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February 14, 2020
All Things Recycling
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Bay City is ready for MRC Conference - We're working hard to put another exciting program together for attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors! A full program will be available at the beginning of March and it will include more tour options than ever before. There's still time to sponsor and be included in the conference program. Reserve your exhibit booth soon as the Exhibition Hall is always best place for networking and connecting. Bay City has a lot to offer, we like you're gonna like what we have to share. Learn more...
Tour the Fremont Regional Digester - Join Michigan leaders on Friday, February 21 from 10 a.m. to noon for a tour of the Fremont Regional  Digester. Generate Capital Inc., a San Francisco-based sustainable infrastructure company with a focus on waste-to-energy projects, has invested over the past couple of years to address functional issues and resume operations. The plant is now operating around the clock with capacity to handle approximately 450 tons or 120,000 gallons of organic waste per day. Wisconsin-based Dynamic Systems Management LLC, an experienced developer and operator of biodigesters, was contracted to manage upgrades and operations at the facility. This digester is unique in Michigan and is the largest de-packaging facility in the Midwest, diverting 185,000 tons of food waste from landfills per year. The plant generates 2.85 megawatts of renewable baseload electricity, enough to power 2,500 homes in Newaygo County, and provides a source of organic, nutrient rich fertilizer that benefits both crops and the soil itself. RSVP here...
Ann Arbor keeps residents informed about PFAS - In a fact sheet provided by the City of Ann Arbor, residents can find answers to frequently asked questions about PFAS in compost. The fact sheet acknowledges that "research on PFAS in compost is extremely limited... There is no scientifically approved method for how to test PFAS in soil, so while trace amounts were found there are no established health advisory guidelines for the city or residents to follow. What we do know is we want our customers to be informed of these results and actions we are taking to further reduce contamination." Read more...
MRC neutral on bottle bill legislation - The Michigan Recycling Coalition recently weighed in as neutral on House Bills 5422-5425. The bills were passed with a unanimous vote out of the House Regulatory Reform Committee, and propose updates to Michigan's Deposit Law to reduce fraud through enforcement and penalties, as well as change to the escheats (unclaimed bottle deposits) distribution formula. While the MRC does support using the escheats funds to sustainably manage materials for productive use through recycling, composting, and other beneficial use, the bills will require a three-quarters majority and will require additional compromise to generate that appropriate level of support.
MSU CCED survey - The Michigan State University Center for Community Economic Development (CCED) has been selected as a strategic partner with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to strengthen Michigan's structural material recycling markets and reuse economy through providing strategic training, technical assistance, and networking. In order to assess the needs of this sector, MSU CCED is asking all Michigan businesses working in the salvage and reuse economy (deconstruction/demolition contractors, material salvage facilities, recycling facilities, C&D waste facilities, upcycle artists, architectural salvage, used materials wholesalers, reuse stores, etc.) to take a brief 5-10 minute survey. If you are a Michigan business in this sector, please take a few minutes to complete this brief survey. Your feedback is most valued. Should you have any questions about this project or this survey, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Nathaniel Hooper at hooperna@msu.edu or call 517-353-9555. Take the survey...
GVSU sets high standards for recycling - One of the many ways Grand Valley State University practices sustainability is through an emphasis on recycling, composting, and diverting waste from the landfill. "Last fiscal year, so January 2018 to June 2019, we recycled 1.1 million pounds of items," said GVSU Operations Supervisor Janet Aubil. These high numbers are reached through a campus-wide effort, which starts in the Transitions program for GVSU freshmen and transfer students. Read more...
Federal EPR legislation introduced - Federal lawmakers debuted the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act on Tuesday, after months of build-up, kicking off what is likely to be a heated fight over the legislation. The bill would enshrine extended producer responsibility (EPR) for plastic bottles, packaging, and assorted items, along with creating a national container deposit system. Under the bill, producers would have to take responsibility for collecting and recycling materials, and would be encouraged to join with makers of similar products through Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs). The legislation also includes a fee for "non-plastic carryout bags," along with a minimum post-consumer recycled (PCR) content threshold for plastic beverage containers that would steadily increase over time. The EPA would also be prompted to develop standardized recycling and composting labels, addressing ongoing education and awareness issues. Read more...
Rules on lithium-ion battery handling - Batteries from consumer electronics are being increasingly regulated because they can contain problematic material in the recycling stream. Because they can be so volatile, lithium battery transport is regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation through its Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Read more...
Trump's proposed budget cuts EPA funding - In his proposed budget for fiscal year 2021, President Trump has called for a 26 percent cut to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Trump's budget would cut the EPA's Superfund program, tasked with cleaning up hazardous waste sites by 10 percent. The budget would also cut research and development funding at the EPA nearly in half, lowering funding from $500 million to $281 million, the Hill reports. Read more...
EPA proposes another cut to recycling budget - The U.S. EPA's recently proposed FY21 budget calls for a nearly 53% reduction in funding dedicated to the agency's waste minimization and recycling work, despite public promises to help address national recycling challenges. As outlined, the annual budget for this area under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) would decline by nearly $9 million and be offset by $4.25 million in new initiatives. The FY21 proposal also includes a large reduction to related RCRA waste management work, but the requested recycling cuts are in some ways more notable when it comes to agency messaging. For the past three budget years (FY18, FY19, and FY20), the EPA has proposed a complete elimination of the RCRA waste minimization and recycling program. Read more...
MRFs' expanding cost-revenue gap - Ann Arbor-based RRS analyzed the various inputs that contribute to processing costs for materials recovery facilities: fixed costs, variable operating and maintenance costs, and the cost of disposing of residue. A variety of factors are leading to increases in all of those areas. MRFs' fixed costs have more than doubled form 2009 to 2018. This is due to MRFs investing in new technology to stay competitive, adapt to a changing materials stream, and meet increasingly stringent bale-quality standards. Read more...
Value of curbside materials drops 66% in 2 years - To quickly grasp the struggles facing American curbside recycling programs, one can follow the money - or lack thereof. In July 2017, a ton of recyclables was worth over $90. In October 2019, it was worth $30. That's according to new research from The Recycling Partnership. The impact of that pricing plunge on municipal recycling programs is among the topics explored in The Recycling Partnership's "2020 State of Curbside" report. Read more...
Why recycled cleaning products are the next step - CYCLE, the world's first recycled household cleaners, manufactures everyday household cleaning products - such as toilet bowl cleaner, bathroom cleaner, and all-purpose cleaner - from nothing but all-natural soap, citric acid, oil-based fragrance, derived organic acids, pure water, and waste water. The base of CYCLE products is, in fact, one of the byproducts of biological wastewater treatment facilities, known as biosolids. Read more...
Giant brands love Loop's zero-waste packaging - A year ago, a coalition of some of the world's biggest brands embarked on an experiment: If they started selling everyday products like shampoo in reusable, returnable packaging instead of single-use plastic, would customers buy it? Could a modern version of the milkman model - where customers shop online, and then return empty containers via UPS to be cleaned and refilled for a new customer - make business sense? After the first pilot project, which started in May 2019, the tests have been successful enough that the system is now rapidly expanding and will soon launch in retail stores. Read more...
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Opportunities, Resources, Grants...
EGLE Recycling & Organics Infrastructure Grant - A total of $3 million is available through the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy's Recycling and Organics Infrastructure Grant program for the development of recycling infrastructure or food waste management programs. Schools and universities, local units of government, nonprofits, tribal governments, health departments, and solid waste/recycling authorities can apply for funding to improve recycling programs that would increase the amount of material collected or processed or to improve the level of participation in recycling programs. Organics management infrastructure grant applications are for projects primarily focused on food waste (not yard waste) and must result in a finished or partial compost product. Learn more...
GLRI trash free waters RFA - The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is requesting applications for grants and/or cooperative agreements to support the GLRI Action Plan focus to protect and restore communities of native aquatic and terrestrial species important to the Great Lakes by reducing the impacts of human activities such as trash, litter, and debris in the Great Lakes. Learn more...
City of Ann Arbor is hiring - The City of Ann Arbor is seeking a sustainability and innovations community energy manager to lead the city in research, development, implementation, and management of energy programs. This role will engage the entire community and work towards the City's goal of reducing community-wide greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more here...
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