In This Issue:

1 | NRC and RONA make formal merger announcement

It's been a rough past few years for the National Recycling Coalition, during which the organization flirted with financial collapse. But at the NRC's members and board meetings held last week before the Resource Recycling Conference in Austin, Texas, it was clear that the organization seeks to move past all that as it plans to absorb the Recycling Organizations of North America, while it continues its advocacy work.

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2 | ReuseConex 2012 brings reuse industry together

While it's true that the "3Rs" have become a catalyzing movement of our times, the "reuse" part of this waste management trilogy is often overlooked. ReuseConex, the International Reuse Conference & Expo looks to change that at its second bi-annual conference to be held Oct. 18-20, 2012 in Portland, Oregon.

According to conference organizers, if you work with a local or regional reuse organization, if you shop at thrift stores or online resellers, if you buy or sell reusables, if you're interested in green-collar jobs, and if you're concerned about climate change — come to Portland for ReuseConex.

"At ReuseConex, you will find out more about the 'triple bottom line' benefits of reuse, learn from and share best practices and network with leaders in the reuse industry," says Reuse Alliance executive director, MaryEllen Etienne. "The theme for the conference this year is 'Growing Reuse Communities' and we hope you'll join the conference's organizers while we explore new methods and replicable models to expand reuse in your community."

The keynote speaker at the conference is Kyle Wiens, co-founder of iFixit.com, who will be providing attendees with a rousing example of how reuse entrepreneurs are making a difference in their communities around the world, while still making a living.

"Stuff breaks," says Wiens, "and, often, a 10-minute repair is all that it takes to save something from a landfill. Although you might know how to patch a hole in a pair of jeans, maybe you don't know how to change an iPod battery. When we share repair knowledge, we all have more power over what happens to our stuff."

It's not too late to get involved in ReuseConex — there are sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities still available. Book a room and register for the 2012 ReuseConex today. For more information, go to www.reuseconex.org or click on the banner below.

3 | Waging a war on junk mail

Catalogs for stuff you don't want. Chances to "win big." Coupons for things you don't buy. Credit card offers you won't reply to. Is there anything to be done about the 4 million tons of junk mail sent annually? Well, one zero waste organization in Colorado, with the help of a national organization, has declared war on junk mail, and it's bringing a unique approach to the problem.

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4 | A close look at product stewardship

The idea that companies should be responsible for end-of-life management of their products has steadily picked up steam as more states adopt producer responsibility laws and industries launch initiatives to recover their wares at the end of their useful lives. But any of these plans has many moving parts that sometimes collide with each other. A panel of individuals on the frontlines of this issue shed some light on what might lay ahead during last week's Resource Recycling Conference in Austin, Texas.

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5 | Game Day Challenge kicks off for 2012

As college football fans across the country ramp up for another season, the annual Game Day Challenge is launching a another competition to see which school can reduce, reuse and recycle the most waste.

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6 | Export watch

The volume of plastic scrap exported in June, at 314.94 million pounds, fell steeply by 14.7 percent from its May figure. When matched against its June 2011 position, the volume of exports was down by a sharp 19.5 percent.

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7 | Register now for the record-breaking E-Scrap Conference

The E-Scrap Conference will be celebrating its 10th anniversary with a completely sold-out exhibit hall and over 1,300 expected attendees. Over the past decade, the E-Scrap Conference has grown to become the largest conference and trade show dedicated exclusively to electronics recycling. E-Scrap 2013 attendees can expect to make key contacts with hundreds of companies in electronics recycling and meet the industry's major decision makers.

Due to unprecedented interest, registrations are first-come, first-serve, and conference staff encourages anyone planning on attending the conference who has not yet registered to register as soon as possible.

The E-Scrap Conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion in Dallas, Texas, September 19-20. To learn more, visit www.e-scrapconference.com, or click the banner below.

8 | NewsBits

Taking compostable peanuts to the ballgame, Evermore goes to Alcoa and recycling mysteries solved — all in this week's NewsBits.

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9 | Upcoming conferences & webinars

Click here for a complete directory of upcoming conferences and webinars! If you have a conference or webinar that you would like listed, please send an email to [email protected] for consideration.

10 | Jobs Available & Sought

Community Relations Coordinator, Global Consulting Company (Central New Jersey).
Details are available here.

Director of Marketing, EPEAT (Portland, Oregon).
Details are available online.

Sustainability Specialist, Thurston County (Thurston County, Washington).
Details are available online.

Scale Operator, Bio-PAPPEL (Albuquerque, New Mexico).
Details are available here.

Plant Manager, Bio-PAPPEL (Albuquerque, New Mexico).
Details are available here.

Depot Operations Manager, Bio-PAPPEL (Albuquerque, New Mexico).
Details are available here.

Operations and Policy Analyst 2 (E-Cycles Specialist), The State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality: Land Quality (Portland, Oregon).
Details are available online.

Various Jobs, The IMS Group (National).
Details are available online.

Manager Solid Waste, The City of Palo Alto's Public Works Department (Palo Alto, California).
Details are available online.

Zero Waste Coordinator, The City of Palo Alto's Public Works Department (Palo Alto, California).
Details are available online.

President, R2 Solutions, Inc. (Anywhere in U.S.).
Details are available here.

Solid Waste Supervisor, Waukesha County, Wisconsin (Waukesha, Wisconsin).
Details are available online.

Recycling Procurement Manager, Alpine Waste & Recycling (Denver, Colorado).
Details are available here.

Resource Recycling Systems, Technical Writer (Ann Arbor, Michigan).
Details are available here.

Resource Recycling Systems, Project Manager/Consultant 2 (Ann Arbor, Michigan).
Details are available here.

Director of Business Development, New England Organics (Portland, Maine).
Details are available here.

Marketing and Communications Manager, Highfields Center for Composting (Hardwick, Vermont).
Details are available online.

Various Positions, Product Stewardship Institute (Boston, Massachusetts).
Details are available online.

Assistant Manager/University Recycling & Solid Waste Programs, University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland).
Details are available online (#102198).

Various Positions Highlighted by the Northern California Recycling Association (Northern California Area).
Details are available online.

Jobs Sought
Database of job seekers available here.

If you would like to submit a job available or job sought listing, send an email to managing editor Dylan de Thomas at [email protected].