The Austin, Texas-based State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR) has adopted a new mission: to advance recycling through partnerships, education and advocacy for the benefit of Texas. This new mission is intended to develop and support the domestic recycling industry considering the recent National Sword import bans on certain recyclable materials into China, the organization says.
“We have changed our mission statement as well as our funding structure to provide clarity of our goals and add more value and benefits to our mission partners,” Jordan Fengel, executive director of STAR, says.
STAR says it also shifted from its former structure of having mission sponsors and will now have mission partners, which are cities, businesses and other entities who support the STAR mission and vision to advance recycling in Texas. There will also be different levels of mission partners with its own set of benefits, including sponsor opportunities at the annual Texas Recycling Summit. More information about new partner levels and benefits can be found on STAR’s website.
“[STAR] is actively working to facilitate and support the development of postcollection processing infrastructure and end-use markets for Texas recyclable materials,” Fengel says. “This is imperative to the future of the industry, and we must adjust to these changes and look at them as an opportunity rather than a crisis.”
STAR hosts various events on several industry topics throughout the year, including two annual conferences.