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Powering the science of sustainable resource management

Our world faces a growing challenge to address how people create, use, and discard the materials that make our lives. With more than 30 years of experience, EREF is the proven source for unbiased, scientific reports and analysis on sustainable materials management.

Advancing a sustainable economy

Instead of a linear economy—which moves raw materials through manufacturing, distribution, and consumption to create waste—we imagine a circular economy that keeps materials moving through reuse, repair, redistribution, and recycling to preserve natural resources and minimize climate-altering emissions.

How we advance circularity

Our impact is driven by our core research pillars

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GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

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EMERGING CONTAMINANTS

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ADVANCING MATERIALS REUSE & RECYCLING

active projects
scholars funded in 2024
funded in research & scholarships since 1992

Featured report

Fires in the Materials Management Sector

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Our Most Popular Resources

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News

May 8, 2025

EREF Launches Third Controlled Release Study to Improve Methane Detection at Landfills

EREF-Funded Study, in Collaboration with FluxLab, to Test and Advance a Broader Range of Methane Detection Technologies Under More Variable Conditions RALEIGH, NC – May 8, 2025 – Following…

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April 12, 2025

Advancing PFAS Research: Meet Sonia Moavenzadeh at WasteExpo

Imagine trying to clean up a spill you can’t even see. That’s the challenge Sonia Moavenzadeh tackles every day. A Ph.D. candidate in Civil and…

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Events

Science Session: Optimizing Volatile Fatty Acid Yield in Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Food Waste

Food waste presents a significant environmental and economic challenge. Join Hezhou (Jenny) Ding as she presents her innovative research focused on transforming this waste into…

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2025 Fall Classic & Networking Event

EREF will host its 2025 Fall Classic & Networking Event on September 16 & 17, 2025. The annual event will be held at Cog Hill…

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