JD Lindeberg enjoying USCC and Austin, TX.

It’s the beginning of the 2012 conference season and RRS is gearing up for one fantastic year. We are pleased to announce that our annual debut will be at the United States Composting Council (USCC) Annual Conference & Tradeshow this week – the USCC is not only a wonderful organization, but one that is near and dear to our hearts. Nicole Chardoul and JD Lindeberg are both long-time members of the USCC and well-known throughout the industry for their dedication and excellence in the composting community.

The conference, running from January 17 to 20 in Austin, TX, marks the 20^th anniversary of the USCC. Established in 1990, the USCC is the only national organization in the United States dedicated to the development, expansion and promotion of the composting industry. The USCC advances composting and promotes compost use to enhance soils and provide economic and environmental benefits for our members and society. They work to educate policy makers and the public by serving as an advocate group to promote composting and encouraging the adoption of best management practices in composting. Their mission and vision are perfectly aligned with that of RRS and we are proud to support this important organization.

RRS’s own JD Lindeberg was involved on the USCC Board of Directors from 1995 – 1997, and we have been a member of the USCC since 1995. RRS has been attending their conference for years, and it seems as if only yesterday they were just getting started – now this is one of the most significant and widely attended events in the compost industry each year.

If you’ll be attending the conference, be sure to check out Nicole Chardoul during her session, “Festival Food Waste – City of Lansing Case Study” on January 19 at 1:45pm.  In addition to speaking, Nicole and JD will be set up in the exhibit hall among other industry vendors during the tradeshow. We have an exciting new feature as part of our display and we are excited to debut it at the USCC Conference! Please stop by to speak with Nicole or JD and make the most of this event – it is sure to be a great event and we are looking forward to being a part of it for another year. Happy 20^th birthday, USCC!

…Because this time, we are headed to Memphis!  Carton Council is a proud Silver Member of SERDC, host of the 2011 Tennessee Recycling Symposium.  The Symposium will be held at the Memphis Marriott Downtown Hotel from October 26^th to October 27^th.

As a Silver Member and Sponsor, Carton Council will have a booth set up in the foyer in front of the main session room.  A reception will be held there at 5:00pm Thursday.  Stop by to talk with Resource Recycling System’s Principal and Senior Consultant, Martin Seaman.  There will be information and literature available at the booth throughout the conference for your browsing convenience.

Resource Recycling Systems is also a proud member of SERDC and is happy to support their efforts to develop recycling markets.   We are excited to be part of the growing recycling industry in the Southeast!

Attending the conference this week is Tetra Pak’s Jeff Fielkow, along with RRS’s CEO Jim Frey, President and CFO JD Lindeberg, and Marketing Assistant Tina Colatruglio. Carton Council will be one of many exhibitors and speakers at WasteCon . We’ll be exhibiting at booth #253 throughout the conference and invite everyone to stop by and speak with us about carton recycling. Though we won’t be speaking at WasteCon this year, we will be inviting everyone to join us for the Building Carton Recycling Access Nationwide Webinar that will take place on August 30 after the conference (check out our earlier posts for more info!).

If you’re at the conference, be sure to find us in the booth or at the conference reception Wednesday night in the historic Wildhorse Saloon in downtown Nashville. We look forward to meeting everyone there!

Taking place at the Lido Beach Resort, the conference will run from June 5^th thru June 7^th giving environmental professionals from all over Florida the opportunity to network and learn from the Country’s leading recycling and sustainability professionals.

Each day offers a key note speaker and breakout sessions. Topics range from organics management to the Bottle Bill initiative in Florida to Carton Council’s own Victor Storelli speaking on “Building Carton Recycling Access Nationwide”.  Mr. Storelli will present on Tuesday June 7^th at 10:15 a.m.

In support of Mr. Storelli and the carton recycling initiative, the Carton Council is a proud Premier Conference sponsor and will also be exhibiting at the conference.   Attendees are encouraged to stop by booth “B” in the registration area for a fun free gift and to learn more about recycling cartons.  Come say hi to Victor and check out the “date night” gift that is loaded with TetraPak cartons of wine, wine glasses, and chocolate truffles that will be raffled off.

The 2011 conference will run from March 29 to 31, and is expecting over 2,000 attendees this year. Carton Council representatives Jeff Fielkow and Victor Storelli will join RRS’s own Jim Frey (CEO) and Tina Colatruglio at this year’s event Carton Council is honored to be sponsoring the networking lunch on Wednesday, March 30.  During this networking lunch, all conference attendees have the chance to win a Carton Council gift bag filled with wines and juices in aseptic packaging.

RRS and the Carton Council would also like to invite you to visit us at Booth #500.  RRS Principal and CEO Jim Frey will be available throughout the conference for questions and conversation on increasing carton recycling efforts, achieving widespread sustainable operations and advancing your waste reduction programs.  We will be giving away Carton Council goodies all throughout the day – so if you aren’t a lucky winner at lunch, stop by the booth for the opportunity to win a 100% recyclable gift.

On Thursday, March 31 from 12:30pm to 1:30pm, Jeff Fielkow will be presenting on, “Now What? Processing & Marketing Recyclables.” Jeff, a Tetra Pak executive and industry expert, will be providing a glimpse into  all the ways that the packaging industry is developing sustainable and recyclable packaging.

The full list of speakers, topics, and networking events is available at the RRC conference website. We look forward to meeting everyone there!

In addition to the speaker spotlight, Marty and Jim will be available for questions and conversation regarding both RRS and the Carton Council at Booth #24 throughout the conference, beginning on March 6.  Interested in carton recycling, waste management solutions, recycling program development or sustainable operations?  They will cover it all!

SERC 2011 boasts nearly 100 exhibitors and over 650 attendees.  In addition to participating in the conference as an exhibitor, the Carton Council is also proud to be a Silver Sponsor.  Betsy Dorn will be speaking with Marty Seaman in the “Sustainability of Recycling and Source Reduction” track on Getting Serious about Cartons Recycling – The Carton Industry’s Product Stewardship Initiative.  Other conference highlights include both tennis and golf tournaments, a welcome reception, casino night and the Virtual Trade Show.  The Virtual Trade Show will highlight a 30-second recording of exhibitors/sponsors at their booth – please look for the upcoming Carton Council and RRS commercial spotlight which will air throughout the year on SERC’s webpage.

For more information, visit www.southeastrecycling.com, and make sure to follow RRS on Facebook for pictures, updates and conference insight!

Among attendees of the conference, we had a unique message for this specific crowd as a majority of the municipal landfill owners and operators are also coordinators of their local recycling programs. Even though many are struggling with a small budget, we discussed how new options and technologies are available to make recycling a cost-effective and vital piece of business in every community.

Because so many consumers and businesses are unfamiliar with the Carton Council’s carton recycling initiative, conferences like this are some of our most important outreach efforts. We look forward to working with the many Alabama recycling centers in transitioning them to accepting carton and aseptic packaging as part of their processing operations.  Marty Seaman’s conference presentation on the Carton Council’s sustainable packaging efforts was well received and gained positive feedback from attendees who were surprised to hear the Carton Council’s initiatives.

Again, thank you to the SWANA Alabama Chapter for allowing us to be a part of this experience, we look forward to a repeat visit in the fall!

The conference, held at the Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Park, will draw hundreds of waste management and recycling professionals from throughout the south and southeast.  Our own Marty Seaman (Principal and Senior Consultant) and Tina Colatruglio (Marketing Assistant) will be in attendance and ready to answer your questions on how to expand carton recycling to either your recycling facility or community. 

Look for Marty to be speaking this afternoon during the recycling track on “The Carton Industry’s Product Stewardship Initiative”.  Join both Marty and Tina tonight at the RRS sponsored reception to talk more about how our services will advance your waste and recycling management program. 

For more information about the 2011 Alabama SWANA conference, click here.  For a complete listing of conferences and RRS speaking engagements, visit our Events page.

Participants had the chance to network with various vendors, representing electronic recycling, plastic and paper mills and even eco-friendly trade show products.  The conference also highlighted presentations on electric vehicles, aluminum recycling and the positive financial effects that recycling has on a state’s tax revenue.

Marty Seaman, Principal and Senior Consultant of Resource Recycling Systems, Inc., was invited to present during the “Producers Lead the Way” plenary session on “Building Carton & Aseptic Package Recycling Access Nationwide.”

As recycling standards currently stand, noted Marty, most programs happily accept aluminum, steel, glass and plastic for recycling, but often exclude cartons.  Cartons, made mainly from a high quality virgin paper that is ideal for recycling into new products, are used to package milk, juice, wine, chicken broth and many other food products.

In 2010, 28 million households in 27 states had access to carton recycling.  This was an increase of 12% from 2009, when only 18% of households had access to carton recycling.  The goal is to continue to increase carton recycling access by at least 5% each year to achieve 50% access in 2014 by encouraging recycling centers to accept them, and educating consumers on the benefits of recycling cartons.

Marty’s next speaking engagement will take place on Tuesday, March 1^st at Alabama Chapter SWANA’s 2011 Spring Meeting.  For more information or a schedule of upcoming conferences, visit our Event Calendar.

SWANA’s fall conference for waste and recycling professionals, featured an abundance of workshops and speakers including Anna Collinson from Resource Recycling Systems. Anna presented on the topic of “Conversion Technologies, Recycling and Carbon Management” on Wednesday the 20^th.

Collinson said “It was a great experience to speak at this year’s fall conference. With our nation’s focus on finding ‘green’ energy sources, the continued development of new technologies to convert post-recycling residual solid waste into useful products and chemicals will greatly reduce landfill waste.  Additionally these technologies  create ‘green collar’ jobs and expand markets for recycling. Resource Recycling Systems is excited to help share the design and implementation of these new technologies as a way to help jumpstart and establish a new ‘green’ economy.”