RECYCLING ALLIANCE OF TEXAS

In 2019, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill (SB) 649, which requires the development of a Recycling Market Development Plan to examine the current recycling economy in Texas, discover opportunities for growth, and draft a proposal for action. The bill also includes the creation of a comprehensive educational campaign to cover the economics of recycling in Texas, highlight businesses that are involved in recycling in Texas, and to reduce contamination. The Recycling Market Development Plan will build upon the efforts of prior recycling studies in Texas, including the Study on the Economic Impacts of Recycling (SEIR), released in July 2017, which provided quantitative data about the Texas recycling industry’s input in the Texas economy.

For a copy of the SEIR report and links to other related studies, please visit the project website at www.txrecyclingstudy.org.

The Recycling Market Development Plan will take an updated look at the economics of the recycling industry in Texas and will provide details about the current and needed infrastructure to manage the state’s recyclables as well as various recommendations on how to support and grow the Texas recycling industry. Additionally, an educational cam

This spring will see the official launch of the STAR Master Composter program, a training course for citizens to learn all about backyard composting and other environmentally friendly lawn care practices. Benefits include waste reduction, water conservation, pollution prevention and beautiful, low-maintenance landscapes. STAR will provide statewide administration for this program, while working with local communities to host and promote Master Composter trainings in their specific area. For more information please visit http://www.recyclingstar.org/yardwise/ or contact us at [email protected]

STAR Educational Webinar Series - STAR will continue to provide educational opportunities for Texans to learn more about different aspects of the recycling industry through a free webinar series. Some topics we’re considering touching on this year include product stewardship, sustainable materials management, international markets, tire recycling, and even more. Please see our calendar (http://www.recyclingstar.org/news-and-events/calendar.html) to see when the next webinar is scheduled and to register!

STAR will accomplish our goals by setting timelines to meet milestones and operate programs effectively. Our webinars are planned to occur on a quarterly basis, or more frequently depending on subject material and presenter interest. We engage our membership base to join STAR council groups that operate at the local and subject-matter level enabling networking, tours, and other events. STAR also has a Strategic Plan that outlines how the board, STAR members, and staff will advance the organization forward to be the most effective in forwarding our mission work.

STAR is capable of meeting our goals through a variety of means. Our membership base of over 200 professionals enables us to effectively host meetings, workshops, and webinars that connect and educate Texans about recycling. Through the use of an interactive website, STAR is able to provide a repository of valuable connections and data that can assist municipalities, companies, and individuals with the tools necessary to advance recycling in Texas. Additionally, STAR employs a full-time Executive Director and a part-time Communications Coordinator to manage the programs and outreach. STAR also utilizes interns from local higher education facilities.

EXAMPLES OF STAR’S WORK 2020:
Through the annual STAR Bin Grant Program, underserved or rural populations are provided recycling bins and proper recycling literature at no cost to more conveniently recycle instead of throwing all their waste into a landfill.
The STAR annual Texas Recycling and Composting Summit is the only state conference dedicated to the needs of those in the recycling industry and brings together experts to educate and inform attendees about how to recycle specialized and hazardous material properly. The Annual STAR Environmental Leadership Awards, held during the Summit, also recognizes outstanding community and industry members.
STAR's Compost Council successfully completed a total update of STAR's Master Composter Program in 2020, a program dedicated to educating Texas residents on the benefits of at-home and commercial composting, which helps pull food out of the waste stream, return nutrients to the soil without increasing runoff from chemical fertilizers, and promotes water retention for Texas’ unique climate.
STAR also began work on the first phases of the Texas Recycling Market Development Plan (RMDP) in 2020, a result of the successful passage of Senate Bill 649 in the 86th Texas Legislature in 2019. STAR, along with TCEQ project lead Burns & McDonnell and partners Circular Matters, participated in the surveying of recycling processors and end-users last summer, culminating in four stakeholder forums on recycling market development held in October. We have begun working on the next phase of this project—an educational campaign—in 2021. We will be sharing the results of this campaign on our social media and website as they are published by TCEQ.

COVID-19 RESPONSE:
In 2020, the recycling industry was greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and STAR pivoted to address the new health challenge by creating a new resource page on our website (www.recyclingstar.org/COVID-19) and advancing a letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott asking the State of Texas to formally recognize recycling operations as essential businesses, necessary for the continued supply of raw materials for manufacturing in Texas. Governor Abbott issued Executive Order No. GA-14 on March 31st, 2020, which among other provisions, deemed recycling an "essential service."
In addition, the STAR North Texas Council hosted a well-attended webinar on “The Impacts of COVID-19 on North Texas Recycling Programs” with speakers from four cities sharing the impacts of COVID-19 upon their programs, operations, and how they are continuing recycling in the midst of a pandemic. The STAR Central Texas Council hosted a Recycling Processors "Ask-Me-Anything" Webinar with major recycling processors to discuss what they are experiencing during the pandemic in terms of incoming materials, markets, how commodities and prices compare to this time last year, and their messaging to customers.