In This Issue:

1 | Looking at lobbying for Q4

Federal lobbying records have been released for the last quarter of 2011, revealing that the companies tracked by Resource Recycling largely continued paying the same amounts of money to the same lobbyists to attempt to influence the federal government on the same issues as they did the previous quarter.

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2 | PRC 2012: The future of degradable additives and compostable plastics

Oxo-biodegradable plastic has been a hot topic recently, with highly-animated arguments about claims of recyclability, compostability, degradability and litter prevention. This fascinating session explores two sides of this issue. Symphony Environmental will discuss its oxo-biodegradable technology called d2w, and Dave Cornell (Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers) will discuss how APR's testing protocol seeks to determine the effects of degradable additives on the long-lived uses of recycled PET. Rounding out this stellar panel will be Steve Mojo (Biodegradable Products Institute) who will provide an assessment of the future of compostable plastics and an update on BPI's recent activity.

Don't miss the 2012 Plastics Recycling Conference, to be held March 20-21 in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, visit www.plasticsrecycling.com.

3 | Export watch

The volume of plastic scrap exported in November, at 362.811 million pounds, was down 12.15 percent from its October figure. The volume also dropped when matched against its November 2010 position, with a 16.2 percent decrease in the volume of exports.

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4 | Signs point to reuse

Oregon will be launching a pilot program to collect and reuse roadway signs that state officials hope will be a more economical and environmentally friendly option than buying new ones.

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5 | Auburn, Maine drops single-stream

Faced with declining value in its recycled commodities, Auburn, Maine is moving to phase out its single-stream curbside recycling collection program in favor of dual-stream collection.

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6 | Recovered paper consumption dipped in 2011

According to recently released figures from the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), industrial consumption of recovered paper in the U.S. dropped five percent in 2011.

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7 | Scavengers gone wild

In an odd incident that demonstrates just how lucrative the recycling industry is becoming, a New York City sanitation worker was left with injuries to his right knee, left shoulder and left arm after attempting to confront two men allegedly trying to steal curbside recyclables on the Upper East Side.

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8 | Alcoa, WM join push for a national e-scrap bill

Two more members of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries have broken with the organization's stance on e-scrap exports and joined a growing roster of companies lobbying for the passage of national electronics recycling legislation.

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9 | The wide world of recycling

Metal scrap dealers threaten to leave a Balkan country over legislation that they say will unfairly hamper their business, while China hopes to give its paper industry a makeover.

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10 | NewsBits

New DreamMachines for the Windy City, getting TRASHed at Coachella and "sustainable" is unsustainable — all in this week's NewsBits.

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11 | 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.

12 | Jobs Available & Sought

Austin Resource Recovery Division Manager, City of Austin Resource Recovery (Austin, Texas).
Details are available online.

Production Manager, Regional Computer Recycling & Recovery (RCR&R) (Victor, New York).
Details are available here.

Paper Recycling Plant Manager, Corrugated Services (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma).
Details are available here.

Administrator, Solid Waste, City of Palo Alto (Palo Alto, California).
Details are available online.

Coordinator of Recycling Program, Horry County Solid Waste Authority (Conway, South Carolina).
Details are available online.

Recycling Specialist, Loudoun County, Virginia (Loudon County, Virginia).
Details are available online.

Manager of Program Operations for Recycling & Solid Waste, University of Washington (Seattle, Washington).
Details are available online (Req # 79384).

Program Manager, Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District (Montpelier, Vermont).
Details are available online.

Director of Business Development, Mextek (Dallas-Fort Worth Area).
Details are available here.

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].