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Connector Newsletter

December 2024

January 8, 2025

Contents:

December 2024 - Letter From RCA Executive Director Jennifer Koole
Registration Now Open: RCA Explore Circularity Day 2025
Amplify Your Impact: Sponsor RCA Explore Circularity Day 2025 on Waste-to-Energy
Wrapping Up 2024 with the RCA – A Year of Progress
Unlock the Future: Explore RCA Vision 2030, Our Bold 2025-2030 Strategic Plan
RCA INC-5 Update: Navigating the Roadblocks to a Global Plastics Treaty
Canada Plastics Pact's 2023-24 Impact Report Released
RCA New Members Feature
Elevate Your Career: Join the 'Executive Presence for Women of Waste West' Program at an Exclusive RCA Rate of $225 (Regular $1,200)
EPR Webinar Recording Available - Current Timelines, Status of Implementation, and What You Need to Know!
New EPR Intake Period Added to Ease Pressure
Nominations Open for the 34th Annual Emerald Awards
Historic Fort Edmonton Wood Finds New Life at Backroads Reclamation
City of Calgary 2025 Circular Economy Grant Applications Open February 3rd
Disasters Turn Homes Into Trash. This Insurance Company Aims to Recycle It
SK Recycles Creates More Opportunities to Recycle Packaging Through Partnership with SARCAN
IKEA Canada Commits $300,000 to Furniture Bank in Efforts to Combat Furniture Poverty and Accelerate a Circular Economy Across Canada
CPP Certified Compostable Packaging in Canada Guidance Document
Leave Only Moonprints: NASA's Lunar Recycling Ambitions
What happened at INC-5? With Ellen MacArthur and Christiana Figueres (Podcast)
EU Adapts Product Liability Rules to Digital Age and Circular Economy

November 2024

December 2, 2024

Contents:

November 2024 - Letter from RCA Executive Director Jennifer Koole
RCA Vision 2030
RCA Christmas Mixer
Technology & Innovations for Difficult-to-Divert Materials – Part 2
Executive Leadership for RCA Board Announced
RCA New Members Feature
Mapping Circular Economy Projects in Calgary Event
Executive Presence for Women of Waste West Program
CBC Highlights Textile Waste and EPR at the RCA Circular Economy Conference
ABCRC & NAIT Partner in Pursuit of Enhancing Sustainability and Alberta’s Circular Economy
Alberta Invests $40M in ERA’s Advanced Materials Challenge to Drive Circular Economy Innovation
Cleanfarms Great Twine Round-Up featured on CBC’s, The Homestrech
Alberta Ecotrust Environmental Impact Grant
Alberta to Introduce Renewable Energy Recycling Fee
ABCRC Digitizes Alberta’s Beverage Container Recovery and Recycling Program
BCMB Leadership Transition
Canada Is Determined to Finalize First-Ever Global Agreement on Plastic Pollution at INC-5
Demolishing Buildings Is a Waste. There's Another Way: Deconstruction
Environmental Defence Report: Still Left Holding the Bag
New CSA Group Standard Outlines National Definition for Plastics Recycling
Disasters Turn Homes Into Trash. This Insurance Company Aims to Recycle It
New Report From Second Harvest Reveals Canada's $58 Billion Food Waste Problem
Canadian Public Review Launched for Reuse: Container Design and Performance Standard
New Brunswick Marks One Year Since Transition to Extended Producer Responsibility
Ellen MacArthur Foundation Releases Marketing Playbook for a Circular Economy
WM Completes Acquisition of Stericycle
U.S. EPA Grant Recipients Share What It Takes to Make Rural Recycling Work

October 2024

November 6, 2024

Contents:

#2024RCA Circular Economy Conference Highlights
The 2024 RCA Rs of Excellence Awards Winners
RCA Welcomes Seven New Board Members and Unveils Vision 2030
Litter Warrior vs Keyboard Warrior
RCA Webinar - Organics Processing Capacity in Alberta
Executive Presence for Women of Waste West Program
Putting Plastic into the Past
Lethbridge Launches New Library of Things and Makerspace
2 High School Students 'Print' Toys for Charities Using Recycled Materials
The Great Twine Round-Up Comes to Alberta with $12,000 in total Cash Prizes
Strathcona County Celebrates Organic Waste Diversion Pilot With ‘Catch the Cow’ Campaign
Host a Norquest Student in 2025
Edmonton Opportunity: NorQuest College Co-op Student Available
In Memory of Roger William Jackson
Town of Banff Hosts First Share & Repair Fair (Video)
Registration for the Canadian Circular Economy Summit 2025 Now Open
These Busted Solar Panels Are an Early Example of a Looming Problem — and an Opportunity
We're Drowning in Reusable Bags: Are Bag Profits Preventing Big Grocers from Adopting Solutions?
Reuse Ottawa Launched to Eliminate Single-Use Plastic Waste in Local Grocery Stores and Restaurants
Goodwill and Reju Announce Plans to Help Advance Textile Recycling in North America in Collaboration with WM
Right to Repair: A Path Towards Circular Economics

September 2024

October 1, 2024

Contents:

What’s Ahead: An Update from RCA Executive Director Jennifer Koole
October is Circular Economy Month
Attend Alberta’s Best Circular Economy Conference – “Beyond the Grave, A Circular All Hallows’ Eve”
Join the RCA Board of Directors to Shape Alberta’s Circular Economy
CCRI “Sharing Successes” Documents Now Available
RCA Member Spotlight
Sign Up for October 30th RCA Workshops in Banff, Alberta
RCA 2024 - 2025 Sponsorship Package
Compost and Biogas Facility Opens in Foothills County
Alberta Announces $2.8M Toward Plant to Turn Waste Into Electricity
RCA Member, EFS-Plastics, to Invest $17M to Enhance Recycling Capabilities
Québec's 2024 Circularity Gap Report Released
Returnable Containers Aim to Reduce Waste Amid B.C. Plastic Bans
RCBC Announces New Executive Director
Battery Recycling Soars in Canada With 50 Million kg of Batteries Recycled Through Call2Recycle
California Sues ExxonMobil for Misleading Public on Plastic Recycling
Inside Goodwill’s Bid to Build a Textile Recycling Powerhouse
Global Meeting to Focus on Compostable Produce Sticker Standard Development
TOMRA Publishes New E-Book on the Future of Aluminum Recycling

August 2024

September 3, 2024

Contents:

Fall into Action at RCA Events: Webinars, Networking, Workshops, and Our Annual Conference Await!
RCA In-Person Event – Creating Impact: How Social Enterprise Supports Sustainability in Alberta
From Ideas to Implementation: Technology & Innovations for Difficult-to-Divert Materials
Alberta’s Expanded Electronics Recycling Program and Focus on Renewable Recycling Aims to Create the Best Recycling System in Canada
Documenting Our Successes – CCRI Documents Now Available
Spotlight on Members of the Recycling Council of Alberta!
Sign Up for October 30th RCA Workshops in Banff, Alberta
2024 - 2025 RCA Sponsorship Package
Alberta Expanding Electronic Recycling Program to Include Solar Panels, EV Batteries
More Than Meets the Eye: How Milk Cartons Support the Circular Economy
Alberta’s Transition to Extended Producer Responsibility for Single-use Products, Packaging and Printed Paper Products
Over $2.5 Million Raised Through Alberta Day of Caring for Jasper
Celebrate Circular Economy Month This October
Tourists Offered Discounts and Deals If They Recycle and Pick Up Plastic on Vancouver Island
Machinex, RCA Member, Honored as North America's Recycling Equipment Innovator of the Year by the National Waste & Recycling Association
North America's First Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Powered Refuse Truck Begins Road Tests
Government of Canada Public Consultation Opportunity on Competition Act’s New Greenwashing Provisions
US Backs Global Target to Reduce Plastic Production
Royal Mint Starts Turning E-Waste into Gold
Three U.S. Plastics Pact Playbooks Look to Advance Circularity in the Plastics Recycling Value Chain
Have the Paris Olympics Cracked the Code of the Circular Economy?

July 2024

August 1, 2024

Contents:

Discover the Impressive Variety of Workshops Being Offered at the 2024 RCA Conference – Secure Your Spot Today!
An Environmental Setback: RCA’s Take on the Ontario Government’s Decision to Put the Brakes on a Deposit-Return System
Rs of Excellence Awards Nominations Open
Welcoming New Members to the Recycling Council of Alberta!
RCA 2024 - 2025 Sponsorship Package
Lethbridge Using Artificial Intelligence to Curb Recycling Contamination
High Compliance with Banff's Single-Use Item Bylaw
Rodeo, Revelry, and Recycling: ABCRC Brings Sustainability to Stampede
Ford Government Scraps Non-Alcoholic Drink Container Deposit-Return Program
What You Need to Know About the Latest Plastics Ban in B.C.
ECCC Input Opportunity: Government of Canada Takes Steps to Address Plastic Waste and Pollution in the Textile and Apparel Sector
ECCC Input Opportunity: Proposed Regulations on Reducing Canada’s Landfill Methane Emissions 60-Day Consultation
Study: Canadians Believe Tough Problems Can Be Solved Without Trading Off Economy and Environment, but Pessimistic About Achieving This in Canada Unless We Change Tactics
Sale of Six-Pack Plastic Rings Banned
ECCC: Updated Draft State of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Report
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Commitments to Phase Out Single-Use Plastic Across the Federal Government
European Commission: Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation
Ellen MacArthur Foundation Paper: Navigating the Circular Economy Reporting Landscape
EU Nations Reach Major Breakthrough to Stop Shipping Plastic Waste to Poor Countries
ReLondon Webinar Recording: 'It’s the (Circular) Economy, Stupid' – Exploring the Economic Benefits of Circularity
Building Circular Hotspots Tool
Polystyvert Raises Over $16 Million in First Series B Funding Round

June 2024

July 3, 2024

Contents:

Register for the 2024 RCA Circular Economy Conference Today!
Strategic Planning for a Circular Future
Rs of Excellence Awards Nominations Open
Welcoming New Members to the Recycling Council of Alberta!
Executive Director Jennifer Koole's June Presentations
RCA Attends CCRI Workshop: Advancing Circularity in Canadian Cities
RCA 2024 - 2025 Sponsorship Package
RCA Visits the Hodge Podge Lodge
RCA Webinar - EPR Transition: Making It Work for your Community
Demand For Sustainable Packaging Increasing (Featuring the RCA)
RCA Position: Recent Amendments in Extended Producer Responsibility Regulation
Strathcona County Food Rescue and Organic Waste Diversion Pilot Launches
Alberta’s Circular Economy Turns Glass into Green Growth
Goodwill Thrifting Hall of Fame - Nominations Open
Alberta Government Calls Bill About Backing Up Environmental Claims an 'Agenda to Create Chaos'
33rd Annual Emerald Award Winners
GOC News Release on Bill C-59
Canadian Circular Cities and Regions Initiative Webinar on July 11
The Natural Step Canada Relaunching as Generate Canada
Cleanfarms Annual Report 2023
European Council Approves Right-to-Repair Directive
Ellen MacArthur Foundation Report Pushing the Boundaries of EPR Policy for Textiles
Google Is Open-Sourcing Their Plastic-Free Packaging Design Guide
Report: Eunomia's Global Recycling League Table Assessing the Recycling Performance of 48 Nations

May 2024

June 2, 2024

Contents:

RCA Webinar - EPR Transition: Making It Work for your Community
Heartfelt Thanks to Mortimer Capriles for His Service on the RCA Board
Turning Setbacks into Solutions: RCA’s Perspective on Bylaw Repeal in Calgary
RCA Member Spotlight – Merlin Plastics
RCA Executive Director Jennifer Koole Speaking at the Alberta-Germany Recycling Symposium
RCA 2024 - 2025 Sponsorship Package
RCA Webinar Recording Now Available
Free Foam Recycling Pilot Launches in Calgary
Alberta Ag Plastic. Recycle It! Program Extended Until December 2025!
Celebrating Anne Ruzicka's Retirement and Contributions to Waste Reduction
Merlin & Revolution Receive FDA letters
Alberta Ecotrust Foundation 2024 Environmental Grant Recipients
Carton Council of Canada Accepting Registrations for Community Education Award
RCA On-Farm Composting Guide
Ellen MacArthur Foundation Full INC-4 Outcome Statement
New Data Shows Paper Represents Majority of Diverted Materials in Canada
Health Canada Exploring Mandatory Packaging Program, Concerned With Use of Recycled Plastic in Food Packaging
N-ZAP’s New Database Reveals the State of Climate Action in Canada Municipalities
California’s Senate Passes Household Hazardous Waste Extended Producer Responsibility Legislation
G7 To Commit To Reducing Plastic Production: French Ministry
New EU Rules To Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Packaging

April 2024

May 1, 2024

Contents:

Reduce, Reduce, Reduce: The Recycling Council of Alberta’s Perspective on UN Treaty Negotiations (INC-4) on Plastic Pollution
RCA Webinar: Beyond the Bylaw – Additional Measures That Municipalities, Businesses and Citizens Can Take To Reduce Single-Use Items
Christina Seidel Moderates Event at INC-4 in Ottawa
RCA 2024 - 2025 Sponsorship Package
RCA Member Feature – Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA)
‘Banff Borrows’: How the Town Is Combating Single-Use Waste
Environmental Groups and First Nations Across Alberta Are Set To Receive up to $600K in Local Grants
University of Alberta’s Eco Move Out Gives Students a Sustainable Way To Leave Campus
Earthware Boosts Return Rate for Reusable Food Containers
CPP Guidance Document: Supporting the Elimination of Unnecessary & Problematic Plastics
We Never Stopped Saying Goodbye to Single-Use Plastics
Canada Helps Chart Roadmap Toward an Ambitious Global Deal To End Plastic Pollution (ECCC News Release)
Government of Canada Invests To Support Canadian Innovators To Find Ways To Reduce Plastic Pollution (ECCC News Release)
Just 56 Companies Fuelling Bulk of Plastic Waste Pollution, Study Suggests (Video)
Canada To Force Plastic Makers To Report How Much They Make, Reuse and Recycle
Yellowknifers’ Plastic Is Still Going to the Landfill — but There’s a Solution Politicians Could Explore
Big Grocers, Retailers Want Ontario’s Recycling Plan Changed
Registration Now Open for Canadian Carton Council Community Education Award Program in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba
NACTR Releases a Community Best Practices Toolkit for Community-Led Textile Reuse
We’re Still Stockpiling Reusable Bags. Big Grocers Have Adopted Solutions, but Experts Have Concerns
This Three Story Tall Giant Art Installation Is Leaking Plastics Into Different Environments #TurnOffThePlasticTap
Road to Busan Clear as Negotiations on a Global Plastics Treaty Close in Ottawa (UN Article)
Why H&M Is Turning Away From Polyester Recycled From Bottles
Walmart Launches Pilot Program for Customers To Recycle Reusable Shopping Bags

March 2024

April 3, 2024

Contents:

The Next Chapter: Jennifer Koole’s Vision as RCA’s Executive Director
RCA Board Approves 2024 - 2025 Budget and Business Plan
RCA 2024 - 2025 Sponsorship Package
RCA Member Feature – Environmental Recycling Solutions (ERS)
Edmonton Looking To Ramp Up Capacity To Handle Growing Amounts of Organic Waste
Video: Edmonton Students Build Plastics Recycling Plant To Save Local Landfills
Video: Earthware – a Force To Be Reckoned With When It Comes to Reducing Single-Use Waste
[Re] Waste and Elms Weeping Tile Forge a Landmark Agreement to Transform Plastic Waste Into [Re] Rock
Alberta Beef Producers Launch New Effort to Reduce Food Waste
RCA Conference Venue, Fairmont Banff Springs, Shares Sustainability Commitments
How 3 Major Waste Companies View Business Opportunities From Canada’s EPR Expansion
EPR Landscape in Canada Continues to Evolve: Carton Council 2024 Update
Montreal Ban on Single-Use Plastics Marks 1 Year. But Is It Making a Difference?
GOC We Can #BeatPlasticPollution Challenge
Meet the Canadian Company That Has Diverted 10 Million lbs of Salon Waste From Landfills (RCA Member – Green Circle Salons)
Video – Will Montreal Really Hit Zero Waste by 2030?
Video – CityNews Connect: Is Calgary Doing Enough to Reduce Waste?
UBC Launches New Circular Economy Micro-credential Course
EU to Set Tougher Waste Targets on All Packaging Materials
Report: UN Environment Program – Global Waste Management Outlook 2024
U.S. Senate Passes Recycling, Composting Bills
Ellen MacArthur Foundation Study: Unlocking a Reuse Revolution: Scaling Returnable Packaging
Biden-Harris Administration Announces $62 Million to Lower Battery Recycling Costs Across the U.S.

February 2024

March 4, 2024

Contents:

RCA Celebrates Christina Seidel’s 32 Years of Visionary Leadership
RCA Member Feature – Alberta Computers for Schools
The RCA’s Position on Single-Use Bylaws and Calgary Council’s Repeal Vote
Email Scam Alert
ARMA's Virtual EPR Lunch and Learn Series
Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board Report Looks at Non-Residential Organic Waste Management (Featuring RCA ED Jennifer Koole)
Quantum Opens Edmonton ITAD Facility
From Blue Bin to Bale: A Peek Inside Calgary’s Massive New Sorting Plant
Alberta Minister Promises EPR Exemption for Alberta Newspapers
How Leduc Uses AI To Keep Plastic out of Organics Carts
A Contentious Hazardous Waste Plant in Northern Alberta Is Slated To Close. What’s Next?
SWANA Comes Out in Support of Bottle Bills
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities Announces New Funding
Even After Court Ruling, British Columbians Back Plastics Ban
Plan for the Ban - Canada’s Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations Remain in Effect Pending the Federal Court of Appeal Decision
CPP: New Data Report - Canada-wide Plastic Packaging Flows
Cascades To Permanently Close Ontario Mill
Opinion: Burning Garbage Will Not Solve the Plastic Pollution Crisis
Are Microplastics Harmful? Health Canada Funds Research on Potential Risks
Burnaby City Council Approves Purchase of $1M Electric Garbage Truck
Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme Is Now Live!
California Bill Would Ban All Plastic Shopping Bags at Grocery Stores
California Is Forging Ahead With Food Waste Recycling. But Is It Too Much, Too Fast?
Youtube: Repairing Our Belongings - Applying Circular Design
A Plastic Tsunami is Taking Over Farms. What Will Stop Plasticulture?

January 2024

February 5, 2024

Contents:

Recycling Council of Alberta Appoints Jennifer Koole as New Executive Director
The RCA’s Position on Single-Use Bylaws and Calgary Council’s Repeal Vote
Unlocking the Circular Economy: RCA Webinar on 'Right to Repair'
RCA Member Feature – Entropic
The CCRI Releases Circular Procurement Guide
In Memoriam: Donald Hughes and Claudia Marsales
Premier Smith Doesn’t Support Calgary or Edmonton’s Bylaws on Single-Use Items
Calgary City Council Approves Repeal Process for Single-Use Items Bylaw
ARMA's Virtual EPR Lunch and Learn Series
Northstar Receives First Truckload of Asphalt Shingles From IKO Industries at Empower Calgary Facility
Edmonton Working With Norwegian Company To Turn Waste Into Green Energy
Revolution Announces Acquisition of Canadian Recycler PolyAg Recycling
Circular Waste Pilot Launched for Local Businesses in Strathcona County
Alberta’s Eco Growth Environmental Inc. Part of Winning Consortium at IDEaS Pop-Up City Contest
Government Plans Canada-Wide Plastics Registry in Environmental Push (Video)
Here’s How a Canada-Wide Plastics Registry Could Save You Money
Extended Producer Responsibility Now Enabled in the Yukon
Reusable Container Pilot Coming To Select Ottawa Grocery Stores
CSA R117 Plastics Recycling Standard: Open for Public Review
EU Parliament Signs Off on Anti-Greenwashing Legislation
Circle Economy Foundation Releases the Circularity Gap Report 2024
UK-Wide Ban on Disposable Vapes Confirmed

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