Center for Sustainable Materials Management

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Center for Sustainable Materials Management

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Collectively Challenging Waste, Elevating Solutions Together.

10/05/2026

🚀 New training series for NY manufacturers!

The Creating Competitive Advantage workshop series advances sustainable and safer chemical manufacturing across New York State by bringing national expertise, practical solutions, and funding resources directly to manufacturers. Led by Dr. John Warner, co-founder of green chemistry and prolific inventor with 370+ patents and extensive experience bringing new technologies to market, these free one‑day workshops provide chemical manufacturers with tools to design safer products and processes, reduce hazardous waste, and strengthen operational resilience.
Interested in learning how green chemistry can drive innovation, reduce risk, prevent pollution, and support safer, more sustainable operations?

📅 Upcoming sessions:
📍 Oct. 20, 2026, Buffalo, NY
📍 Nov. 5, 2026, Syracuse, NY
📍 Jan. 26, 2027, Virtual
📍 Feb. 25, 2027, Albany, NY
📍 Mar. 23, 2027, Long Island

Learn more and register: nysp2i.rit.edu/greenchem-for-industry

09/08/2026

🎉Join us at the National Zero Waste Conference (https://zwconference.org/) on October 21-22, 2026, hosted by Zero Waste USA (https://zerowasteusa.org/). The National Zero Waste Conference is a two-day educational and networking event that provides an opportunity to hear from national experts sharing case studies, program implementation, and Zero Waste systems that work.

Find more information on the program and registration here: https://zwconference.org/

09/02/2026

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation's 2023 Solid Waste Management Plan set a target: recycle 85% of municipal solid waste by 2050. With today's estimated paper and packaging diversion rate at just 30%, closing that gap in time will require more than incremental improvements to the current system.

Phase 3 of the Needs Assessment is designed to map the path to an 85% MSW recycling rate: defining scenarios, evaluating commodity markets, and calculating the green house gas and employment benefits of getting there.

What do you think it will take for New York to close the gap?

08/26/2026

Recycling costs to New York residents and communities is an estimated $788 million per year. ‼️

Based on a 2019 data, this breaks down to $638 million outside NYC and $150 million in NYC alone or roughly $147 to $191 per household annually just for recycling services.

Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging would shift those costs to producers whose materials are filling the bin. That's one of the policy models Phase 3 will examine in the context of what that Needs Assessment has revealed so far.

Read the full Phase 2 report, link in bio.🔗

08/24/2026

The Community Reuse Grant application is officially open!

Offered by NYSAR3 in partnership with CSMM, these grants are offered to community-based groups, municipalities, businesses, and non-profit organizations in New York State to support implementation of reuse initiatives in their communities.

This year, a total of $15,000 will be awarded, with each awardee receiving between $1,000 to $5,000.

The deadline to submit an application is September 14th, 2026. We hope to see your submissions!

For more information: https://www.nysar3.org/page/community-reuse-grant-231.html

08/19/2026

Phase 2 of the Needs Assessment project reveals that statewide, 89% of multi-family households have access to onsite recycling services. That sounds high, until you remove New York City from the picture. Without NYC, that number drops to 51%.

And even where service exists, 33% of multi-family programs are subscription-based, meaning property managers need to opt in, and the reality is that many don’t. Apartment residents across upstate and suburban NY are being left out of a system that they're already paying for, and that is one of the equity gaps Phase 3 is set to address.

Read the full Phase 2 report, link in bio.🔗

08/13/2026

New York's Phase 2 Recycling System Needs Assessment, conducted in partnership with RRS, surveyed 308 residents, 134 commercial entities, 69 planning units, and 14 recycling facilities across all 9 DEC regions.

One of the striking discoveries of the report is that 100% of New York State residents have access to curbside recycling. But only 30% of packaging and paper products in the waste stream are actually being recycled.

What do you think causes this gap?

Coming this summer, Phase 3 of the Needs Assessment project will help define what New York’s recycling system needs to close the gap and capture more materials in the recycling stream.

Check out the full Phase 2 report, linked in bio! 🔗

06/25/2026

We are thrilled to announce that our Center at State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry has received new funding through New York State’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), administered by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, to expand our work advancing sustainable materials management across New York State! 📢

This investment represents an exciting new chapter for CSMM and will accelerate our efforts to reduce waste, strengthen recycling markets, expand reuse initiatives, support organics management, advance product stewardship, and deliver practical solutions for communities, businesses, institutions, and local governments throughout New York.

Here’s to the next chapter of collectively challenging waste and elevating solutions together!

Click the link in our bio to read the full announcement!🔗

03/19/2026

We're pleased to announce the latest edition of our Foam Container, Void Fill & Protective Packaging Alternative Guide (EPS Guide), developed in partnership with the Institute for Sustainability Engagement - EFC Region 2.

As of January 1, 2026, New York State expanded its polystyrene foam ban to include single-use EPS cold storage containers like coolers and bait containers, expanding upon the 2022 ban on EPS food and beverage containers and loose fill packaging. This updated guide is designed to support businesses and organizations in finding practical alternatives to polystyrene products.

Explore the full guide, check the link in our bio. 🔗

Address

SUNY College Of Environmental Science And Forestry 219 Bray Hall • 1 Forestry Drive
Syracuse, NY
13210

Website

https://linktr.ee/centerforsmm

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