MassRecycle Podcast

Mar 07 2024 3
MassRecycle Podcast artwork

The MassRecycle Podcast is hosted by Gretchen Carey, MR President (New England Recycling and Organics Coordinator for Republic Services) and Waneta Trabert, MR Vice President (Director of the Sustainable Materials Management Division, City of Newton). Waneta and Gretchen discuss hot topics in recycling, reuse, and organics diversion, as well as interviewing people who are doing great and noteworthy things in the field of sustainability in Massachusetts. MassRecycle is always looking for great topics for our podcasts! If you have a great idea, send it along to [email protected]!

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Episode 46: Contracting for Zero Waste

Mar 07 2024 46 mins  
11/16/22 — Boston, Massachusetts Center for Computing & Data Sciences at sundown Nov 16.Photo by Cydney Scott for Boston University Photography   Waneta and Gretchen are joined by Sarah Healey, MassRecycle Board member and Zero Waste Manager at Boston University, to discuss building your Zero Waste goals into your contracts. Sarah has been on both sides of the waste

Episode 45: Why Can’t I Recycle This?

Feb 08 2024 50 mins  
Waneta and Gretchen answer the perennial question “Why can’t I recycle this?”. Recycling is a commodity, and not only does it need to be collected and sorted, someone needs to want to buy it. To understand what is recyclable and what is not, it is important to understand the system: Who has access to recycling? How are those items sorted? How much of it is collected? What mat

Episode 44: Recycling Programming in Multilingual Communities

Jan 11 2024 53 mins  
Waneta and Gretchen are joined by Jessica Camarena, City of New Bedford Recycling Coordinator, and Rosanna Deldosario, City of Lawrence Recycling Coordinator, to discuss their work to make recycling more accessible to residents. Both of their positions extend past recycling into waste reduction, education, and outreach. Establishing school programming, informing landlords, and prov

Episode 43: Unveiling the Invisible: PFAS and Compost

Oct 04 2023 34 mins  
Embark on a revealing journey as Gretchen, Waneta, and Andrew Brousseau of Black Earth Compost delve into PFAS. Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances, or PFAS, is a group of human-made chemicals found in countless everyday items that has permeated our daily lives for decades. Learn about the sources of PFAS, the challenges this group of substances presents to waste disposal, and the

Episode 42: Demolition vs. Deconstruction: Careful Practices for a Sustainable Future

Aug 29 2023 39 mins  
Woodbridge Project Team at Rockland Psychiatric Center demolition. Future Data Center. Photo Credit: STO Building Group   Join Waneta and Gretchen as they delve into deconstruction and mercury with Mike Orbank from STO Building Group and Danielle Myers of the Thermostat Recycling Corporation. Ever wondered about the environmental impact of construction waste? Embodied carbon v

Episode 41: Make Paper out of Paper: Johnny Gold

Aug 09 2023 59 mins  
Recycling legend Johnny Gold joins Waneta and Gretchen to talk paper recycling – where it all began and how we got here. Have you ever wondered how paper drives earn money? How did paper recycling start? What happens to the paper you throw in your bin? There is an entire industry behind that paper in your bin and how it becomes that hardcover book or that brown paper towel. F

Episode 40: Sustainability on Campus: 2023 Edition

Apr 25 2023 61 mins  
In this episode, Waneta and Gretchen are joined by four experts who have dedicated their careers to reducing waste and promoting sustainability on college campuses. Laurie Simmons of UMass Amherst, Sue Higgins of Northeastern University, Sarah Healey of Boston University, and Rob Gogan, retired from Harvard, share their insights on waste reduction, recycling, and creative reuse pro

Episode 39: The Recycling Miracle: MassDEP’s RecycleSmart

Feb 21 2023 40 mins  
In 2018, China National Sword cut off imports of foreign recyclables and brought recycling in the US to a screeching halt. In Massachusetts, MassDEP created RecycleSmart: the one stop resource to turn the Wild Wild West of recycling collections into material streams that could be processed domestically. Janice Paré, Municipal Recycling Analyst at MassDEP, talks with Waneta and Gre

Episode 38: An Insider’s View of Recycling, Solid Waste, and Pollution Prevention.

Jan 18 2023 40 mins  
Pull up a chair and join Gretchen and Waneta in conversation with Terri Goldberg. Terri has had an extensive career in recycling, solid waste, and pollution prevention. She is retiring from her role as Executive Director of the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEMOWA). Join us for this unique opportunity to venture into her decades of knowledge. Misinformation a

Episode 37: Lithium Batteries: Blowing Up!

Dec 06 2022 59 mins  
Lithium batteries are exploding in popularity, and literally exploding. Gretchen and Waneta welcome Stan Walczak, Rob Gogan, and Dave Ditata, to discuss the dangers of batteries in the waste stream. Stan Walczak is Facility Manager of ReSource Waste Services, Rob Gogan is retired Recycling and Waste Services Manager for Harvard University, and Dave Ditata is Fuel Superintendent at