Recently Posted:

• Solid Waste Infrastructure Advisory Committee  
• Local Solid Waste Management Entity Map (Northwest Solid Waste District welcomes Highgate)
• Construction & Demolition Waste Management (details on Jan. 15th disposal ban on architectural waste included)
• Household Hazardous Waste Products (look for paint collection locations & details on battery legislation)
• Universal Recycling Timeline (includes ANR logo & URL to ANR's Solid Waste Program website)
• Recycling Symbols webpage (details posted on how to order stickers for education, outreach, and advertising)
• Materials Management Mapping Tool (updates include food donation centers)

Visit us at recycle.vermont.gov   

Check out our new Twitter page!   

It has been over two years since the Universal Recycling law was adopted unanimously by the Vermont legislature. While a few implementation dates have passed in 2014, the bulk of the work is ahead of us. As we gear up for a busy start to 2015, we want to share some of the major accomplishments we have achieved over the past year.

Accomplishments in 2014:

- Adopted the State Materials Management Plan in June
- Launched the Materials Management Map (link is in "web updates" above)
- Implemented recycling collection at all transfer stations
- Implemented food scrap diversion for 2+ ton generators
- Presented at dozens of workshops, conferences, public & private sector meetings
- Convened two stakeholder groups
     
A summary of implementation dates are provided in the table. The relevant material type and sectors that they apply to are listed. The dates are phased in over time starting with the transfer stations, then applying to commercial haulers and ending with a landfill ban (disposal ban) on that material. For example, the requirement to collect recyclables applied to all transfer stations collecting trash beginning this past July. Commercial haulers will be required to collect recyclables if they collect trash beginning July 2015, which is also when the landfill ban on recyclables goes into effect. To learn more about the timing and requirements visit our Universal Recycling webpage.

 

         Table: Summary of implementation dates commencing July 1st of each respective year.  

Material	Facilities	Haulers	Disposal Ban
Recyclables	2014	2015	2015
Leaf & Yard Debris	2015	2016	2016
Food Scraps	2017	2017	2020

 

Through Universal Recycling, all Vermonters will have the ability to greatly reduce the amount of materials they send to the landfill. Recycling, rather than landfilling, these materials conserves resources while reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.Reducing the amount of materials discarded overall also saves hard earned money.   

 By July 1, 2015:

• Recyclables (paper, plastics #1 & #2, glass, and aluminum foil and containers) are banned from the landfill
• Commercial haulers must collect these banned recyclables, and cannot charge a separate fee for their collection
• Transfer stations must offer collection of leaf and yard debris
• Food scrap generators of 52 tons/year within 20 miles of a facility that is certified and able to accept the material must divert material from the landfill
• State and municipally owned lands and buildings must pair a recycling collection bin with every trash bin, except in bathrooms
• Variable rate pricing (charging per weight or volume for residential trash disposed) must be implemented by municipalities

Click Here for UR Timeline

  America Recycles Day - Nov. 15th

America Recycles Day was celebrated across Vermont this past fall with a handful of educational events hosted at transfer stations and supported by local solid waste management entities. The Agency of Natural Resources wants to give a special thanks to Myers Container Services for hosting Chittenden Solid Waste District, and Lamoille Regional Solid Waste Management District for holding events to celebrate the day.

To view news coverage of the day, visit My Champlain Valley clip here and article from the Bennington Banner here.  

Upcoming Events for 2015:

• Municipal Solid Waste Management Workshop Jan. 28: VLCT is hosting a training for municipal officials and other interested parties to learn about the requirements of the Universal Recycling law, ask questions, and find out what resources are available to implement it.

• Vermont Organics Recycling Summit (VORS) April 2: The annual Vermont Organics Recycling Summit (VORS) is a joint project of the Composting Association of Vermont and the Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation. The event will be held at Vermont Technical College. Look for the agenda to be posted in the coming weeks.
   
• Green Up Day

   May 2:

  "Green Up Day is about removing litter from the 15,793 miles of Vermont's local town roads
  and is an important day to everyone. Green Up Day helps our planet to be cleaner and helps our planet to go into a positive direction. If we just let clutter build up disease could start or animals could go extinct from eating the clutter. If we continue to have Green Up Day our world will begin to be less cluttered every year."
   

•  Compost Awareness Week May 3 -9: International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) is the largest and most comprehensive education initiative of the compost industry. It is celebrated each year in the first full week of May.

• World Environment Day June 5: World Environment Day (WED) is the United Nations' principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the environment. Over the years it has grown to be a broad, global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated by stakeholders in over 100 countries
   
• Solid Waste Implementation Plans (SWIPs) June 18: Solid waste management entities (SWMEs) tasked with meeting the requirements of the State Materials Management Plan (MMP) are required to have an ANR approved SWIP by June 18, 2015. All municipalities are required to submit to ANR a Solid Waste Implementation Plan (SWIP) that is in conformance with the MMP. A municipality that does not participate in an approved SWIP is not able to dispose of its solid waste within Vermont, certify any facilities existing in its municipality or receive solid waste management assistance funds.