A warm welcome back to “Women in Circularity,” where we shine a light on women moving us toward a circular economy. This month, I was pleased to connect with a leader in textile reuse and recycling operations: Beth Forsberg. Beth is the senior vice president and chief sustainability officer at Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona, with oversight of sustainability operations in the nonprofit’s San Francisco and Monocacy Valley, Maryland, regions. Goodwill is dedicated to ending poverty through workforce development and is supported by a network of popular thrift shops. Beth has 30 years of experience in the nonprofit thrift sector where oversight has included donated goods revenue, collections, retail, e-commerce, recycling and salvage.Continue Reading
There are three extended producer responsibility for packaging bills active in Washington right now, and many more for EPR covering other materials. | Zack Frank/Shutterstock
Washington state has a handful of extended producer responsibility bills on the move, covering packaging, beverage containers, organics and more. Continue Reading
A needs assessment found that a well-designed EPR program could increase Maryland’s recycling rate for paper and packaging products from 34% to 50%. | Mihai Andritoiu/Shutterstock
Advisory groups in Maryland have shared a needs assessment and a packaging extended producer responsibility recommendation with the state legislature, finding that EPR for paper and plastic packaging could increase collection from 984,400 tons to 1.5 million tons.Continue Reading
Across all waste and recycling facility categories, publicly reported fires in the U.S. and Canada jumped 15% from 373 in 2023 to 430 in 2024. | Mino Surkala/Shutterstock
Publicly reported fires at MRFs and transfer stations increased by 20% in 2024 over the prior year, according to an annual review by fire detection equipment supplier Fire Rover. It’s the highest yearly figure since the company began tracking fire statistics.Continue Reading
Traceability tools can act as a scorecard, providing proof that recycling works and helping counter an often one-sided narrative in consumer media outlets. | 9dream Studio/Shutterstock
Bonnie Bethune of the Northeast Resource Recovery Association . | Photo courtesy of the Northeast Resource Recovery Association.
A warm welcome back to “Women in Circularity,” where we shine a light on women moving us toward a circular economy. This month, I was pleased to connect with a long-time recycling advocate: Bonnie Bethune. Bonnie is the Sr. Member Services Representative for the Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA), the oldest and largest cooperative-model recycling nonprofit in the United States. She has over 40 years of experience in the recycling industry with a focus on municipal recycling. Continue Reading
A warm welcome back to “Women in Circularity,” where we shine a light on women moving us toward a circular economy. This month, I was pleased to connect with an expert in recycling: Judi Gregory. Continue Reading
A warm welcome back to “Women in Circularity,” where we shine a light on women moving us toward a circular economy. This month, I was pleased to connect with an expert in the delivery of community based recycling services: Katie Drews. Katie is the co-president and CEO of Eureka Recycling, a nonprofit zero-waste organization and social enterprise recycler based in Minneapolis. Katie has nearly two decades of experience in marketing and business strategy and has a track record of driving change and innovation in corporate, higher education and nonprofit sectors.
This article appeared in the February 2025 issue of Resource Recycling.Subscribe today for access to all print content.
Did you know that the U.S. produces 268 million tons of trash each year, most of which finds its way to landfills? But landfills are not just storage sites for waste, they are also the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the country, according to the U.S. EPA.
Waste naturally produces methane as it decomposes, and when released into the atmosphere, it contributes to global warming. Yet methane is also the primary component of natural gas. Today waste is being given a second life in the form of harnessing landfill gas for renewable energy production.
For an industry rooted in sustainability, adopting renewable natural gas aligns perfectly with the recycling industry’s mission. RNG is a cheaper, clean, proven U.S.-made energy source that also happens to be renewable. The recycling industry can lead by example through converting its fleets to run on RNG.
How RNG is Made
RNG is the result of a process that captures methane emissions at landfills and converts them into a renewable fuel. This waste-to-fuel process begins by capturing methane at landfills, purifying it and converting it to a clean-burning fuel. Once purified, RNG is interchangeable with traditional natural gas, making it easy to integrate into the existing natural gas pipeline infrastructure for use as compressed natural gas fuel for vehicles.
The RNG industry has seen significant growth in recent years, experiencing a 13% year-over-year increase in 2023. With the recycling truck market estimated to grow over 6% between 2024 and 2032, there is an even greater need for alternative fuel solutions like RNG.
The Benefits of Making the Switch
Converting your fleet to CNG can lead to significant cost savings, particularly as volatile diesel prices continue to fluctuate. The cost of natural gas remains relatively stable and a substantially cheaper option compared to diesel. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, between April 1 and April 15, 2023, the national average price of diesel fuel in the U.S. was $4.25 per gallon while the national average price of CNG in that same timeframe was $2.99 per diesel-gallon-equivalent.
Today all major original equipment manufacturers are manufacturing natural gas trucks on the assembly lines, which ensures that fleets can transition to RNG-sourced CNG vehicles without compromising performance. These trucks offer the same torque, horsepower and range as their diesel counterparts. In fact, Cummins’ X15N natural gas engine is already being tested by major fleets and has been praised for its durability and diesel-like performance.
By making the switch, heavy transportation, such as recycling trucks, and power generation greenhouse gas emissions can
also be reduced by 95%, according to Argonne National Laboratory. RNG also plays a key role in a circular economy model, turning waste into a usable product. For the recycling industry, this means using fuel produced from the city’s waste to power its fleets, creating a closed-loop system that benefits both the environment and the economy.
A Look Ahead
Powering your fleet with RNG or CNG derived from the city’s waste is a win-win scenario. The recycling industry benefits greatly from this transition, as it aligns perfectly with its principles of waste reduction and resource efficiency.
Now is the time to act. By choosing RNG, the recycling industry can make meaningful strides toward a cleaner planet while maintaining the operational efficiency necessary to meet our waste management needs.
Jorge Herrera is CEO of Nopetro Energy. Since its founding, he has led the company’s rapid growth into a vertically integrated clean energy leader focused on global decarbonization through production and distribution of compressed natural gas, renewable natural gas and liquefied natural gas.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not imply endorsement by Resource Recycling, Inc. If you have a subject you wish to cover in an op-ed, please send a short proposal to [email protected] for consideration.
A warm welcome back to “Women in Circularity,” where we shine a light on women moving us toward a circular economy. This month, I was pleased to connect with a leader in textile reuse and recycling operations: Beth Forsberg. Beth is the senior vice president and chief sustainability officer at Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona, with oversight of sustainability operations in the nonprofit’s San Francisco and Monocacy Valley, Maryland, regions. Goodwill is dedicated to ending poverty through workforce development and is supported by a network of popular thrift shops. Beth has 30 years of experience in the nonprofit thrift sector where oversight has included donated goods revenue, collections, retail, e-commerce, recycling and salvage. Continue Reading
A warm welcome back to “Women in Circularity,” where we shine a light on women moving us toward a circular economy. This month, I was pleased to connect with an expert in recycling: Judi Gregory. 