Municipal

SPC and The Recycling Partnership collaborate on ASTRX initiative

Nonprofit organizations The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), Charlottesville, Virginia, and The Recycling Partnership, Falls Church, Virginia, have teamed up to create an initiative called Applying Systems Thinking to Recycling (ASTRX).

The groups say they have drawn from their experience in packaging design and material recovery to create a system dedicated to “comprehensively mapping barriers and opportunities within the recycling landscape, then identifying tactics to advance the industry and deliver more high-quality recyclables to the supply chain.”

“Recycling exists to deliver material feedstocks back into the manufacturing process,” comments Nina Goodrich, executive director of the SPC. “Through ASTRX we will analyze the entire system and identify the most effective areas for improvement and intervention. In turn, this will lay the strategic foundation for bolstering supply and reaping both the environmental and economic benefits.”

Understanding the interplay between the “series of public and private sector subindustries that work together to create a recovered feedstock supply chain” can help improve recovery levels, the two organizations say.

“Recycling is a loosely connected, highly dependent system,” says Keefe Harrison, executive director of The Recycling Partnership. “By looking within and between each link in that system, we can route a considerably more informed and robust course of intervention.”

To fully capture the perspective of the entire recycling landscape, the ASTRX effort will involve other industry groups.

“There’s no room for wishful thinking in this marketplace, and we expect this initiative to deliver real solutions,” says Steve Alexander, president of the Washington-based Association of Plastic Recyclers. “There are many companies and other entities operating in recycling today, and through ASTRX we can collaboratively create a comprehensive plan to shape the future of the U.S. recycling system.”

GIE Media announces launch of Waste Today magazine

In a continuing effort to best serve readers and advertising customers, Valley View, Ohio-based GIE Media Inc., publisher of Recycling Today, has announced the expansion of Renewable Energy from Waste (REW) magazine into a comprehensive waste and environmental services publication, Waste Today.

Chris Foster, president and CEO of GIE Media, says, “For 35 years we’ve been involved in a wide range of industries that serve America’s environment. Waste Today extends that coverage into the vital waste management industry. It’s an exciting development built around our readers’ and customers’ needs.”

The new publication, which will debut with a January/February 2017 issue, will have a six-time frequency in 2017. The magazine will be delivered in print and digital platforms and will be complemented by a dedicated website, www.WasteTodayMagazine.com, and a weekly e-newsletter.

Jim Keefe, group publisher, says, “REW has been very successful, and we plan to continue covering conversion technologies as part of Waste Today. However, through reader and supplier feedback it’s become clear that many industry professionals have felt underserved in other market areas. Waste Today will be a vehicle to provide broader coverage of this huge and vital industry.”

Those interested in a free subscription can visit www.rewmag.com/form/1/wt/subscribe.