilities include overseeing Aero’s research and development activities, technical documentation, engineering support, quality control program, and education and outreach efforts. Theresa brings to Aero’s management team over fifteen years of combined industry and academic experience. In the past, she has been involved in and managed a variety of civil, geotechnical, and geoenvironmental consulting and construction projects in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Additionally, Theresa has taught geotechnical and other civil engineering courses at Rowan, Drexel, Temple, and Bucknell Universities and is the current vice-chair of the Geo-Institute’s Delaware Valley Chapter.

Topic – How and When to Apply for Federal Funding

March 16, 2022

The National Recycling Coalition will highlight the results of research it has been conducting on the availability of Federal funding for waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting. This webinar will include Requests for Proposals (RFPs) currently underway at the US Environmental Protection Agency. It will also provide an update on when regulations and RFPs to implement the new Infrastructure funding adopted by Congress will be available. Finally, this webinar will provide tips on how to prepare and apply for federal funding, including clearly articulating grant goals, objectives, outcomes and evaluation plans and early identification of potential collaborative grant partners (e.g. public agencies, private businesses, and nonprofit subcontractors and consultants).

When: March 16, 2022 – 2:00-3:15pm EST / 11:00am-12:15pm PST

Webinar Presenters

Mya Sjogren, Analyst, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, US Environmental Protection Agency.
Bob Gedert, President, National Recycling Coalition
Laurie McQuay Peninger, Associate Vice Chancellor, Grants & Economic Development, Riverside City College
Michele Amhaz, Program Manager, Pollution Prevention and Source Reduction, US Environmental Protection Agency.
Nina Bhattacharyya, Assistant State Conservationist for Partnerships and Initiatives for the Florida Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Sachi Segan, Sustainability Coordinator, National Recycling Coalition
Havala Schumacher, Detailee, USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production

Registration Link: https://psu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-OhICFqAReGIJcYL6FpAIQ

Presenter Biographies

Mya Sjogren

Mya Sjogren works on advancing sustainable materials management at the US Environmental Protection Agency. She leads the EPA team that is helping enhance the US recycling system. Prior to joining EPA in 2007, Mya worked in the private sector and academia. She holds finance and urban planning degrees and is dedicated to collaboratively creating a sustainable world.

Bob Gedert

Bob Gedert is the President of the National Recycling Coalition. Bob was the lead author of the American Recycling Infrastructure Plan (ARIP) for the Recycling Is Infrastructure Too Campaign. He is now supervising research on the availability of federal funding for projects listed in the ARIP. Bob also has had a 40+ year career in guiding communities toward sustainable materials management through a systems approach, bridging recycling best practices and sustainability with local economic development practices. He is currently writing a book on actions one can take to slow the effects of climate change and teaches a class on climate change at Xavier University in Cincinnati.

Laurie McQuay-Peninger

Laurie McQuay-Peninger is the Executive Director of Grants and Sponsored Programs at Riverside Community College District with over 20 years of grant development and management experience. In 2010, she obtained a $5 million grant for Santa Monica College to help fund the development of a Recycling and Resource Management Certificate program for 3 colleges in the Los Angeles area. That grant also included funding to explore the development of a National Standards Certification Board (NSCB) to accredit programs such as this around the country. The NSCB was formed as a result of this effort and is now part of the National Recycling Coalition. She is a strong advocate for collaboration both within the organization and externally, believing that it really does take a community to create the future. Through collaboration, organizations and communities can build upon their individual and collective strengths to facilitate change and improve outcomes.

Michele Ambaz

Michele Amhaz serves as the program manager for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Pollution Prevention and Source Reduction Assistance grant programs, including funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act adopted last year. These programs provide funding opportunities to help businesses and others adopt and implement pollution prevention practices. Michele also works closely with regional P2 programs on priority setting and planning. Michele has over 21 years of experience in grant program management and administration

Nina Bhattacharyya

Nina Bhattacharyya is on detail to the USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP). She is assisting OUAIP with the Compost and Food Waste Reduction pilot project, agreements, and interagency collaboration. Her permanent role is Assistant State Conservationist for Partnerships and Initiatives for the Florida Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Sachi Segan

Sachi Segan is the sustainability coordinator for the National Recycling Coalition (NRC). She is researching the availability of federal funding for projects listed in the American Recycling Infrastructure Plan that was developed by NRC as part of the Recycling Is Infrastructure Too Campaign. She is working to find available federal funding listed in Grants.gov and by contacting different federal agencies. She is also compiling funding that will become available as infrastructure bills are adopted by Congress.

Havala Schumacher

Havala Schumacher is on detail to the USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and Urban Production, where she is engaged in coordinating grant and cooperative agreement funding opportunities and development of an enhanced Urban Agriculture toolkit. Her home office is the NRCS Projects Branch, where she coordinates with states and recipients of Conservation Innovation, Wetland Mitigation Banking Program, and Voluntary Pubic Access-Habitat Incentive Program grants.

UPDATE! – Additional Content and Presenter Added to Agenda

Topic – Truth in Recycling Labeling

February 9, 2022

One of the hot topics in recycling in recent years has been concern about the labeling of products and packaging as recyclable when those products are not truly recyclable. That contributes significantly to problems that recycling programs have in getting residents and businesses to recycle right.

The webinar will highlight two new California Truth in Labeling laws:  SB 343 Truth in Recycling Labeling Law that will no longer allow manufacturers to put the “chasing arrows” recycling symbol on items that aren’t actually recyclable in California.  AB 1201 Labeling of Compostability and Biodegradability Law prohibits offering for sale a product that is labeled as “compostable”. “home compostable”, “biodegradable,” “degradable,” or “decomposable,” unless, at the time of sale or offering for sale, the product meets specifications or has specified certifications.

The webinar will also highlight the proposed Federal bill HR 4602: Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety Act (WIPPES Act) as another example of legislation focused on Truth in Labeling. The WIPPES Act would require manufacturers of non-flushable wet wipes to display clearly and prominently a “DO NOT FLUSH” label on their packaging. In addition, the webinar will provide a summary of consumer protection lawsuits filed in California for deceptive practices (AKA Greenwashing) regarding claims that products and packaging are recyclable, biodegradable or compostable. In addition, the webinar will provide a summary of consumer protection lawsuits filed in California for deceptive practices (AKA Greenwashing) regarding claims that products and packaging are recyclable, biodegradable or compostable.

When: Wednesday February 9, 2020 / 10 – 11am PST, 1 – 2pm EST

Webinar Presenters

Heidi Sanborn, National Stewardship Action Council
Nick Lapis, Californians Against Waste
Lori Mendez, Esq., Save the Albatross Coalition

Registration Link: https://psu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-OhICFqAReGIJcYL6FpAIQ

Presenter Biographies

Heidi Sanborn

Heidi Sanborn has been a leader in the solid waste industry for over 30 years, focused on source reduction and implementation of cost-effective projects that support a circular economy. Collaborating with local government leaders, Heidi was one of two founding codirectors of the California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC), a non-profit formed in 2007 to change the way waste management is funded in California. In 2015, Heidi became the Founding Director of the National Stewardship Action Council (NSAC), a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that advocates for a Circular Economy using Product Stewardship and Extended Producer Responsibility.

She has engaged diverse stakeholder groups to promote product stewardship programs for pharmaceuticals, mercury thermostats, carpets, paint, fluorescent lights, batteries, and gas cylinders. Nationally, Heidi was instrumental in the adoption of EPR policies by the National League of Cities (NLC) and the US Conference of Mayors. In May 2020, Heidi was appointed by the California Environmental Protection Agency to the Statewide Commission on Recycling Markets and Curbside Recycling and was elected Chair by the 17 Commissioners.

Nick Lapis

Nick Lapis is Director of Advocacy for Californians Against Waste (CAW) and has been with the organization since 2007. In that time, Nick has led CAW’s team of advocates in campaigns to pass groundbreaking laws that have positioned California as a global leader in reducing and recovering waste. By building strong coalitions, he has helped enact policies to reduce the impacts of climate change, recover organic wastes, reduce plastic pollution, and develop sustainable markets for recyclable materials. Nick also engages in policy development and research, representing CAW on a variety of boards, commissions, taskforces, and coalitions.
 

Lori Mendez

A civil litigator for over 31 years in San Diego, Ms. Lori Mendez is legal counsel to the Save the Albatross Coalition. After completing a Master of Advanced Studies in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation program in 2018 at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and leading the transformation of that campus and U.C. San Diego to be single-use plastic-free, Ms. Mendez returned to private practice, and continues to work daily with grassroots organizations to reduce toxic single-use disposable plastic waste by implementing upstream reduction, extended producer responsibility, zero waste, and circular economy policies. Additionally, she and Northern California Recycling Association (NCRA) counsel John Moore teamed up to design and educate on effective litigation principles and strategies to hold single-use plastic producers responsible in court. Lawsuits have been filed incorporating those legal principles and strategies.