Environmental Research and Education Foundation Survey to Be Unveiled at Waste360 Recycling Summit

The Environmental Research and Education Foundation (EREF), a nonprofit that funds and directs scientific research and educational initiatives for waste management practices, will unveil new research about recycling practices in the United States at next week’s Waste360 Recycling Summit.

The summit produced in partnership with the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), will take place September 9-11, 2015, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago. The summit will examine critical issues surrounding recycling and sustainability and will convene industry thought leaders, practitioners, customers and manufacturers to discuss the industry challenges and opportunities.

During the education session “Recycling State of Practice: Policy, Tonnage, and Beyond” on Friday, September 11 at 9:20 a.m. Bryan Staley, Ph.D., P.E., president and CEO, EREF and Debra Kantner, internal research program manager, EREF, will discuss differences in recycling policies and goals across the United States and share how differences in definitions can contribute to variations from state to state and city to city.

EREF will present a definitional framework that highlights how recycling goals can be based on measurable metrics. In addition, a national picture of how much recycling is occurring and highlights differences between states and regions will be presented. Perspectives regarding differences in types of recycling facilities will also be shared along with how trends in waste generation and recycling policies may affect future efforts.

“Recycling practices across the United States vary widely. These practices are significantly influenced by the policies and goals set by state/local agencies and the implementation of recycling programs within the community,” said Staley in a statement. “Our team took a look at the national picture of what is happening across the industry to create a new structure of measurable metrics. Previous estimates identified less than 1,700 recycling facilities. Thus, this study is one of the most comprehensive efforts thus far on quantifying the extent of recycling occurring in the U.S.  We are looking forward to sharing it for the first time at the Summit.”

Waste360 Vice President Mark Hickey added, “We’re honored that EREF is using our inaugural Summit to unveil their new research. This new research will be the linchpin of industry metrics moving forward.”