Once there was the National Recycling Association (NRC), but after years of internecine wrangling over goals and objectives had strained the organization’s economic viability to the point of insolvency, the breech became irreconcilable when, at the eleventh hour, Keep America Beautiful (KAB) appeared at the door, ready to save the day.
In May, NRC accepted a $200,000 operating loan and payoff of $500,000 in debt from KAB in exchange for the rights to America Recycles Day and the right to use all NRC trademarks.
Soon after the NRC and KAB engagement was announced—a marriage requiring ratification by NRC’s rank and file—opposition under the banner of Recycling Organizations of North America (RONA) arose, asking the membership to reject the merger. The membership voting took place over a 17-day period ending August 26, and when the smoke cleared, the NRC/KAB deal was dead, leaving NRC no option but to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the IRS code.
“The decision was a very difficult and troubling one, but in the end, as a matter of our fiduciary responsibility, the board was left with very few options given the organization’s cash position. Our hope—however distant right now—is that a stronger organization, with broad representation, may emerge from within our community,” said Melinda Uerling, NRC board president.
Perhaps her wish will be fulfilled, as this past Sunday we received the following notice:
New Recycling Conference Announced for 2010
A leading recycling trade magazine publisher has announced it will hold the inaugural Resource Recycling Conference on October 26 and 27, 2010, at the Marriott Hotel on the Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas. The conference will be the only major conference in North America focusing solely on municipal waste recycling.
The event is sponsored by Resource Recycling Inc., the publisher of Resource Recycling, Plastics Recycling Update, and E-Scrap news. In addition, the company presents the annual Plastics Recycling Conference and the E-Scrap Conference. Both events are the largest conferences in the world in their respective fields.
The Resource Recycling Conference will offer in-depth, comprehensive assessments of MRF technologies, recycling market developments, collection innovations and new public policy and legislative initiatives. A large exhibit hall will feature the latest recycling equipment and services. The conference organizers have already secured a number of corporate and trade association conference sponsors.
According to Jerry Powell, editor of Resource Recycling magazine, RONA will likely be part of the event, but NRC, should it reemerge from bankruptcy, would be a welcome part of the conference, too.
While we bemoan the passing of NRC, we share Uerling’s hope that from its ashes a stronger, more tolerant organization will arise. Will the Resource Recycling Conference emerge as recycling’s standard-bearer? Time will tell.