Municipalities in the South Central Recycling Association of Massachusetts Inc. (SCRAM) were recently selected by the state's purchasing department, Operational Services Division (OSD), to participate in a program that will test the performance of recycled copy paper and envelopes. This Pilot Purchase Program, as it is known, is part of the Commonwealth's comprehensive effort to increase the procurement of recycled and environmentally preferable products throughout state and local government.
Under the program, OSD will purchase envelopes and a case or more of recycled copy paper for the participating SCRAM communities. The amount received by each town will be deterimined by the estimated monthly usage of these products by that community. As there are five different copy papers currently offered on the state contract, towns may receive any one or more of the brands available.
In return for this purchase, the towns will be asked to make comparisons to the paper and envelopes they have been using with respect to quality, performance and cost. The results will be shared within the region and throughout the various purchasing entities of the Commonwealth as a means of providing information on recycled products based on first-hand experience from Commonwealth purchasers.
" create the necessary demand in the marketplace for these materials and close the recycling loop"
Assuming the results are positive, these communities will then be encouraged to continue purchasing these products, as well as write a formal procurement policy for recycled and environmentaly preferable products, in general, as a means to create the necessary demand in the marketplace for these materials and "close the recycling loop".
Other pilot purchases from state agencies, schools, cities and towns presently being evaluated by OSD include such products as plastic lumber, recycled carpeting and flooring, environmentally preferable cleaning agents, and more. For more information on these products, or environmental purchasing in general, please contact Marcia Deegler at OSD, (617) 727-7500 x 356, or email macia.deegler@state.ma.us
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Cheryl King Fischer, fund coordinator for the New England Grassroots Environment Fund, is "delighted to inform [us] that SCRAM has been awarded $1,200 to urge South Central Massachusetts municipal officials to purchase recycled products through the SCRAM “Municipal Buy Recycled Project.”
The Fund is a private grant program designed to foster local New England grassroots conservation and environmental initiatives in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. It provides small grants up to $2,500 to fuel local activism that results in broader community involvement in projects that address a wide range of environmental issues and opportunities. Local groups may be tackling an environmental health problem related to poor air quality or water pollution or advocates may be urging citizen participation in wildlife habitat protection. Whatever the issue, the fund wants to move these efforts forward with its support. The New England Grassroots Environment Fund is located at 27 Bailey Avenue in Montpelier, Vermont. For more information send a letter or contact Fund Coordinator, Cheryl King Fischer, at (802)223-4622 or Email cfischer@plainfield.bypass.com.
Back to Top | Back to NewsLetter IndexStatewide contracts offer Commonwealth purchasers an easy and efficient means of purchasing quality goods and services. Because the specification writing, bidding and evaluation have already been done, as well as an award based on volume purchases, state contracts should represent a significant time and cost savings.
There are currently over two dozen Massachusetts state contracts that either offer products made with recycled content and/or are energy efficient. In order to reduce any questions or concerns that may surround the purchase of these products, a considerable amount of research and product testing is performed prior to placing them on contract, in order to ensure that purchases are less likely to be problematic.
Although state agencies are required to use state contracts whenever they offer the products they need, a host of other entities are eligible and encouraged to use them as well. These include independent authorities, municipalities and municipal departments, county and/or municipal purchasing cooperatives, state colleges and universities, public schools/districts and other political subdivisions, regardless of geographic location.
Vendors are responsible to deliver anywhere in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at no extra charge to the established contract price unless otherwise noted in the contract. In addition, several contracts contain multiple vendors from which to choose, and municipalities are free to select the one they prefer to supply their product.
The chief Procurement Officer in every city and town (sometimes this may be a Selectman, business manager, etc.), should be receiving a copy of all the state contracts as they are awarded. If you would like to know who this individual is in your town, please contact Mark Vafiades, Collective Purchasing Director at OSD, (617) 727-7500 x245. You may also access the contracts and other purchasing information on the Internet via the Commonwealth Procurement Access Solicitation System (Comm-Pass). The website address is, http://comm-pass.com.
If you would like to receive a copy of the state's purchasing guide for recycled and environmentally preferable products on state contracts, or fact sheets on various recycled products, please contact either Marcia Deegler (617) 727-7500 x356 or Eric Friedman x351 , or visit the Internet at http://www.state.ma.us/osd/enviro/enviro.htm
Back to Top | Back to NewsLetter IndexSCRAM has received $8,000 from the Department of Environmental Protection and the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs to provide Hazardous Material Management Assistance in the region.
The bulk of this grant is to provide technical assistance to four SCRAM school districts to implement a School Hazardous Waste Reduction and Management Pilot Program designed by the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District (FCSWMD) in the SCRAM region. FCSWMD integrated services, programs and resources from several different state and federal agencies into a comprehensive program to provide schools with all the tools needed to truly change their hazardous materials management practices. The major service components of this program are listed at right.
SCRAM will also provide technical assistance to municipalities on Hazardous Materials collections.
We will negotiate a regional contract for one day Hazardous Waste collections using existing regional contracts from across the state. SCRAM will also facilitate participation in these collections.
SCRAM is also helping coordinate two regional Paint Shed Grants for leftover paint collection, reuse, recycling and safe disposal. One of these regional collection sheds will be shared by the four Brookfields and will be located in North Brookfield. The other shed will be located in Hardwick and shared with Oakham and New Braintree.
SCRAM conducted this initial survey to identify the schools existing management practices and needs for training and technical assistance.
SCRAM and FCSWMD coordinated the participation of four regional school districts in a free two-day training in December 1996. CHEMIS is a school-wide systems management program for the acquisition, use, storage and disposal of hazardous materials. It provides a cradle-to-grave management system for schools to properly manage their hazardous materials. CHEMIS was developed by the Pan-Educational Institute and is funded by the U.S. Fire Administration and Federal Emergency Management Agency. Its implementation in Massachusetts was also funded by the Rural Utilities Service of the USDA. The CHEMIS program provided free training, inventory software, four training videos, and four management manuals at no cost to the four SCRAM schools districts. The schools attending the training have expressed gratitude for the training and the need for further technical assistance to implement their management plans.
SCRAM is working with Lisa Dufresne, a chemical engineer from the State Office of Technical Assistance for Toxics Use Reduction to inventory the four school districts. Lisa and SCRAM are currently finishing inventories of the hazardous materials in each school. Lisa has provided excellent hands-on answers to questions arising regarding hazardous material reduction, storage, handling and disposal strategies during our visits. The inventories will be installed on the CHEMIS computer software to help with procurement, storage, inventory and disposal.
SCRAM will be organizing a regional collection on behalf of the school districts to provide safe, low cost disposal services to assist the schools in cleaning out unwanted materials on the inventory lists.
SCRAM will be organizing and training teams in each school to implement their management plans.
Thanks again to Lynn Rose and Jan Ameen of FCSWMD for continuing to build on our partnership in providing meaningful services.
Back to Top | Back to NewsLetter IndexThe Municipal Buy Recycled Project will substantially increase the amount of recycled products purchased by municipal officials in South Central Massachusetts. In the past six years municipalities in this region have done an excellent job of instituting recycling collection programs. In order to ensure a continuing market for these collected materials people need to buy products made with these recycled materials. Municipalities in Massachusetts have access to a state contract to buy recycled products at a volume discount rate, but most of them are either unaware or unfamiliar with the process of using this contract. Through our regional meetings and individual consulting sessions, the Municipal Buy Recycled Project will help municipalities take advantage of the state recycled products contract and encourage them to implement municipal buy recycled procurement policies. These procurement policies will ensure that the purchase of recycled materials will take place into the future.
In 1993 President Clinton signed into law a bill that would increase the federal government's procurement of recycled products starting in 1994. This has had a significant impact on markets for recyclable materials by spurring large capital investments necessary to produce products made from recycled materials at a competitive price with products made from virgin materials. Recycled products until recently have often been more costly, of lesser quality, and not as readily available as their virgin counterparts. This is no longer true. We need to change the negative perception of these products and encourage the public to try them. Municipalities are excellent places to begin this educational process because they are large volume users, and also have high visibility.
SCRAM has already received funding from two sources to begin this project and a third is on its way.
SCRAM regional meeting on Municipal Buy Recycled Procurement Policies for recycling coordinators and procurement officers. Marcia Deegler from the state office of procurement will explain the state recycled and environmentally preferable products state contract and municipal recycled procurement policies to this group.
Handout cases of recycled copy paper and envelopes to participating municipal members to compare to paper they have been using. Compile results of testing and share with region and state.
Arrange and carry out Buy Recycled meetings in each member community with the procurement officer, board of health, administrative assistant and any other parties involved with the procurement process. In these meetings participants will be taught how to use the state contract for buying recycled products, and given actual examples of these products. Examples of Municipal Buy Recycled Procurement Policies will be discussed. Municipalities interested in writing Buy Recycled Procurement Policies will be offered small grants of matching funds to support first purchases.
Follow up these municipal meetings with a questionnaire to assess the effectiveness of this project to encourage the procurement of recycled products and the adoption of Buy Recycled Procurement process. Write report on results of the project.
Back to Top | Back to NewsLetter IndexDo you want to buy recycled products but don't know where to find them?
Whether you are looking for anything from copy paper to retread tires, the Massachusetts Buy Recycled Business Alliance can help.
The Alliance is sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the National Recycling Coalition and provides information for businesses that want to increase their use of recycled-content products.
The Alliance offers a variety of services to businesses in Massachusetts. Written resource materials helping businesses learn how to start and where to find recycled products are available upon request. Technical assistance is offered over the phone. Presentations and workshops will also be designed to address the needs of individual businesses.
Advantages to buying recycled content products abound. These products often match the standards of cost, quality and availability of products manufactured from virgin materials. At the same time, buying recycled products demonstrates your concern for the environment and strengthens markets for recyclables - those same materials you throw in the bins at home and at work.
The Alliance is coordinated by the Center for Ecological Technology (CET) and WasteCap of Massachusetts. For more Info Call:
WasteCap of MassachusettsThe Alliance rsponds to your company's questions from where to start to where to buy recycled products. Call us today.
Schedule a presentaion about buying recycled for your company or business group.
Come to the annual vendor fair to see first hand the variety and quality of recycled products available.
Learn from the experiences of other businesses. We will put you in touch with your peers who will share their "buy recycled" purchasing successes.
From product displays to workshops to special events, the Alliance will tailor its services to meet your needs.
over 500 product listings from 200 Massachusetts companies that sell or distribute recycled content products.
provides information and tips to help your company in its buy recycled efforts.
fact sheets that answer your questions about specific recycled products.
a listing of additional sources of buy recycled information including directories and trade associations.
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