NRC Board Member, Marta Keane, was given Illinois' highest award at this year' Circularity Conference, the Steve Apotheker Recycler of the Year Award. The award is named after former President of the Illinois Recycling Association/Foundation and Director of Champaign's Recycling non-profit that went on to impact recycling on a national level. "I recall when the Illinois Board decided to rename their Lifetime Achievement Award after Steve and thinking that I would never be eligible to receive such as honor," stated Marta Keane during an interview. "It is humbling because I have never done anything alone. It was only through the kindness of others sharing their expertise, the support of elected officials, and cooperation of business and government working together that programs have succeeded."
This year marked a highly successful conference as three statewide non-profits joined together to offer two days of sessions and a tour into the the Embassy Suites Conference Center. The event featured Zero Waste efforts with food scrap composting in place, which has become a common practice of the Illinois Recycling Foundation. Recycle Coach was the primary sponsor as they have launched a statewide searchable database with the support of Counties and Cities and funding from the Illinois EPA. PaintCare and Call2Recycle were also contributors and speakers covering the upcoming implementation of EPR laws for paint and batteries in Illinois.
NRC is proud to recognize our members, especially our Board Members, that are working every day to improve recycling while steering us towards a more circular economy.
Read More about Steve Apotheker
Read More about the Circularity Conference
