Many return following NRC election

By Jake Thomas, Resource Recycling

The National Recycling Coalition elected nine members to its board of directors and gave many board members another term, during its meeting at the 2011 Resource Recycling Conference last week in Indianapolis.

Fresh after announcing a collaborative agreement with the Recycling Organizations of North America (RONA) at the conference, the membership of the NRC elected nine recycling professionals to two-year terms on the 20-member board on August 16. The newly-elected board members include:

Stephen Bantillo, executive director of the California Resources Recovery Association (Bantillo will serve a one-year term).

Spencer Duncan, the executive director of the Kansas Organization of Recyclers.

Dan Hagan, senior sustainability consultant for Intercon Solutions.

Six other board members also returned from the 2010-2011 board:

Mick Berry, president of M2B2, LLC.

Jim Hanna, director of environmental impact at Starbucks Coffee Company.

Brian Hawkinson, executive director of recovered fiber at the American Forest & Paper Association.

Bob Hollis, principal of Mobius Network.

Jeff Miller, former president of the Board of Directors of the Indiana Recycling Coalition.

Michele Nestor, president of Nestor Resources.

Bill Waltz, president and CEO of Strategic Materials Inc.

The NRC Board of Directors also elected an eight-member executive committee — all returning board members, all to a one-year term at their elected posts — that includes:

Pam Blackledge, RePaper project coordinator for the Environmental Paper Network, who will serve as an at-large member.

Bob Gedert, director of the solid waste services for the City of Austin, who will serve as vice president.

Mark Lichtenstein, the executive director of the Syracuse Center of Excellence for Sustainable Community Solutions, was re-elected as president.

Michelle Minstrell, senior project manager with Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc., will serve as secretary.

Fran McPoland, an associate at Colling, Swift & Hynes, who will serve as an at-large member.

Meg Morris, director for environmental science and community affairs for Covanta Energy Corporation, who will also serve as vice president and treasurer.

Michele Nestor, president of Nestor Resources, who will serve as an at-large member.

"We really need to shift more to sustainable materials management, and recycling is an important part of that," said newly-elected board and executive committee member Michele Nestor at the conference.

Lichtenstein, who was president of the NRC from 1993 to 1996, expressed excitement about the new board and working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on a sustainable materials management initiative. He also stated that he would like to work on a national product-certification program.

"This term is going to be about rebuilding programs and moving NRC forward because last term was about dealing with past issues," said Lichtenstein at the conference, referring to last year when the entire board resigned as part of the NRC's restructuring plan.

The NRC, according to Lichtenstein, won't shy away from controversial issues like zero waste, waste to energy, national deposit legislation and e-waste disposal.

"We should offer a forum for discussion on those items. What will come out of that remains to be seen," he said.

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