The Northeast Recycling Council Inc. (NERC), Brattleboro, Vermont, has announced that Maryland has joined the organization as its 11th member state.
The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) was created in 1987. Its mission is to protect and restore the environment for the health and well-being of all Marylanders. It also provides technical assistance to Maryland businesses and communities and responds to environmental emergencies.
According to Lynn Rubinstein, NERC executive director, “With the addition of Maryland to its state membership, NERC’s multistate initiative—to promote traditional and innovative solid waste best practices that focus on waste prevention, toxics reduction, reuse, recycling and organics recovery—is significantly expanded.”
Kaley Laleker, acting deputy director of the MDE’s Land Management Administration, will join the NERC board of directors, representing Maryland.
Laleker says, “Over the past few years, MDE has been a member of the Electronics Recycling Coordination Clearinghouse (ERCC) and a participant in the State Electronics Challenge, two projects administered and managed by NERC. We believe that the [MDE] and NERC share many of the same goals, including identifying innovative best practices in waste diversion. The [MDE] is excited to join NERC and share in the benefits that membership will provide.”