EREF Issues Request for Pre-proposals Focused on Recycling

Human Behavior—source separation; bin/signage design; consumption patterns; education and communications programs (e.g., which are most effective); effectiveness of positive/negative incentives (e.g., rewards programs, competitions, fines, public notices of failure to comply).

Collection and Program Performance/Effectiveness—on contamination; based on housing type (e.g. single family, multifamily, townhouse, mixed-use); based on container type/size, labeling, collection frequency; existing program track record and gap analysis; effects of changing waste streams, commerce and new global markets; viability of single stream, source separation and mixed waste processing.

Definitions, Policies and Regulations—definitions of recycling and the effect on policy; mass versus LCA-based goals; existing policy, regulations and government incentives effectiveness given changing global markets (focus on past, present and future); role of sustainable materials management.

Reducing and Managing Contamination—human behavior impacts; expected contamination rate and how to minimize before getting to MRF; strategies to manage/minimize at MRFs and economic impacts; role of upstream manufacturing practices; minimum/maximum contamination based on end use/market.

Technological Innovation & Processing Optimization—capture efficiency through entire chain (MRFs/secondary processers); mixed waste processing; sorting technology improvement; technological advancement and innovation to minimize contamination or convert low-value recyclables into useful products.

Enhancing Material Recyclability—management of plastic bags (e.g., should they be banned, expand collection and communication, create new markets, cost of expanded management); based on upstream product design/manufacturing.

Development of End Markets—economically stable end markets, primarily for larger volume commodity recyclables (e.g. plastic, fiber, glass).

Recycling Value in Terms of Economics and Sustainability—true cost of recycling (including costs such as administrative overhead); commodity price volatility; viability of single stream (effects of labor availability, safety and container and behavior issues) (comparison with dual/multi-stream/mixed waste systems); cost comparison of using virgin materials compared to recovered materials (accounting for differences in geography or other factors affecting costs).

Lifecycle Assessment—demonstrate and rationalize goals, markets and infrastructure needs; whether or not something should be recycled or not based on environmental burden; impact of inventory metrics on recyclability (e.g. transport, energy use).