EREF Blog

Meet Corey Johnson-Erday: Rehrig Pacific Company Named Intern

Rehrig Pacific Company has sponsored a named EREF internship. Corey Johnson-Erday, the recipient of this award, is an intern with EREF’s Data & Policy Program and an undergraduate student at North Carolina State University. Corey’s work with EREF includes the School Cafeteria Discards Assessment Project and the State of Leachate Management and Treatment study.

Hear from Corey on the value of his EREF internship and the impact of the Rehrig Pacific Company named internship.

EREF Expands Its Presence in Canada

In early 2017, the Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF) and the Ontario Waste Management Association (OWMA) convened in Ontario, Canada with the goal of strengthening the funding of Canadian-based research and scholarships in support of sustainable materials management. The purpose of the meeting was to explore the work EREF is undertaking in the United States, and discuss the development of a Canadian research platform that would meet the needs of the country’s waste management sector.

Click here for more information (PDF)

EREF Annual Charitable Auction at WasteExpo Funds Solid Waste Research and Educational Initiatives

Raleigh, NC (March 27, 2018) – Gear up for the Environmental Research & Education Foundation’s (EREF) Annual Charitable Auction, one of the highlights of WasteExpo, held April 24 – 25, 2018 in Las Vegas. This can’t-miss, two-day event, which has raised $18 million since its inception 24 years ago, consists of the Live and Silent Auctions, as well as a networking reception. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, sponsors and participants, last year’s event raised over $1.9 million to support EREF’s mission to fund and direct scientific research and educational initiatives.

Click here for more information (PDF)

EREF and NWRA Unveil Resource for Elevated Temperature Landfill Information and Research

Raleigh, NC (March 15, 2018) – In an effort to inform discussions regarding elevated temperature landfills, the Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF) and the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) have partnered to create a microsite presenting some of the most recent research on the topic.

Click here for more information (PDF)

Marty Bryant, Patrick Dovigi and Tara Hemmer Elected to EREF Board of Directors

Raleigh, NC (February 22, 2018) – The Board of Directors of the Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF) is pleased to announce the election of 3 new members:

  • Marty Bryant, Chief Executive Officer at Wastequip, LLC.
  • Patrick Dovigi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at GFL Environmental Inc.
  • Tara Hemmer, Senior Vice President, Operations, Safety and Environmental Compliance at Waste Management, Inc.

Click here for more information (PDF)

Ice River Springs Shows Continued Dedication to Sustainability with Support of 2017 Master’s Scholarship for Sustainability

 

Raleigh, NC (November 30, 2017) – The Board of Directors of the Environmental Research & Education Foundation are pleased to award the 2017 Ice River Springs Master’s Scholarship for Sustainability to James Souder, a Master’s of Environmental Management candidate at Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Click here for more information (PDF)

Think Waste Wise This Holiday Season!

The holiday season is upon us, filled with family time and tasty holiday meals, and that means a substantial amount of waste.
Before hitting the grocery store for some last minute shopping or carving up that turkey this Thanksgiving, consider how much waste is produced and steps you can take to reduce it.

EREF Answers: A Deeper Look at City and State Recycling Goals

After landfilling, recycling is the most common method of waste management in the United States with 21% of municipal solid waste (MSW) processed at recycling facilities and 64% sent to landfills.* Across the U.S., cities and states are setting recycling goals to increase the recovery and beneficial reuse of materials.

Click the infographic above for more on U.S. recycling!

This America Recycles Day, learn more about these goals and U.S. recycling operations.

How are recyclables defined?

While recyclables may be defined specifically as commodity recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, metal, glass) or include activities like composting or energy recovery from waste, an upcoming report from EREF has found at least 18 different ways states are defining and reporting recycling. This variability in definition makes it difficult to quantify actual diversion rates, as there is no set standard.

Why are U.S. cities and states setting recycling goals and policies?

The most commonly cited reasons are to increase energy conservation, protect environmental quality, improve public health and better manage our resources.

How many states have recycling or diversion goals in place?

Currently, 45 states (90%) have set recycling or diversion rate goals, which range from encouraging specific, stated activities (e.g. recycling, composting) to focusing on reducing total waste being managed each year. Twenty-three of these goals are written as recycling goals.

What are the targeted recycling rates?

States’ target recycling rates range from 10% – 80% with some citing a deadline to reach the goal while others are open-ended.

Where do recyclable items go after discard?

The sorting and processing of commodity recyclables happens through a network of over 3,900 recycling facilities made up of Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) and non-MRFs (i.e. smaller, low-technology facilities).

What are Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs)?

MRFs accept, sort and process recyclable material for re-use. These facilities are classified either as clean, where recyclables are already pulled from the waste before arrival at the facility, or mixed-waste, where recyclables and waste materials are collected together, then separated from the waste through manual and/or automated sorting upon arrival.

How much waste is processed through a recycling facility?

Each year, over 70 million tons of recyclables are processed. A large MRF could manage up to 200,000 tons/year.

Looking for more recycling data?

Additional recycling data can be found in EREF’s Data & Policy (D&P) reports here. Look for EREF’s report on recycling policy this winter!

Data is collected, aggregated and analyzed through the foundation’s Data & Policy Program. D&P projects serve as a resource for solid waste-related data for researchers and decision-makers within other areas such as sustainability and environmental policy. Fees charged for D&P reports are used to provide internships to college students who assist in data gathering and analysis efforts for the program.

*Found in EREF’s report “Municipal Solid Waste Management in the U.S.: 2010 & 2013.”