The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), in association with The Recycling Partnership, will host the first-ever 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 – 8, 2019 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, a one-night hotel stay, and a travel reimbursement of up to $500. Applications are due by close of business on Friday, February 15. NERC and The Recycling Partnership will select and notify the awardees no later than Friday, March 8.
“Contamination of the residential recycling stream is one of the most pressing issues facing the recycling industry today,” says Lynn Rubinstein, Executive Director of the Northeast Recycling Council. “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.”
In an effort to improve the recycling system as a whole, The Partnership and NERC are inviting area Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) to both sponsor and participate in the workshop. Tuesday, May 8 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.