The scope and scale of the food waste challenge in America is daunting. Recognizing the gravity,  the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, through its EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge  program, is encouraging and empowering local programs to craft local solutions to this pervasive problem. EPA is incentivizing participation in the program by showcasing local food waste prevention champions, both nationally and regionally.

The Department of Environmental Quality recently released an analysis of waste recovery in Oregon for 2018, the most recent year for which numbers are available.

Lane County recycled and composted 53.8% of its trash in 2018.

In 2017, Waste Management (WM) began conceptualizing a materials recovery facility (MRF) that would help the company address two major ongoing market issues: high labor turnover rates and processing the highest quality materials for end markets.

Recycling and engineering teams at WM sat down and began designing a highly automated facility, known as Waste Management’s MRF of the Future, that would make high-quality material with the lowest labor possible.

Republic Services, Rogue Disposal & Recycling, and Southern Oregon Sanitation announced today that the will begin recycling number one and two plastic bottles and jugs.

The three local waste management companies will now be accepting the items in curbside recycling carts and at local recycle depots.

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The digital divide has always been a serious problem, but in the era of COVID-19 its dire. Free Geek has been on the front lines of bridging the digital divide and right now the demand for Free Geek’s low to no cost computers is higher than ever in our history.  Hundreds of thousands in our community are not connected to the internet or need a device to access it. Seniors need vital access to their doctors through telehealth appointments, workers need access to devices to continue their work from home and students need access to machines so that they complete their school work.

Republic Services foresees major changes in the residential and commercial recycling landscape due to the coronavirus pandemic.

DEQ’s Materials Management Workforce Development grants for repair and reuse businesses are accepting applications now through May 8th. Grants will support repair and reuse activities.  DEQ is seeking proposals for projects that will extend the lifespan of products and materials already in circulation through reuse, repair, salvaging, refurbishment or remanufacturing (together referred to as “reuse and repair”).

Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) released a seminal report that provides guidance for stabilizing and modernizing fragmented U.S. municipal recycling systems that have strained under the weight of major market disruptions. The report outlines problems faced by U.S. recycling programs and how extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs in four Canadian provinces have increased packaging recovery and recycling, reduced contamination, and developed markets for difficult-to-recycle materials.

The Recycling Steering Committee is meeting on Friday, January 17 to review preliminary results of collection infrastructure research and guide the next steps for analysis; follow up on equity discussions from the 12/17 meeting; and do final preparations for the 1/31 Information Session. The meeting agenda includes:

What is your name? Sandra Hungate

Where do you work and what do you do? I'm the Vice President of VERDE and Recycling Perks. VERDE is our environmental marketing/outreach agency, and Recycling Perks is our residential outreach platform. I oversee the team and all operations.