Vol. 22 No. 2 Fall 2012

Welcome to the first issue of NEWMOA's newly redesigned and enhanced Northeast Pollution Prevention & Sustainability News (formerly Northeast Assistance & Pollution Prevention News).  The content remains focused on federal, state, and local government efforts in the Northeast to advance sustainability, pollution prevention (P2), and compliance.  We have changed the name to reflect a greater emphasis on sustainability in the work of our members and EPA.  We hope that you like the new e-delivery format, navigation, and name, and we encourage you to send us your comments and suggestions so that we can continue to make improvements.  You can also share the newsletter with your friends and colleagues by using the Facebook, Linked-in, Twitter, and email buttons.

PROGRAM UPDATES
New Jersey

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP)

Urban Recycling Summit
Since 1987, New Jersey has required residents, businesses, and institutions to recycle, in an effort to save space in overburdened landfills, cut waste disposal costs, and protect the State’s natural resources.  Statistics show that urban communities often achieve less success in their recycling efforts than suburban areas.  NJDEP and the New Jersey Solid Waste Advisory Council (SWAC) co-hosted an Urban Recycling Summit in June to:

• Identify unique challenges urban areas face in maximizing their recycling rates while holding down associated costs;
• Exchange “real world” experiences in implementing recycling programs in urban areas; and
• Help develop best practices in recycling designed specifically for urban areas. 

During the Summit, participants were encouraged to highlight the biggest barriers to their success and discuss their methods for meeting urban recycling challenges.  Those barriers included the challenges brought on by the number of foreign languages spoken in urban centers; unique issues associated with multi-family units and senior housing; difficulties communicating and enforcing the State’s new electronic waste recycling requirements; adequately defining the role of the Certified Recycling Coordinator (CRP); and lack of coordination within municipal government.  Participants were able to share information and ideas and give NJDEP and the SWAC a better understanding of the on-the-ground recycling situation. 

The urban recycling coordinators also discussed their ideas for what NJDEP could do to help boost recycling rates.  These included the development of education, outreach, and enforcement support materials and documentation of the benefits of recycling (e.g., model ordinances, videos, and Public Service Announcements), as well as assistance in coordinating and engaging various associations and trade groups to develop best management practices.  NJDEP is considering this input as it determines its next steps. 

For more information, contact Guy Watson.

Materials Accounting Data
The Release and Pollution Prevention Report (RPPR), administered by NJDEP, includes data on toxic chemical throughput, multi-media environmental releases, on-site waste management, and off-site transfers on an annual basis.  Collectively, this information is referred to as materials accounting and is intended to provide a complete picture of toxic and hazardous substances used at industrial facilities in NJ.

Materials accounting data identify the quantity of toxic chemicals involved in each step of the process – from chemicals transported through communities to an industrial facility, to the manufacture of intermediate and final products at the site, to chemicals shipped off-site as (or in) products or as wastes, and to chemicals released into the environment.  This reporting has led to a better understanding of the various uses of toxic chemicals at industrial facilities and the potential for these chemicals to impact communities.

Data was collected from 381 facilities with 1,449 substance reports, as of September 27, 2012.
The following provides a summary of RPPR data for 2011 (in pounds).