It’s official: The Recycling Organizations of North America (RONA) and the National Recycling Coalition (NRC) are joining forces.
Board members of the NRC unanimously approved the move late last week for RONA to dissolve and join the NRC. RONA members approved the unification earlier this month.
In effect, the NRC will receive RONA’s assets and incorporate RONA programming, including the college and university recycling initiative RONA U. NRC board members also expressed their intent to add five RONA leaders to the NRC board, expanding it to 25 members.
NRC’s role in overseeing RONA’s National Standards Certification Board (NSCB) will be discussed during NRC’s Aug. 25 board meeting, NRC President Mark Lichtenstein confirmed with Resource Recycling. Historically, NSCB has functioned as a semi-autonomous wing of RONA and it is expected to continue doing so under new leadership at NRC.
The NRC board approval comes after more than two years of discussions regarding the unification. Only “minor administrative tasks” remain, including NRC approving the expansion of its board and RONA board members formally agreeing to disband, Lichtenstein told Resource Recycling.
There has also been talk of changing the name of NRC to the NorthAmerican Recycling Coalition in a symbolic gesture to note the unification. NRC and former RONA board members will address that possibility as a newly formed “joint” board at next week’s 2013 Resource Recycling Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.