The results of the 2015 GameDay Recycling Challenge have been posted. MassLive reports that UMass Amherst received first and second place awards for their recycling efforts. UMass students collected recycling at three tailgating parties at McGuirk Alumni Stadium this fall. UMass recycled 18.693 pounds of materials. They placed first in the Mid-American Conference for…
The Mass DEP just announced a new grant program, the Recycling Business Development Grant (RBDG), intended to help Massachusetts recycling processors and manufacturers create sustainable markets for eligible materials, and to add value to municipal and business recycling efforts. Selected applicants can receive grant awards up to $400,000. The application deadlines are: Round 1 –…
Bumper 2 Bumper Magazine is a free biweekly listing of used cars and other motorized vehicles distributed to over 500 locations throughout Western New England. This summer, Bumper 2 Bumper called the RecyclingWorks hotline when the company that had been recycling their surplus magazines into cellulose insulation moved. RecyclingWorks staff connected Bumper 2 Bumper Magazine…
MassRecycle has partnered with MBTA, the Massachusetts Beverage Association, and Cassella Recycling to pilot a recycling collection program at Alewife Station. This pilot program is part of an effort to increase recycling in public spaces. This pilot program will be evaluated to help inform how to successfully expand recycling collection to other stations in the…
The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) recently posted a guest blog about green electronics. This post was written by an E-waste processor, Electronics Recyclers International (ERI), that has a recycling facility in Holliston, MA. The dramatic worldwide increase in electronics has brought a lot of attention to discarded smart phones, laptops, and computers as an environmental issue. Unwanted…
Supermarkets that bale rigid plastics – such as deli containers, floral buckets, and pharmacy bottles – can generate significant revenue. The Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) recently created a training video to help grocery stores start baling rigid plastic containers. The APR case study of several methods of disposing of rigid plastics found that…
This summer, RecyclingWorks staff helped the Wilco Solid Sound Festival establish a compost and recycling collection program. Every two years the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) hosts this music and arts festival. The event draws over 8,000 visitors and has more than a dozen food and drink vendors. Over the course of this…
In a recent survey by AASHE, nearly a third of Americans said they would be more likely to attend a game or concert at a stadium if they knew that all of the stadium waste would be recycled or composted. One in five of those surveyed also said they would be likely to buy more…
The National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) Conserve program is a resource to explore and learn about sustainability in the restaurant business. To promote the program, the NRA developed 4 tips from industry experts on easy practices to implement that enhance a restaurant’s sustainability and produce environmental benefits: Recycle your cardboard Conserve water by establishing a…
In April, Keep America Beautiful published findings of a 2014 research study in a report titled “Recycling at Work: Research to Inform Improved Recycling in the Workplace”. Keep America Beautiful commissioned Action Research to conduct the study, which was sponsored by PepsiCo Recycling. The study assessed the effects of different desk-side bin types and placements in over…
In November 2014, the Food Waste Reduction Alliance, a working group of major food service retailers and trade associations, released the report Analysis of U.S. Food Waste Among Food Manufacturers, Retailers, and Restaurants. From statistics in the report, Jordan Figueiredo of EndFoodWaste.org and Nicole Civita of the Food Recovery Project at the University of Arkansas created…
In Fall 2014, Simmons College, Emmanuel College, Wheelock College and Wentworth Institute of Technology all partnered with Casella Resource Solutions on waste diversion improvements, including single-stream recycling and back-of-house food waste diversion. This article highlights the increased diversion rates and positive behavior change these colleges have experienced as a result of working with Casella…
This article from Boston University’s (BU) independent student newspaper, The Daily Free Press, discusses the increase in food waste diversion to alternative organic waste processing methods like composting as a result of the Commercial Food Waste Disposal Ban that took effect October 1, 2014. The article highlights BU’s food waste diversion program, which was successfully…
MassRecycle’s 20th Annual Recycling Awards winners were announced at the MassRecycle R3 Conference held in Quincy on March 30. This year’s winners are: Individual Award: Heather Pillis, Ipswich, MA Municipal Award: City of Salem K-12 Award: Danvers School District Institution/University Award: University of Massachusetts Lowell Business Award: Hannaford Supermarkets Public Servant Award: Mayor Kim Driscoll,…
This article explains the various waste reduction and diversion initiatives that Fitchburg State has implemented since 2008. These include removing straws from dining halls, diverting food waste to a local pig farmer, and single-stream recycling. In addition, signage with alarming food waste statistics has been placed near disposal areas in dining halls, with the intention…
This press release details the results of the 2015 RecycleMania tournament, a waste reduction and recycling competition among colleges and universities across 49 U.S. states and Canada. This year’s competition engaged 4.1 million students at 394 schools to recycle or compost 80.1 million pounds of recyclables and organic materials, preventing the release of 129,411 metric…
This article from sustainability@BU highlights the new recycling initiative that was implemented at Boston University’s Warren Towers dormitory during the Fall 2014 semester. By installing dual stream recycling on every floor of Warren Towers, the recycling rate in the building increased ten percent from September 2014 to December 2014. Multiple student and faculty groups…
This press release from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) highlights thirteen New England organizations that have backed the Food Recovery Challenge, an initiative that encourages businesses, organizations and institutions to prevent food waste by donating or recycling food. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is among the organizations who have become “endorsers” of…
One-third of all food produced in the world ends up as waste. In this new report, the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) estimates the value of global consumer food waste at more than US$400 billion per year, and as the global middle class expands, that number could rise to US$600 billion in the next…
Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, began a food waste diversion program at the Higgins Cafeteria in 2007, and has since expanded the program to include multiple residence halls and most recently, the Academic Commons at Goddard Library. This article provides an overview of how food waste diversion to composting has spread across Clark’s campus, helping…
This radio story from WCAI, Cape and Islands NPR Station, and accompanying blog post highlight Falmouth (MA) resident Mary Ryther and her business “Compost With Me”, a small-scale residential and commercial food waste collection and composting service in Cape Cod. Ryther charges a nominal fee for food waste collection, and returns finished compost back to…
In January 2015, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and As You Sow, a non-profit organization dedicated to environmental and corporate social responsibility, released Waste and Opportunity 2015: Environmental Progress and Challenges in Food, Beverage, and Consumer Goods Packaging. The report is based on a survey of 47 companies in the quick service restaurants (QSR), beverages…
Presentations from the recent WasteWise forum are now available on our WasteWise page; you can visit that page or use the following links to download and review slideshows of the presentations. Solid Waste Management Hierarchy-Christine Beling, Project Engineer at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 1 The Furniture Trust-Michelle Blakemore, Education and Outreach Manager at The…
The 2014 RecyclingWorks Year-End Report is now available on our about page. Visit that page or click here to download a copy to learn about all the ways that RecyclingWorks has helped businesses and institutions across the state manage their waste stream responsibly and adapt to the new Food Waste Ban.
The RecyclingWorksMA.com website has had over 50,000 visitors in 2014, seeing an increase in traffic in the lead up the the beginning of the food waste ban! Thank you to all our users for your contribution in making our website a successful resource for the citizens of Massachusetts! If you’ve only had experience with one…
This coming Monday, September 23, the Association of Post Consumer Plastic Recyclers is conducting a FREE webinar on rigid plastics recycling. This provides the opportunity to hear about rigid plastic recycling resources and learn how one major US grocery chain has already implemented a program to recover rigid grocery plastics. Learn more about this webinar…
This article from The Guardian highlights the preparations underway by various stakeholders in Massachusetts to be ready for the upcoming commercial organics waste disposal ban, which goes into effect October 1. The article notes that that most affected businesses have already put food reduction policies into place and are ready to adapt to the ban.
The RecyclingWorks September Newsletter has been released; it includes a link to an article on Crosby’s marketplace, a supermarket that RecyclingWorks helped to set up a composting program. Click here to read a copy of the RecyclingWorks September Newsletter. Email info@recyclingworksma.com if you;d like to be added to the newsletter’s mailing list.
This article from The Fall River Herald News highlights the Green Move Out program at UMass Dartmouth, run by a group of students. During this year’s move-out the group collected 4,300 pounds of items to donate to charity, diverting that material from the waste stream. This represents a 3,100 pound increase from last year’s results. UMass…
This article from the Gloucester Times highlights DownRiver Ice Cream of Essex, which is making the move to compost or recycle 100% of the waste it produces. They’re working with the Green Team from Manchester Essex Regional High School to create signage that helps their customers understand what waste to compost and what to recycle.…
This article from Masslive describes how various businesses in Massachusetts are preparing for the upcoming Commercial Food Waste Disposal Ban beginning October 1, 2014. The article interviews representatives from Big Y, Martin’s Farm, Hope and Olive, and the Center for Ecotechnology. Interested in learning more about the commercial organics waste ban and best management practices for…
This article from Masslive highlights the work being done by Martin’s Farm, a family-owned Greenfield farm which has been taking in compost for 20 years, helping Franklin County to lead the way in commercial composting. The article gives an especially incisive look at the steps involved in commercial composting, from intake of waste through processing…
This article from MassLive describes the award-winning effort from Big E’s Supermarket to reduce their food waste by implementing a composting and recycling program. This reduced their waste collection frequency to once a month, significantly reducing disposal costs. Inspired? Check out our compliance page to learn how your business can cut its waste disposal costs while improving…
This article from the Boston Globe describes the citations and in some cases fines issued in the last round of state inspections. State Inspections have been significantly increased recently, and more than 80 companies were issued citations after inspectors found banned material in their waste loads. In the cases of repeat-offenders, fines of up to…
The Massachusetts College and University Recycling Council (CURC) will meet Tuesday, January 14th at 9 AM to discuss the issue of textile recycling. The robust and innovative market for re-purposed textiles will be discussed and success stories shared from the industry. Speakers will include: Bill LaBelle – Goodwill Industries – “Goodwill Not Landfill” – http://www.bu.edu/sustainability/what-were-doing/waste-reduction/goodwill-not-landfill/ Larry…
Massachusetts Business Recycling Efforts Increase in 2013 Many Businesses and Institutions Already Comply with 2014 Food Waste Disposal Ban This press release describes the efforts RecyclingWorks has made this year to provide support for businesses and institutions affected by the impending 2014 Food Waste Disposal Ban. RecyclingWorks has made contact with food waste generators expected to…
The South Hadley landfill will close next year, part of a trend throughout the country. This article by 22News describes alternatives to landfills such as incinerators, while highlighting the overall necessity to find innovative ways to reduce, reuse and recycle as the closure of landfills makes disposal more expensive. The article notes the upcoming Commercial Organics Material…
Northampton, MA, 11/20/13—Just a year after launching its food waste recycling program, Easthampton’s Big E’s Supermarket (www.bigessupermarket.com) has been recognized by the Springfield MRF Advisory Board as one of the region’s outstanding business recyclers of 2013. Big E’s store manager Michael Superson received the award at a ceremony in Holyoke on November 13, which is also…
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has a brand new textile recycling web page, full of information for municipalities, schools, and the general public on state and regional initiatives to how and where textiles can be recycled. Check it out!
When we think of recycling, we think of doing good for the environment. This article in the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) Blog demonstrates how much more recycling can do for us. Author Dave Fusselman of Fusselman Salvage Co. provides a summary of additional advantages of recycling, including job creation and national economic benefit.
Massachusetts is ahead of the curve when it comes to waste management, using several waste bans to prevent recyclable, compostable and hazardous materials from entering the waste stream. To keep this system working, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) hired three new state inspectors to help prevent banned items from improper disposal. This article…
Free Webinar on the Reuse Marketplace: Capture Value. Exchange Reusable Items. Save Money. Reduce Waste. Join us for a Webinar on March 13 Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/944987978 The Northeast Recycling Council, Inc. (NERC) has launched the Reuse Marketplace , a website where businesses, government, institutions, and non-profits can post…
Did you know organic matter decomposing in landfills accounts for 16.2 percent of the nation’s emissions of methane? Take a look at this interesting article from the Washington Post reviewing the state of Composting in the D.C. area and nationwide.
Check out our new page providing valuable waste management guidance for colleges and universities.
Included is a case study describing how the University of Massachusetts at Amherst diverted an additional 1200 pounds of food waste per day by expanding their composting program!
