ADVANCING RECYCLING IN TEXAS
STAR North Texas is pleased to announce the call for entries for the 2020 Environmental Leadership Awards.
The STAR North Texas Environmental Leadership Awards annually recognize the outstanding contributions of individuals, communities, and businesses for developing or maintaining programs involving recycling and other sustainability efforts in North Texas.
This year we are excited to announce a new category - The All-STAR Elected Official - which will highlight someone in local, regional, state, or federal level politics who is advancing sustainability and protecting the Texas environment.
Online applications are due on Monday, June 29th, and winners will be notified the week of July 15th. Please take this opportunity to let everyone know about your awesome programs and innovative sustainable efforts.
Winners of the STAR North Texas awards will progress to the state-level awards judging process and have a chance at being honored at the Annual STAR Recycling and Composting Summit: Texas Environmental Leadership Awards Ceremony to be held in Austin, October 6th, 2020 if selected as winners.
For more information about the STAR Recycling and Composting Summit, please visit: https://www.recyclingstar.org
Download the awards description packet here:
2020 STAR NTx Awards Packet
Submit your awards nomination here:
Submit Your Nomination
AUSTIN, TEXAS – A statewide survey will be launched on June 1st, 2020, that seeks to document recycling and the use of recyclables in manufacturing in Texas, as well as evaluate multiple recycling economic issues in greater detail. Survey results will be used to develop a Recycling Market Development Plan, which will provide recommendations for Texas policy makers to utilize the economic, environmental and policy issues of interest to Texas businesses, citizens, and governmental agencies.
The effort is the result of a bill passed in the 86th Texas legislative session (Senate Bill 649), which requires the creation of a Recycling Market Development Plan to take an updated look at the economics of the recycling industry in Texas and provide details about the current and needed infrastructure to manage the state’s recyclables. The Plan will also provide various recommendations on how to support and grow the Texas recycling industry. An educational campaign will also be developed to highlight the economic benefits of recycling, the companies in Texas utilizing recycled feedstock, and contamination reduction messaging.
"Senate Bill 649 is an important step toward fostering the continued growth of recycling in Texas. The new law will help promote and expand markets for recyclable materials in our state, protect and create jobs in the industry, and educate consumers to recycle properly and reduce contamination," said Senator Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, the bill's author. "This survey will ensure the Recycling Market Development Plan is grounded in fact, not supposition, and I highly encourage all interested stakeholders to participate."
Through a competitive bidding process, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) retained engineering and environmental consulting firm Burns and McDonnell to complete the project.
Burns and McDonnell previously worked to complete and release the Study on the Economic Impacts of Recycling (SEIR) in 2017. The Recycling Market Development Plan will utilize the methodology of SEIR, with a focus on the economic impacts of the recycling industry in Texas, and additionally develop a plan to stimulate the use of recycled materials, as well as a comprehensive educational campaign about recycling and contamination reduction.
“The Recycling Market Development Plan will build on the successful foundation of the Study on the Economic Impacts of Recycling. We invite recyclers and manufacturers from throughout the supply chain to participate in this year’s effort, as their help will be essential to develop resilient, future-looking recycling markets for Texas-generated materials,” said Scott Pasternak, Burns & McDonnell Senior Project Manager, who led the SEIR effort and is now managing the Recycling Market Development Plan.
The survey released on June 1st, 2020, will be a collaborative and voluntary process with recycling processors and end markets to collect information on recyclable materials diverted from the municipal solid waste (MSW) and industrial solid waste streams. The Study and Plan seek to assess current recycling efforts, identify methods to increase recycling, and recommend state-level mechanisms to support infrastructure needs that will result in increased job creation and a more robust materials recovery industry in Texas.
Since the Recycling Market Development Plan will request recycling and economic data from private recycling companies, Burns and McDonnell will take every measure allowed by law to protect confidentiality and will have non-disclosure agreements available for survey participants.
“The data we gather is imperative to the construction of the recycling market development plan. The resulting plan will help us build a stronger, more circular materials management system in Texas, and that means more jobs and revenue for Texas cities and businesses,” said STAR Executive Director Jordan Fengel.
The confidential online survey released on June 1st, 2020, will allow participants to report their recycling data for the 2019 calendar year. The survey closes August 31st, 2020. The results will be included in the TCEQ report, “Municipal Solid Waste in Texas: A Year in Review.” Participation is crucial for the Plan to be successful. Burns and McDonnell encourages industry representatives and recyclers across Texas to contribute to this effort and to help spread the word through their various professional networks.
For more information about the project, please visit www.txrecyclingstudy.org.
###
Want to know how you can help? Head to www.txrecyclingstudy.org to learn more about this effort and to see how your company can participate!
June 2, 2020 | 02:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join the STAR Reuse Council for their bi-monthly general meeting, held regularly on the first Tuesday of every other month, from 2–3 pm. Non-members are invited to attend.
Members will receive an email invite with the call-in information and Zoom link to join via video conference.
Non-members of STAR, please contact Jordan Fengel (jordan.fengel@recyclingstar.org) for information about how to join the call.
June 4, 2020 | 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
The STAR Business Council invites you to join their regularly scheduled General Meeting via Zoom, on the first Thursday of every month, 10 am–11 am. Non-members are invited to attend!
The 2020 Texas Reuse Tour is going virtual! Join the STAR Reuse Council for this year's exciting online event.
Register Here
On Tuesday, June 16, we will be live online with local San Antonio reuse businesses, sharing knowledge and networking among reuse professionals from across the state. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, STAR had decided to cancel the in-person Texas Reuse Tour previously scheduled in San Antonio for April 30 - May 1, 2020. At the first Texas Reuse Tour, we checked out amazing businesses and buildings in Houston, and last year we had a great time visiting multiple locations involved in reuse in Ft. Worth. This year, we focus on San Antonio, home of the Alamo, to scope out the fantastic people and places involved in material reuse! WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Professionals in the reuse, circular economy, or zero waste field; students, or any other individuals interested in expanding their reuse knowledge. WHY ATTEND? Last year we had over 20 professionals from across the state gather in Ft. Worth. Discover what San Antonio has to offer and gather ideas you may be able to use in your home town!
The Alamo Area Council of Governments is partnering with the State of Texas Alliance for Recycling and the Glass Recycling Coalition to host a 2.5 hour webinar about glass recycling in South Central Texas.
Join us virtually on July 15th, 2020, from 10 am – 12:30 pm for a regional discussion to advance glass recycling across South Central Texas. Industry experts will explore existing glass collection/recycling infrastructure in the region and highlight successful regional glass recycling programs from across the nation.
We’ll end with a discussion about how the South Central Texas region can accelerate glass recycling in a cost effective manner by adopting, and where needed, modifying other successful regional glass recycling efforts to fit our region’s unique needs.
This webinar is open to the public at large and is intended for city/county staff, elected officials, solid waste industry professional, and other stakeholders from across the South Central Texas region.
REGISTER HERE
SAVE THE DATE! This year's Summit will be hosted in Austin on Oct. 5–7th!
This will be the biggest and best Summit yet, as we are — for the first time ever — combining our two annual conferences: Recycling Summit and Compost Summit!
⭐ Check back here for more information and registration details in the coming months. ⭐
We look forward to seeing you there!
Follow STAR on social media
STAR is a 501c3 non-profit organization
Mailing Address
PO Box 142274
Austin, TX 78714
Call or Email Us Office: 512.828.6409
Email: info@recyclingstar.org
.png)