indianapolis announces dirty mrf deal with covanta

today, the city of indianapolis announces a plan for a dirty mrf (material recovery facility) whereby trash will be collected and recyclables segregated out for recycling after the fact. haven't we learned from years of dirty mrfs that very little marketable commodity can be gleaned from co-mingled trash. paper can't be recycled after a soda has been spilled on it. cardboard can't be recycled when it sits in a bin for days with food scraps next to it. plastics are very expensive to recycle when they are covered with coffee grounds and grease. in order for a materials to be sold as commodities, it must be treated like commodities. this plan is bad for indianapolis, bad for manufacturers who depend on recyclables for feedstock, and bad for the future of recycling everywhere if cities can be sold this bag of goods.  http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2014/06/18/deal-will-increase-recycling-city-mayor-says/10802431/

investment needed to grow recycling...

austin is aggressively pulling materials from the waste stream until its zero waste goals, but few local markets for those recyclables exist, and most recyclable materials collected in austin land in markets around the world. as such, austin is losing those opportunities for local investment and jobs.

as i depart as the city of austin's first recycling economic development liaison, i was pleased to organize a unique local event that brought together recycling manufacturing companies with the investment community in hopes of bringing awareness and funds to grow recycling in austin. you can learn about the ten (10) companies who presented, as well as see photos and a complete video of the event here. six of the companies to date have been approached by one or more investors. the hope is that this event will result in helping existing austin companies grown, new start-ups, as well as attract national and international companies to expand. over 100 companies, investors and observers attended the event.

while i resigned my position with the city of austin effective june 6, 2014, my sincere hope is that some of my efforts there will have lasting effects towards positive change.

coming home y'all

after spending 18 months in austin, texas, doing some amazing work as the city of austin's first recycling economic development program liaison, i'm coming home, to indy, to once again work on a wide variety of projects. 

i plan to take it light this summer (with one or two small contracts) and spend some time with my son. in the fall, i'll be seeking out a few more projects, much like i'd done for the 10 years prior to leaving indy -- working on policy, program development, project implementation, research, fund development, business planning. my clients have always been very diverse -- small business, large business, governments, regional and national policy workgroups, and non-profits. 

i love that my professional life can allow me to follow my passion and contribute to really cool and meaningful projects on all levels. as such, i have the opportunity to work with some of the most talented and dedicated people in the world! 

in case you are interested, here are just a few of the projects that i initiated while in austin:

• austin recycling economic development program
• austin [re]manufacturing hub
• shop zero waste austin
• austin recycling innovations investment forum.

It was a fun ride, but am happy to be back in indy - at home!