The 2021 ISRI Fall Meetings began Monday, Oct. 18, in Charleston, S.C. The meetings ran through Wednesday, Oct. 20. A handful of virtual meetings were held the week of Oct. 10-16, including the Equipment and Service Providers Committee, the Shredder Committee, State Subcommittee, and ISRI’s Young Executives Council.
Young Executives Council
ISRI Chair Gary Champlin addressed the Young Executives Council (YEC) on Tuesday, Oct. 12, during the council’s virtual fall meeting. Champlin discussed his experience with ISRI and encouraged young execs to get involved early. Champlin noted that groups like the YEC and Women in Recycling (WIR) Council were great resources to tap into to identify potential future ISRI leaders. He encouraged young execs to show up and get involved at the chapter and national levels, and to join different working groups and get in on the ground level of various issues and topics. “If you have the passion and commitment, the opportunities are unlimited within ISRI,” Champlin says.
The respective subcommittees reviewed past initiatives and previewed upcoming ones. The Events/Programming subcommittee recapped the ISRIYE & WIR Joint Reception at the Commodity Roundtables, and took feedback on what worked and what can be improved. The YEC had strong speaker and attendee representation for this event, so elevating networking and recruitment opportunities is a key focus of the Council. The subcommittee also discussed the YEC’s planned sessions at ISRI2022, which will spotlight technology and sustainability topics.
The Advocacy subcommittee discussed the upcoming National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) Summit in November. Young execs were encouraged to participate in the summit, taking place in Tampa, Fla. this year, if they can, as the event does a great job of connecting work at the chapter and national levels. The subcommittee also highlighted the progress of the Infrastructure Bill as it makes its way through Congress.
Equipment and Service Providers Council
Chair Ian Lewondowski, director of global accounts at Shearsore, called the meeting to order at 10 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 13.
Convention Chair Stephen Moss of Stanton A. Moss Inc., and Chuck Carr, ISRI’s vice president of meetings and convention, reported on the progress of ISRI’s Convention and Exposition 2022 as a whole and discussed some of the new sponsorship opportunities ISRI is releasing. Janesha Russell, ISRI’s director of business development, reported that equipment space at the event, which will be March 21-24, 2022, in Las Vegas, is almost sold out. Linear booth sales are moving forward, and are currently at 75%.
Jason Glei, ISRI’s vice president of marketing, shared the new 2022 Media Kit, the 2022 Convention Sponsor Prospectus, and a new opportunity to sponsor “Jobs of Tomorrow,” a documentary series to be aired on ISRI.org and Amazon Prime Video.
Adina Renee Adler, ISRI’s vice president of advocacy, gave an update on the shredder wear parts tariff and trade issues with China. There is some indication of positive movement coming from the Biden administration, but nothing concrete has been announced.
Shredders Committee
The Shredders Committee meeting on Thursday, Oct. 14, started with a safety message about the Shredder Safety Survey – 2020 being conducted by the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR). This survey is intended to provide a comprehensive picture of shredder safety globally for the purpose of making shredder operations safer. The survey requests information about safety incidents during 2020 by shredder facility. Data are rendered anonymous and aggregated prior to any reporting (see summary of last year’s survey). ISRI members are encouraged to participate before the end of 2021, when the survey closes.
An update was provided on the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) Emissions Steering Committee. A broad strategy overview that will allow the group to make decisions is currently being developed. The goal of the committee is to bring members together so that they can collaborate on addressing issues related to VOC emissions that arise in the industry.
Adler gave an overview of United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai’s recent remarks regarding imports from China. Adler notes that the Biden administration’s approach to trade policy is about supporting the American worker first and foremost. Adler also pointed out that the U.S. Trade Representative’s office is seeking public comments on plans to revive a targeted tariff exclusion process for imports from China, specifically whether to reinstate previously extended exclusions on 549 import product categories. Public comments will be accepted through Dec. 1 on possible exclusions for a list of products, one of which is shredder wear parts. Adler encouraged members to submit comments.
Billy Johnson, ISRI’s chief lobbyist, noted that ISRI submitted comments advocating for the reinstatement of the U.S. Mint’s Mutilated Coin Redemption Program, and provided recommendations to strengthen the program. David Wagger, ISRI’s chief scientist, provided an update on the HFC Phasedown, noting that ISRI filed comments on the rule. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) came out with the final rule in early October. ISRI’s comments were intended to prevent the rule from interfering with certain refrigerant recycling activities. Wagger says that the EPA did consider the association’s comments, and some adjustments were made.
Additional Resources
