NERC, Recycling Partnership host Recycling Impact Workshop

The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), in association with The Recycling Partnership, will host the first Regional Recycling Impact Workshop to improve the quality of residential recycling programs in the northeastern United States.

The workshop, offered specifically to local and regional recycling coordinators in the NERC region, will be held May 7 and 8 in Amherst, Massachusetts. Attendees will learn to harness the power of their recycling program through tools for fighting contamination, education and outreach, and harmonizing their message to create a stronger recycling system.

Scholarship funds are available for up to 55 recycling professionals that work in local and regional recycling programs within the NERC 11-state region: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Workshop participants will gain access to a new or enhanced network of regional peers; tactics for creative approaches to messaging and budgeting; and a deeper understanding of resources provided by The Recycling Partnership to tackle contamination.

The scholarship includes workshop registration, hotel and a travel reimbursement of up to $500. Apply here by Feb. 15. NERC and The Recycling Partnership will select and notify the awardees by March 8.

“Contamination of the residential recycling stream is one of the most pressing issues facing the recycling industry today,” says NERC executive director Lynn Rubinstein. “This workshop is designed to tackle this issue and provide critical tools and resources to recycling program coordinators in our region. I highly encourage all communities in the NERC region to apply for a scholarship to attend.”

To improve the recycling system, The Partnership and NERC are inviting area material recovery facilities (MRFs) to sponsor and participate in the workshop. Tuesday will feature a MRF panel, in which sponsoring MRFs will be asked to speak about the importance of fighting contamination in the residential recycling stream from an operations perspective. The Partnership will provide tools to MRFs and their communities to cement what is and is not recyclable in their facilities and how to best communicate accepted recyclable materials to residents.

“We at The Recycling Partnership strive to collaborate with other industry leaders to create more effective change in America by bringing recycling experts and community partners together,” says Recycling Partnership CEO Keefe Harrison. “A longtime partner, we couldn’t be happier to launch the Regional Recycling Impact Workshop with the NERC team. We expect to see powerful, long-lasting impact from this workshop and for the NERC region in 2019 and beyond.”