In This Issue:

1 | EPA budget takes hit

Earlier this week, the Obama Administration rolled out its budget for the upcoming fiscal year, proposing $8.34 billion for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, $105 million less than assigned to it the previous year.

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2 | PRC 2012: What's next in plastics-to-oil?

Mixed waste plastic that is commingled and contaminated creates recycling obstacles and generally presents a low-value stream that inevitably leads to landfilling. Plastics-to-oil (PTO) technology can address this issue, but is there a promising future for the commercialization of PTO? New research funded by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) will be presented that critically examines this issue and three companies offer their perspectives on the future of PTO technology.

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 | Pratt opens hub-and-spoke-type facility

Paper and packaging manufacturer Pratt Industries has opened a new recycling facility in Wichita, Kansas that will bale collected materials and send them to other locations for further sorting and processing.

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4 | EPA works to explain shifting recycling rate

The Environmental Protection Agency has found itself having to explain recent changes that dramatically altered its calculation of the PET recycling rate.

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5 | Recycle-Bowl winners announced

A school in a small town in Alabama has won the first ever Recycle-Bowl, a competition sponsored by Keep America Beautiful that challenged 500,000 elementary, middle and high school students to recycle more of their waste.

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6 | Quebec releases new recycled content certification

Quebec's Ministry of the Environment has launched a new certification program for products made with recycled content.

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7 | St. Petersburg may lose curbside recycling collection

Curbside recycling in St. Petersburg, Florida may be coming to an end due to a lack of participation.

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8 | The wide world of recycling

A coalition of Australian environmental groups are claiming that there is a black hole in the national beverage recycling rate, Dubai makes its first big foray into residential recycling and Scotland seeks to push its recycling rate even higher.

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9 | PRC 2012: Come early and learn

Come a day early to the 2012 Plastics Recycling Conference in Atlanta to take advantage of some terrific networking and learning opportunities. On Monday, March 19, SPE's Plastics Environmental Division has designed a full day of workshops to help attendees learn "The Latest Need to Know on Recycling."

From an introduction to plastics recycling according to Adrian Merrington of the Michigan Molecular Institute to research and application of post-consumer recycled plastic in electronic products from the Lexmark Corporation's James Drummond, there is something for everyone at SPE's workshops. Go here to learn more and to register or click on the banner below.

10 | NewsBits

Grants from the Cornhusker State, a recycling video contest and making an igloo from scrap milk jugs — all in this week's NewsBits.

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

Deputy Commissioner, Sustainability, Bureau of Waste Prevention, Recycling and Reuse (New York, New York).
Details are available online.

Director, NYS Institute for Construction and Demolition (C&D) Recycling (Syracuse, New York).
Details are available online (look under "Exempt (Salaried) Opportunities").

Business Manager, Recycle-Logic (Red Deer, Alberta).
Details are available online.

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

General Manager, Orange County Container Group (Corrugated Services recycling division) (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma).
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.

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].