Full of Scrap 01/04/12

Inside this Issue:                                  PDF Version

  • Workshop Proposals for 2012 Conference
  • M.O.M Meeting January 11th at NRRA Office
  • Price Reduction Continued for Freon Recovery
  • Voting Dues
  • Vermont E-Waste Monthly Conference Call
  • What’s Increasing Your Electric Bill?

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“Treat the earth well… it was not given to you by your parents…. it was lent to you by your children.” 
- Kenyan Proverb

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FROM THE DIRECTORS CHAIR:

 

 

Before                                                                                  After

SANTA IS TIRED!

After the holiday Santa is really wiped out. With all the packaging he had to haul, it’s a wonder he and the reindeer could make it out of the North Pole much less around the world in one night! The reason you see him resting on the beach in his lawn chair is that he is completely amazed that in 2012 an island in the sun has no recycling at all and is still using an archaic landfill system to bury not only its own trash but also the trash from a neighboring island. This significantly reduces the capacity of the landfill and totally eliminates the potential for revenue from tons of recyclables including aluminum, plastic, and fiber. Next year Santa may send this island an NRRA representative in an official capacity to develop a MRF to process this abundance of valuable material into new sustainable products. One can only hope!

Let’s Make 2012 the Year of the Recycler – Not the end of the Mayan Calendar

It occurs to me that the optimism of the human spirit is to look forward to a better day and not toward a disaster. So instead of counting on the end of the world next December to take care of the challenge of daily contributions to the waste stream, let’s look forward to a 100% recycling rate to help preserve our planet and the environment. It just has a better ring to it.

 

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NRRA NEWS:

M.O.M. Meeting: January 11th, 2012 9:30am to 11:30am NRRA Office

 

The NRRA office will be closed on January 16th, 2012

 

Conference News:

Attendees, Exhibitors and Sponsors can now Register Online!

 

 

Workshop Proposals:

Greetings! It is indeed that time again where we start putting together our NRRA Annual Conference and Expo and we need your help.  Please see the presentation proposal form here and pass it around your offices and among your contacts if you would be so kind.   I look forward to seeing your ideas.   As always, if you have any questions, feel free to give Adam a holler.

To PRESENT at a workshop please click here for more information or contact Adam Clark: aclark@nrra.net or (800) 223-0150, ext. 14.

To EXHIBIT, click here or please contact Marilyn Weir: info@nrra.net or (800) 223-0150, ext. 11.

To ATTEND click here and/or to BECOME A MEMBER please contact Paula Dow: pdow@nrra.net or (800) 223-0150, ext. 20.

To be a CONFERENCE SPONSOR click here or please contact: Michael Durfor, NRRA Executive Director: mdurfor@nrra.net or (800) 223-0150, ext. 16.

To DONATE to the SILENT AUCTION, please download donation sheet or please contact Kristine Stanley at kstanley@nrra.net or (800) 223-0150, ext. 10.

(Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to download several of the Forms. If you do not already have it, you may download it here for free.)

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NRRA Gives Rebate Checks to Members for Electronics Recycling

As previously mentioned, through NRRA’s cooperative marketing program, we are able to return some electronics recycling money that was paid by our members in 2010.  An eligibility award from Samsung,  through NRRA’s vendor – Universal Recycling Technologies (URT), resulted in a rebate to those NRRA members who did not originally qualify for the rebate program in the 2010 calendar year.  NRRA is very pleased to be able to return these funds to its members as an extra dividend of their membership, and we very much appreciate all the cooperation that URT has afforded NRRA and its members over the last several years to make electronic waste recycling more cost effective. NRRA is pleased to be part of this opportunity, and again thanks Samsung for these rebates.

Recently, NRRA’s Executive Director, Michael Durfor and Member Services Representative Adam Clark, hit the road to present rebate checks to the member towns of Rye and Epping.

Town of Rye (l to r): Adam Clark, NRRA, Dennis McCarthy, Alan Bucklin, Operator

Town of Epping (l to r):  Adam Clark, NRRA, Peter Criss, Operator

NRRA ELFS:

The staff here at NRRA was fortunate enough to be able to volunteer at Friends of Forgotten Children this holiday season. Friends of Forgotten Children provides a wide variety of services to the community. Those services include a food pantry, a clothing swap shop, community meals, holiday baskets and working with Toys for Tots during the holiday season to ensure children of families that are struggling in the Concord area have something under the tree. The team spent the afternoon helping parents pick out stocking stuffers and little toys and some of us got to go to “Santa’s” big toy room and pick out larger gifts for children in need.  Its was a rewarding and learning experience for the NRRA staff. For more information about Friends of Forgotten Children visit their website (www.fofcnh.org/)

 

 

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FROM BONNIE’S DESK:

PGA (Processed Glass Aggregate) Tipping Fees to Increase Slightly in 2012 (Effective Date 1/01/12)

NRRA Members who deliver glass jars & bottles to one of the 7 NRRA PGA Sites will be charged $23/ton, up $1/ton from 2011.

Remember that you can include porcelain sinks and toilets (with metal & plastic removed), Pyrex, drinking glasses, ceramics, window glass (without frames) etc. along with your glass jars and bottles.

NO windshield glass or light bulbs of any kind.

Please contact Member Services with any questions.

 

Freon Recovery – Continued Reduced Pricing to March 2012

NRRA’s Freon Recovery Vendor, Interstate Refrigerant Recovery, Inc. of Foxboro, MA, has agreed to hold the reduced pricing of $8/unit to NRRA Members until March 31st, 2012.

This will be a total of 6 months of $1/unit savings between October 2011 to March 2012.

$8/unit charge for Refrigerators, Freezers, Air Conditioners, Dehumidifiers and Water Coolers evacuated on your site.

  • Minimum of 25 units per stop
  • Units stay on your site to be included in your scrap metal for revenue
  • Certificates of Recovery are provided with each pickup
  • Freon Recovery can be done year-round (winter included)
  • Arrange units upright with backs accessible for Freon removal

Call Member Services with questions or to set up Freon Recovery at your Site!

 

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FROM PAULA’S DESK:

Voting Dues

It’s that  time of year again!  Voting (municipal) dues notices will be going out this week so please watch for yours.  The dues structure will be the same as last year – five cents per capita with a cap of $ 1,500.  If you have any questions or if you do not receive your notice, please give me a call at the office and I’ll be glad to help you.  Thanks for your continued support!

 

New Hampshire the Beautiful Signs:

New Hampshire Municipalities are all eligible to apply for signs (60 points each fiscal year or until funds run out).  The fiscal year runs November 1-October 31.

For a complete list of signs available or to apply for signs, please visit www.nhthebeautiful.org. Just print the forms you need and fax them to Paula at  (603) 736-4402. Please NOTE!!! You can only order signs that are on the list. Words can be removed, but nothing can be added.

Grants

New Hampshire municipalities are all eligible to apply for grants toward the purchase price of recycling equipment. To apply for a grant, go to the NHtB website www.nhthebeautiful.org, print & fill out the form and fax it to Paula at 736-4402. If you do not have access to the internet, please give us a call, and we can fax or mail a form to you. The next NHtB board meeting is January 19, 2012.  All applications must be submitted by January 5th to be considered at the January meeting.

NH the Beautiful, Inc. (www.nhthebeautiful.org) is a private non-profit charitable trust founded in 1983 and supported by the soft drink, malt beverage, and grocery industries of New Hampshire. By offering municipal recycling grants (over $2.75 million) and signs, anti-litter programs, and technical assistance to recycling programs, NHtB is a unique organization that represents a voluntarily-funded alternative to expensive legislation intended to achieve the same end results.  New Hampshire the Beautiful, Inc. is now supporting the NRRA School Education Program (the Club).  The Northeast Resource Recovery Association (www.nrra.net) administers the New Hampshire the Beautiful programs.

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SCHOOL NEWS YOU CAN USE…

3rd Annual School Conference & Expo

NEW DISCOUNTED RATE FOR STUDENTS! (K-12)

WHEN: Tuesday, June 5th, 2012
WHERE: Radisson Hotel Manchester, NH

COST: $40 Students/$60 Teachers, Administrators (includes breakfast & lunch).

This one-day event will be jam-packed with need-to-know tips and tricks to making recycling strong at your school. There will be workshops for both beginners and advanced school recycling programs. Join us at Tuesday’s Lunch for the School Recycling CLUB Awards Ceremony

Workshop Proposals:

Greetings! It is that time again where we start putting together our School Conference and Expo and we need your help!  Please see the presentation proposal form here.  Feel free to share this with your friends and colleagues.   If you have any questions, contact us at theclub@nrra.net or 800-223-0150, ext. 19.

Looking for Puzzles, Games, Brainteasers about recycling and the environment for your students?

Check out

 

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VERMONT NEWS:
Monthly Conference Call -

Greetings E-Cycles Operators!

Happy New Year!   Here is our wish to you for a safe, prosperous and successful recycling 2012.   To date, we have together collected over 2.2 million pounds of electronics at no charge to Vermonters.

Thank You.

The next E-Cycles Operator Conference Call will be on Monday, January 9th at 10:00 am.

Free Conference Call
Conference Dial-in Number: (641) 715-3200
Participant Access Code: 279190#

PLEASE forward this message to any staff, operators, managers, or colleagues who may wish to participate.

This month’s focus topics will include a discussion of programmatic changes for the 2012/13 program year, review of packing and lifting guidelines and discussion on how to handle parts and components of covered devices from covered entities. View complete agenda here.

As always, if there is something you would like to see on the agenda, a question, concern, or otherwise, please let us know at (800) 223-0150 ext. 19 or vtewaste@nrra.net.

 

 

 

 

Like the E-cycles Facebook page and stay up-to-date on all things Vermont E-Cycles!

 

 

The Career Resource Center at Sterling College announces the 11th annual Environmental Career Fair

March 22, 2012
11 am – 1 pm
Dunbar Dining Hall, Sterling College
Craftsbury Common, Vermont

We would like to invite your organization to get to know our students as they look for internships, research projects, graduate programs, and seasonal or full-time employment opportunities.  This is a great chance to make a personal connection with Sterling College students, faculty, and other community members about future possibilities.

More detailed information about our Environmental Career Fair will be sent out in January.  If you are no longer the appropriate contact at your organization, please let us know.  Feel free to forward this announcement to others that might be interested in attending the Fair.

We hope to see you in March!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Payne, Director & Sydney Flowers, Associate Director
Career Resource Center & Internship Program
Sterling College

For more information about Sterling College visit the following:

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NATIONAL NEWS:

Managing Recycling Systems: 3-Day Certification Course
February 8-10, 2012 | 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Not Yet Certified in Managing Recycling Systems?

Have you recently joined the recycling sector and want to upgrade your skills and knowledge? Are you an experienced solid waste professional or environmental manager thinking about establishing a recycling program? This course will help you understand the issues involved in developing, marketing, funding, and managing successful recycling programs. Contracting, collection, end-use standards and other important topics are also addressed. Read more.

Meet Your Instructors:

Blair Pollock has been active in the solid waste field for over 25 years and in SWANA since 1995. He is currently a Solid Waste Planner for Orange County Solid Waste Department in North Carolina. Prior to his work in Orange County, he worked at New Memphis Development Corporation. Blair will share his relevant experience throughout the course of the class. Blair is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Mike Tilley recently retired as the Refuse Utility Manager for the City of Roseville, California. Over his 14 year career in solid waste, Mike has worked as a full-time refuse collector, refuse driver, defuse lead worker, and refuse supervisor. He has an Associate of Arts Degree from Sierra College in Liberal Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. He also holds certificates from California State University in Analytical Skills and Excellence in Leadership.

Register Now!

EPA Webinar:  Connecting Wellness and Environmental Health: Rain Gardens and Other Sustainable Landscaping Practices for Storm-water Management
1/12/12 from 12-2pm EST

Space is limited.  Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/577828378

 

What’s increasing your electric bill? – The Phantom Knows!

I have yet to meet the person who is happy immediately after opening their electric bill. My reaction is usually a mix of disbelief and disgust. So it is no surprise that I seek out ways to save a buck or two. I don’t mind paying for the electricity that I need, but I am tired of paying for electricity that powers appliances or electronics that are not in use.

Energy used to power small household appliances and home electronics is one of the fastest growing energy loads in the home. Unfortunately, most idle small appliances and equipment, like TVs, DVD and CD players, cable boxes, computers, microwaves, and cordless phones, cell phone chargers–all battery chargers for that matter–continue to draw energy when not in use. This phenomenon is referred to as “standby power,” “leaking electricity,” or “phantom loads.” According to the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, a typical home has as many as 40 appliances on standby power that are consuming electricity 24 hours a day, and may be responsible for 10 percent to 15 percent of the average home’s electricity costs.

The amount of electricity that one of these phantom load appliances uses can vary. But for argument’s sake, let’s take a look at the average New Hampshire house and its possible phantom/standby power load costs for a year. Our power is provided to us in watts. Converting power into energy, we will assume that a device drawing 1 watt constantly for a year (24 hours a day, 365 days a year) uses approximately 8.765 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year. To estimate the cost of that power to the homeowner, we will multiply the product’s annual kWhs times $0.17 (PSNH’s current charge per kWh) using figures from http://standby.lbl.gov/summary-table.html.

Average appliance standby load (Note: all appliances are not in use):

TV (rear projection) (off)                                  6.97 Watts

Cable box (off)                                                 17.83 Watts (with DVR: 36-43 Watts)

DVD player (on, not playing)                            7.54 Watts

CD player (off)                                                 5.04 Watts

Cordless power tool charger                             1.74 Watts

Central heating system                                      4.21 Watts

Stove/range                                                      1.13 Watt

Microwave                                                       3.08 Watts

Coffee maker                                                   1.14 Watts

Computer, monitor, modem & printer               14.53 Watts

Cordless phone with answering machine            4 Watts

Cell phone charger                                            0.26 Watts

Clock radio (on)                                               2.01 Watts

Total                                                                69.48 Watts X 8.765kWh X $0.17 =$103.53

One hundred dollars a year to power things you’re not using.  Plus, I would venture to guess that many of us have more than one TV, cable box, clock radio and so on, so you can see how this phantom load can easily sneak up on you and attack your annual electricity costs. In addition, while these phantom loads can be detrimental to our wallets, this unnecessary demand for power contributes to the negative environmental effects from power plants, including greenhouse gasses, respiratory problems and acid rain.

The good news is that there are ways to fight back and reduce these phantom loads in your home. First, inspect for electrical devices that have a clock, need a remote control, charge a battery, are plugged into the wall with a wall cube or transformer, or don’t have an “off” switch. Next, unplug products that are used infrequently. For those appliances where unplugging them would be inconvenient, consider using a power strip to control numerous items or consider controlling them using outlet timers to shut off power to items when you are sleeping. Remember to consider which devices you can afford to lose programming on.

If you want to explore how much electricity you are using or to calculate your phantom load, go to you local library and sign out a “Cut the Carbon Kit”. The kits feature a Kill A Watt™ energy detector that homeowners can use to assess the efficiency of their appliances and make changes to lower their energy usage.

You can also make a difference by considering the phantom load when purchasing a product. Always buy Energy Star products, overall they are more efficient, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is beginning to include standby power limits in its qualifications for the Energy Star program.

For more information about phantom loads/standby power, visit the US Department of Energy website at www.energy.gov. For more information about energy efficiency, see the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services website at www.des.nh.gov.

Article provided by:
GREENWorks
Ideas for a Cleaner Environment
A publication of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Concord, NH (603) 271-3710

 

Seattle Plastic Bag Ban: Officials Vote To Ban Bags, Aim To Reduce Pollution

Huffington Post
Donna Gordon Blankinship
12/19/11

SEATTLE — The Seattle City Council voted Monday to ban single-use plastic bags from groceries and other retail stores, joining a growing trend among cities that embrace green values.

The ordinance, which was approved unanimously following months of discussion and debate, takes effect in July 2012. It includes a provision to charge a nickel fee for the use of paper bags, to encourage people to bring their own bags when they go shopping.

The paper bag fee is not unique. In Washington, D.C., businesses that sell food or alcohol must charge 5 cents for each carryout paper or plastic disposable bag.

The ban is expected to reduce pollution, free up landfill space and improve the environment. Seattle’s residents use 292 million plastic bags and 68 million paper bags a year. About 82 percent of paper bags are recycled, while only 13 percent of plastic bags are recycled.

Nearby communities such as Mukilteo, Edmonds, Bellingham and Portland also have banned plastic bags.

Numerous municipalities across the country – including Eugene, Ore., Austin, Texas, and Jackson, Wyo. – are also considering laws to restrict the use of plastic bags.

The Seattle council voted to charge a 20-cent fee on paper and plastic bags in 2008, but the plastics industry spent $1.4 million backing a referendum to overturn it. Voters defeated the fee in 2009.

Officials in the industry haven’t said whether they would launch another referendum, but they have stated they’d push for a statewide bag recycling program similar to those in several states.

Councilmember Mike O’Brien, the bill’s prime sponsor, said he felt the months of work on this proposal, with lots of input from both businesses and environmental groups, resulted in an ordinance that will work for everyone.

He noted that low-income people who can show eligibility in a food assistance program will not be charged the paper bag fee.

Council President Richard Conlin commended the council and advocates for the positive way the ordinance evolved and the substantive public involvement in the process.

“It’s going to really make a difference for our environment,” he said.

During a short public comment session at the beginning of the meeting, four people dressed as “bag monsters” in costumes made from plastic bags serenaded the council with a holiday tribute. Only one person spoke out against the ordinance, saying she wondered if the ban would really help the environment and remove plastic already in the Puget Sound.

Even in the Evergreen state, reaction to the ban vote was mixed.

“We were not expecting a unanimous vote, but we knew that seven of nine councilmembers co-sponsored the ordinance,” said Katrina Rosen, field director for Environment Washington, a statewide advocacy group, from a celebration at a Seattle restaurant.

Rosen called Seattle one of the largest cities to pass such a ban, but a similar ban in San Jose, Calif., goes into effect Jan. 1. San Jose has 946,000 residents compared with Seattle’s 608,000. A plastic bag ban in Los Angeles County, but not the city, went into effect in July.

For remainder of article click here or visit
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/19/seattle-plastic-bag-ban_n_1159154.html

 

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CLASSIFIEDS:

Job Listings

If you have a position open in your community or business that is recycling or environmentally related, please feel free to send it to us and we will post it in the NRRA biweekly newsletter ‘Full of Scrap’

Please include:

Job Description and Contact Person, Phone # and/or email address.

Contact Caitlin Meaney at CMeaney@nrra.net or call 1.603.736.4401, ext. 17

 

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NRRA CALENDAR:

  • Jan. 11th: M.O.M Meeting, NRRA Office

  • Jan. 16th: NRRA OFFICE CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY

  • Feb. 8th: M.O.M. Meeting, NRRA Office

  • Feb. 8th: NRRA Board Meeting, NRRA Office 11:00am – 1:00pm

  • Feb. 8th-10th:  SWANA’s Annual Conference (Details above)

  • Feb. 20th: NRRA OFFICE CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY

  • March 14th: M.O.M. Meeting, NRRA Office

  • April 11th: M.O.M. Meeting, NRRA Office

  • April 11th: NRRA Board Meeting, NRRA Office 11:00am – 1:00pm

  • May 9th: M.O.M. Meeting, NRRA Office

  • May 28th: NRRA OFFICE CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY

  • June: No M.O.M Meeting due to Annual Conference

  • June 4th & 5th: 31st Annual NRRA Recycling Conference & Expo (details above)

  • June 5th: 3rd Annual School Recycling Conference & Expo

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