by Roger Guttentag - Resource Recycling

1 40 RR | November 2009professionals. As always, Web addresses are provided at the end of this column, and you should take time to explore many of these sites beyond the sections that were initially recommended, for they will often have useful information in other areas that are important to Recycling and waste reduc-tion program directory Center for the Development of Recy-cling (CRD), San Jose State Univer-sity Guide to Recycling Information Resources (2008)This is a PDF document that can be down-loaded from the CRD site, which can serve as a general Recycling information source book despite its California orientation. This includes pages of annotated links to other state Recycling organizations, industry associations and trade information sources California Integrated Waste Manage-ment Board (CIWMB) Massachusetts Department of Envi-ronmental Protection (MassDEP) North Carolina Division of Pollution Prevention & Environmental Assis-tance (NCDPPEA) P2 InfoHouse Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)All these sites should be used like virtual libraries of documents on a very wide range of Recycling and waste reduction topics that were developed over the last decade or so.

2 The P2 InfoHouse maintain by the NCDPPEA, in particular, is an archival database from which you can retrieve docu-ments through keyword searches that often are not even available from their original program management tools Association of New jersey Recyclers (ANJR) Practical Recycling Economics ANJR Recycling Primer , glossary Training Manual on Recycling Contracts EPA, wastewise Calculate Results Web pageThe Practical Recycling Economics manual is one of the key texts used by the New jersey Recycling Certification Series, and it does a great job of explaining key economic issues of importance to Recycling programs in a non-technical manner. ANJR s Recycling glossary, which is part of their Recycling Primer, is an incredibly useful listing of definitions of many common technical terms that are part of the techspeak used by veteran Recycling Training Manual on Recycling Contracts was developed by the Maryland Recycling Coalition to provide a simple overview of the important components in typical Recycling service contracts.

3 The Waste-Wise Calculate Results Web page is a set of links to documents showing how to calculate waste reduction savings based on volume-to-weight or product- to-weight materials American Chemistry Council (ACC), Plastics Division Learning Center Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) Paper UniversityRecycling in CyberspaceSo, you want to be a Recycling coordinator?by Roger GuttentagThe usual intent of my column is to pro-vide an in-depth survey of Web resources on a specific topic. However, one of the most common questions still being asked at Resource Recycling s conference booth goes something like this: Hi, I was just hired as the Recycling coordinator for ABC County (or some other local govern-ment unit) and I would like to know what general information sources on Recycling you can recommend for someone in my position? Most conference organizers recog-nize that a significant percentage of their registrants are there for that reason, thus they try to accommodate them through Recycle 101 session tracks or workshops.

4 However, there is a significant limit on the amount of information these sessions can convey over a two-to-three-day period. Some states, such as New jersey and Penn-sylvania, have tried to address the educa-tional needs of new Recycling coordinators through a series of professionally developed certification courses that award continuing education credits upon completion. Yet, unfortunately, most states don t have these this reason, I will be focusing on developing a Webliography of Internet-based resources specifically oriented to the information of new Recycling coordinators. Unlike other column topics that I have done, this will be separately maintained on Resource Recycling s Web site as an evolving document that will be updated through periodic revisions old listings will be dropped while newer, or better, ones are added based on my research, or from reader suggestions.

5 The sites that are listed below were chosen either for their broad coverage of a particular subject (including their links to other relevant sites) or for focusing on a specific issue that is currently receiving a lot of attention by Recycling RR | November 2009 41 These sites deal with the two manufactured materials, paper and plastics, both of which could be considered the most complex to deal with due to the wide range of grades and products they encompass. Both sites provide a comprehensive overview of their respective materials, though the ACC Learning Center is the more technical of the two. The TAPPI Paper University Web site is geared more to a K-12 audience, but still provides enough substance to be worthwhile for older Composting Council (USCC) Links Sarasota County, Florida Online Composting CenterThe USCC link directory covers all types of composting practices, such as large-scale commercial composting, backyard com-posting and vermicomposting.

6 The Sara-sota County Online Composting Center was developed, through financial assistance from the State of Florida, to serve as a virtual tutorial on backyard composting theory and Connecticut Department of Environ-mental Protection (CTDEP) Recycling Collection Systems Conservatree Single-Stream Best Practices Manual and Implementation GuideThe CTDEP has assembled a very nice collection of links to various sites on the various types systems that can be used for the collection of recyclable materials, such as dual-stream, single stream and drop-off centers, along with supporting text discuss-ing the pros and cons of these options. In particular, be sure to use the link to Conservatree s online report addressing single-stream collections, which is one of the most important new strategies being adopted by municipal Recycling and outreach Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) Curbside Value Partnership (CVP)

7 Is an online database of K-12 Web Address DirectoryACC Plastics Division Practical Recycling Economics Recycling Primer for the Development of Recycling , SJSU Recycling Collection Systems Single-Stream Best Practices Manual Value Partnership Resources Information Center Waste & Recycling P2 InfoHouse Recycling Council County, Florida Online Composting Center Paper University Links wastewise Tools for Local Government Recycling Programs materials, references, reports and books that is supported by the Department of Education. Its content can be accessed through simple or advanced keyword searches. The CVP site, through the sponsorship of companies involved in the food and beverage container industry, presents the results of work that has been conducted for determining which educa-tional strategies are effective in strengthen-ing participation in local Recycling collec-tion programs.

8 The site is focused on demonstrating how social marketing and social media has been, or can be, used effectively to increase Recycling participa-tion. Next monthI will continue my listing of Web resources for Recycling coordinators addressing such topics as rural and multi-family/commer-cial Recycling , buy-recycled and materials recovery facility processing. Roger M. Guttentag is a Recycling and solid waste consultant located in Harleysville, Pennsylvania. He can be contacted at (610) 584-8836 or