Mississippi Recycling Coalition

The Mississippi Recycling Coalition (MRC) will be raising awareness for the importance of recycling on Wednesday, February 7, 1 to 3:30 p.m. for the annual Recycling Legislative Awareness Day. MRC and Keep Mississippi Beautiful (KMB) are co-sponsoring the event, which includes an ice cream social for our legislators, on the first floor rotunda. Additionally, MRC plans to recognize the recent recipients of the Recyclers of the Year “Environmental Hero” awards.

MRC members are encouraged to attend this event that provides an opportunity to share information and network with our state legislators on the significant economic impacts the recycling industry brings to our state.

MRC also encourages businesses, industries, and organizations that are involved in recycling to consider having an exhibit for the event. Please note that we will do our best to honor requests for exhibit space; however, space in the rotunda is limited.  We will notify exhibitors in advance of the event if we are unable to fulfill requests for space.

RSVP to Attend

MRC asks that all MRC members planning to attend the Recycling Legislative Awareness Day please contact Jennifer Milner by e-mail to jmilner@mdeq.ms.gov or by phone to 601-961-5739. Also, contact Ms. Milner if you would like to exhibit or have any questions regarding the event.

Webinar on Jan. 30 to Prepare for Event

We have learned from past events that the process of reaching out to your local legislators can be difficult for various reasons. Therefore, to help attendees of this year’s event, we are partnering with the Southeastern Recycling Development Council (SERDC) to conduct an instructional webinar. This webinar will include all the information you will need to engage your legislators at the Recycling Legislative Awareness Day event. The webinar will provide instruction on proper attire for the event, location and parking information, an agenda for the event as well as resources for identifying your legislators, making an appointment with them, and articulating your message to them once given the opportunity.

The webinar will be held on Tuesday, January 30 at 10a.m. CST. You may use the following link to register for the Mississippi Recycling Legislative Awareness Day webinar: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1223199377273241090.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. We encourage all of our members planning to attend the 2018 Legislative Awareness Day event to make every effort to attend the webinar on January 30. There is no cost for joining the webinar, and it is open to all who are interested including our friends with Keep Mississippi Beautiful. Therefore, please feel free to pass this information along to others in your organization or business who may be interested.

Our members make our work possible. We thank all of the members who have supported us over the years, and we encourage new members to partner with us as we continue our efforts to educate residents on the benefits of recycling and promote the growth of the recycling industry in Mississippi.

Now is the time of year to renew your membership for 2018 or increase your support for the year. You may remit your membership dues payment by check, credit card or PayPal. Use the instructions on the invoice that you recently received or visit our Member Payment Options webpage.

For those of you that are not members, but are interested in joining the MRC please check out the different levels of membership and sponsorship available here on the MRC website.

Benefits of MRC Membership

The past year has been full of exciting events, activities and accomplishments for the MRC, including:

• MRC celebrated 20 years of service to the state of Mississippi with an Anniversary Celebration Reception held in conjunction with the Annual Recycling Conference in Ridgeland, Mississippi;
• MRC sponsored our Annual Recycling Conference: “Recycling in Mississippi: Our Next Twenty Years” in Ridgeland, Mississippi;
• MRC unveiled our newly updated website designed to provide information to our members and the general public in a more user-friendly format.
• MRC provided information to our members on numerous grant funding opportunities, new programs, workshops, webinars, conferences and other resources to promote recycling in the state.

We have a whole lot planned for 2018, including:

• MRC will award K-12 schools throughout the State of Mississippi with our recycling program grants;
• MRC in partnership with the Mississippi Beverage Association will provide scholarships to 10 students at Mississippi colleges and universities with environmental studies and interests;
• MRC will recognize organizations for their outstanding work in promoting and growing recycling in their area with our Environmental Hero, “Recycler of the Year” awards;
• MRC will be sponsoring our Annual Recycling Awareness Day as a joint event with Keep Mississippi Beautiful at the State Capitol Building; and
• MRC will be sponsoring a joint recycling and solid waste management conference with the MS Magnolia Chapter of SWANA May 15-17, in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

We look forward to these events and opportunities and many others. But we need your commitment to make this possible.

Questions

If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Milner at 601-961-5739 or jmilner@mdeq.ms.gov.

The Mississippi Recycling Coalition is now accepting nominations for our annual Environmental Hero “Recycler of the Year” Awards, which recognize outstanding recycling programs and organizations in Mississippi. Please help us by nominating a deserving program or organization that you believe has made a difference in the state.

Nominations are due January 29, 2018.

The awards cover the following categories:

• Local Governments
• State and Federal Agencies
• Businesses/Corporations
• Non-Profit Organizations
• Educational Institutions.

In addition, we honor a new program (less than 2 years old) in one or more of these categories.

Download the nomination form.

The MRC evaluates nominations based on promotion of recycling, the duration and extent of the recycling program, the overall environmental stewardship, and the manner in which recycling has improved community waste handling and environmental practices.

This awards program is part of the MRC’s continued efforts to educate our residents on the benefits of recycling and promote the growth of the recycling industry in Mississippi.

The Mississippi Recycling Coalition (MRC) is offering up to $10,000 in grants to schools to support new or expanding recycling programs. Both $500 and $1,000 grants are available to public and private K-12 schools in Mississippi. The deadline for submitting applications is Dec. 18.

This grant program supports the mission of MRC, a non-profit organization that works to promote and grow recycling efforts in the state.

Download the application form.

Deadline

Applications are due Tuesday, December 18, 2017. Mailed applications should be postmarked by that date; faxed and emailed applications should be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Also, please note guidelines and instructions below.

Submitting Applications

MRC accepts applications via:

• Mail: Attn: School Recycling Grants, Michelle Robinson, 55 County Rd 3067, Oxford, MS 38655
• Fax: Attn: School Recycling Grants, Michelle Robinson, 662-232-2338
• Email: Subject Line: School Recycling Grants, Michelle Robinson, mrobinson@oxfordms.net

Questions

If you have any questions, contact Michelle Robinson at 662-232-2745 or at mrobinson@oxfordms.net.

The Mississippi Recycling Coalition’s College Scholarship Committee is accepting applications for the 2017-2018 academic year. MRC in conjunction with the Mississippi Beverage Association are offering up to ten $1,000 scholarships. The scholarships are available to undergraduates (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors) enrolled in Mississippi public and private colleges and universities who are either majoring in areas related to environmental sciences, environmental education, and/or are active in promoting recycling or other sustainable practices.

Applications and transcripts must be received by October 27, 2017 to be considered for an award. When completing the application, we encourage applicants to highlight any recycling and/or sustainable activities as these are given additional weight during the review process. Applications with missing or incomplete transcripts will not be eligible for an award.

Download application here.