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MassRecycle Podcast

MassRecycle

The MassRecycle Podcast is hosted by Gretchen Carey, MR President (New England Recycling and Organics Coordinator for Republic Services) and Waneta Trabert, MR Vice President (Director of the Sustainable Materials Management Division, City of Newton). Waneta and Gretchen discuss hot topics in recycling, reuse, and organics diversion, as well as interviewing people who are doing great and noteworthy things in the field of sustainability in Massachusetts.

MassRecycle is always looking for great topics for our podcasts! If you have a great idea, send it along to Admin@MassRecycle.org!

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22 episodes
every few months
Avg 44 min
English

Episodes 22

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Thursday · 1 hr 9 min
Episode 62: Charged with Responsibility: The Growing Battery Challenge
From e-bikes to vapes, an increasing number of everyday consumer products contain batteries that can create serious challenges when it comes to storage, disposal, and recycling. In this episode, Gretchen and Waneta are joined by Heather Billings of the C
October 8 · 1 hr 17 min
Episode 61: EPR Explained: Policy, Product Stewardship, and Producer Responsibility
Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR, is a valuable legal tool to shift the costs of a product’s waste management away from taxpayers and onto the manufacturers. In this episode, Gretchen interviews Waneta, MassRecycle’s resident EPR expe
August 3 · 42 min
Episode 60: When the Funding Dries Up
When a key state grant vanished, one Cape Cod town’s marine debris recycling program nearly sank. Mike Cicale, foreman of the Wellfleet transfer station and former MassRecycle Board member, joins Gretchen and Waneta to share how the town responded, navi
July 8 · 37 min
Episode 59: When Sustainability Meets Social Justice
The Boston University “Goodwill, Not Landfill” team faced a recurring challenge after student move‑out: thousands of pounds of good-quality bedding left behind that Goodwill couldn’t accept due to sanitary concerns. In response, Maria Gorret Nampiima, a
June 3 · 36 min
Episode 58: Litter, Legislation, and the Path to a Cleaner Commonwealth
Do you suffer from “Extreme Litter Awareness”? Neil Rhein does, and he has turned that constant noticing into a statewide mission. As the founder and executive director of Keep Massachusetts Beautiful (KMB), Neil joins Gretchen and Waneta to talk about t
May 27 · 31 min
Episode 57: The Changing Face of Recycling: Insights from Recycling Today’s Brian Taylor
Want a bird’s‑eye view of how far recycling has come in the last 30 years, and where it’s headed next? In this episode, Gretchen and Waneta chat with Brian Taylor, senior editor at Recycling Today Media Group. Brian shares how recycling trends have chang
March 31 · 29 min
Episode 56: Don’t Call It a Dump!: Inside a Modern Landfill
Source: Greater New Bedford Regional Refuse Management District In this episode, Gretchen and Waneta talk with Anthony Novelli, executive director of the Greater New Bedford Regional Refuse Management District, about what it takes to operate a modern lan
March 4 · 1 hr
Episode 55: Designing for Zero Waste: How Space Shapes Behavior
What if spaces were intentionally designed to optimize waste diversion and zero waste practices? In this episode, Gretchen and Waneta talk with Cory Page, landscape designer and alum of the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD). As a student at GSD, Co
February 4 · 38 min
Episode 54: The State of Plastics Recycling
Few recyclable materials generate as much skepticism as plastics. In this episode, Gretchen and Waneta welcome Steve Alexander, president and CEO of the Association of Plastics Recyclers (APR), to paint a clear picture of the current state of plastics re
Jul 7, 2025 · 37 min
Episode 53: Putting Our Best Foot Forward: Reducing the Environmental Impact of Shoes
Shoes are not just an item of clothing; they are our main form of transportation. In this episode, Gretchen and Waneta welcome Dr. Yuly Fuentes, Project Manager for Fiber Technologies at MIT and Program Director of the MIT Climate Project, to talk about
May 1, 2025 · 34 min
Episode 52: Cell Phones for Soldiers
In this episode, we spotlight Cell Phones for Soldiers, a nonprofit that’s been bridging the digital divide for over 20 years. With 10,000 devices collected monthly from unique sources like MBTA lost and founds, funeral homes, and municipalities, they gi
Mar 6, 2025 · 55 min
Episode 51: The Hidden Carbon Cost: How Our Stuff Fuels Climate Change—And What We Can Do About It
In this episode of the MassRecycle Podcast, Waneta and Gretchen are joined by MassRecycle Board member and former NEWMOA Executive Director Terri Goldberg and Dave Allaway a senior policy analyst in the Materials Management Program at the Oregon Departme
Dec 4, 2024 · 37 min
Episode 50: Disaster Debris Management
In this episode Waneta and Gretchen are joined by John Fischer, Deputy Division Director for Solid Waste Materials Management at MassDEP, and Delia Camacho, a Vice President at AshBritt. A disaster management plan is something every municipality needs,
Oct 16, 2024 · 35 min
Episode 49: An Insider’s View with Mary Ann Remolador
In this episode, Waneta and Gretchen sit down with Mary Ann Remolador, of the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), to discuss her decades of experience in waste reduction and recycling. Mary Ann shares her insights on the evolution of recycling programs a
Jul 24, 2024 · 26 min
Episode 48: Vaping Device Disposal
Waneta and Gretchen are joined by Jan Ameen, Executive Director of the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District to discuss her research into what to do with vape devices. Complicated regulatory issues surround the components of these devices, fro
May 1, 2024 · 38 min
Episode 47: Organics Diversion in K-12 Schools
Waneta and Gretchen are joined by Gail Sowerder Garron, Regional Planner for MassDEP, and Alison Beucler, Sanitation and Hazardous Material Program Manager for the City of Somerville, to discuss food waste diversion in K-12 schools. Food waste contribute
Mar 7, 2024 · 46 min
Episode 46: Contracting for Zero Waste
11/16/22 — Boston, Massachusetts Center for Computing & Data Sciences at sundown Nov 16.Photo by Cydney Scott for Boston University Photography   Waneta and Gretchen are joined by Sarah Healey, MassRecycle Board member and Zero Waste Manag
Feb 8, 2024 · 50 min
Episode 45: Why Can’t I Recycle This?
Waneta and Gretchen answer the perennial question “Why can’t I recycle this?”. Recycling is a commodity, and not only does it need to be collected and sorted, someone needs to want to buy it. To understand what is recyclable and what is not, it is impo
Jan 11, 2024 · 53 min
Episode 44: Recycling Programming in Multilingual Communities
Waneta and Gretchen are joined by Jessica Camarena, City of New Bedford Recycling Coordinator, and Rosanna Deldosario, City of Lawrence Recycling Coordinator, to discuss their work to make recycling more accessible to residents. Both of their positions e
Oct 4, 2023 · 34 min
Episode 43: Unveiling the Invisible: PFAS and Compost
Embark on a revealing journey as Gretchen, Waneta, and Andrew Brousseau of Black Earth Compost delve into PFAS. Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances, or PFAS, is a group of human-made chemicals found in countless everyday items that has permeated our dai

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