Local Officials, Department Heads Urged to Attend Sessions on Organics & Waste Paint Management

ERIE COUNTY, NY— The Erie County Department of Environment & Planning has announced that it will co-sponsor free workshops on Organics Management and Waste Paint Management on Thursday, September 12, 2013 from 9:00 am – 3:30 pm at the Cornell Cooperative Extension-Erie County Headquarters, 21 S. Grove St., East Aurora. The morning session, “Western New York Organics Management Workshop & Roundtable”, will be held from 9am–12pm, while the afternoon session, “Reducing, Reusing & Recycling Waste Latex Paint in Erie County” will be held from 1pm–3:30pm.

“I encourage local government officials and their municipal waste supervisors, environmental advocates, community organizations, and anyone with an interest in ways to compost organics and related waste disposal to attend these workshops,” said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.  “The information that will be presented will combine best practices from other communities with information about what is currently happening in Erie County, and will help everyone involved in disposal to more effectively, efficiently, and safely protect their own communities.”

The Organics Management Workshop & Roundtable will serve as a gathering for decision makers, municipal officials, commercial and institutional organics materials generators, haulers, and other interested in advancing organics management and composting. The event will provide an overview on best management practices of organics, including: Residential Yard Debris Best Management Practices; Composting Emerald Ash Borer-Damaged Trees; Commercial Food Scrap Reduction, Recovery, & Composting; and Composting & Anaerobic Digestion in Action in Western New York.

The afternoon session on waste latex paint will focus on options for rural communities for reducing, reusing, and recycling latex waste paint, which represents more than 80% of the paint purchased. While the focus of this grant-funded workshop is rural, the information presented will be helpful to communities of all sizes. This workshop will address best practices in improving the management of leftover latex paint, including local options and case studies. Participants will learn about possible options for managing waste latex paint, including: Prevention & Education Messages; Paint Exchanges/Drop & Swaps; and Recycling Programs. This workshop, designed for anyone involved in managing waste paints, is appropriate for local governmental officials, painting contractors, solid waste facility operators, waste haulers, retailers, and recycling coordinators. Participants attending the Paint workshop will enjoy a free lunch from 12-1 pm.

BOTH WORKSHOPS ARE FREE BUT REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED BY SEPTEMBER 6th, 2013.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER, CONTACT GARY CARREL IN THE ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT & PLANNING AT (716) 858-4805 or gary.carrel@erie.gov

Both workshops are made possible in part through a grant from the Utilities Programs, United States Department of Agriculture. In addition to the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning, other sponsors include: Northeast Recycling Council, Inc.; New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; Niagara County Solid Waste Division; Cornell Cooperative Extension/Erie County; Northeast Southtowns Solid Waste Management Board; and the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (“NEWMOA”).