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Glass Recycling Coalition awards gold certification to the Berlin, Connecticut facility.

By Heidi Storey | March 1, 2024

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Happy Holidays to all and a very fun filled New Year. How to make recycling simple and easy to understand for (circular economy reuse) holiday wrapping, packaging, and entertainment waste. All paper can be recycled EXCEPT if it has glitter, or imprinted with shiny metallic like materials, if it reflects light, do not recycle. Plastics with a neck and certainly nothing that is made up of multi-layers (laminates). All the ribbon, bows, plastic film, foam packaging go into the trash bin. Imagine standing over a picking line and the objective is to sort the most reusable and best quality materials. There are end markets for quality cardboard (OCC), mixed wastepaper (everything paper other than OCC, except the shiny metallic wrapping paper), Plastics #1, #2 and #5 (water bottles, detergent bottles, and yogurt cups) and all metal cans (food and beverage) should be recycled. Put items in the recycling cart separated and loose not in a bag or box and all items should be clean and dry. Recycle Paper gift wrap and envelopes that are plain (multi-color and images ok) and non-laminated: o No glitter. o No metal or shinny surfaces - if it can reflect light put it in the trash. o No laminates - multi-layered - most flexible food/candy packaging. Boxes: o Cardboard and paper boxes - ideally flattened out and remove the tape and Styrofoam peanuts and plastic air-pocket packing material. Bottles Plastic - look on the bottom of a bottle, if it shows the number: 1, 2 and 5 get recycled. o Rinsed and cleaned plastic with a neck - water, detergent, beverage (PET - #1 and HDPE - #2). o Plastic bottles without a neck - yogurt, cottage cheese not Keurig cups it has metal foil (polypropylene - PP - #5). Cans o Steel - food, soup, fruit, and vegetables. o Aluminum - beer, soda, specialty drinks. Bottles Glass: o Wine, champagne, beer. Trash Ribbons, bows, and decorations (Christmas lights, garland). Packing materials: o Bubble wrap, plastic films wrapped around a toy or gift, cellophane wrapping paper. o Foam - peanuts or Styrofoam. o Plastic air-filled packing materials. Plastic o Plastic bottles without a neck with non-plastic seals - Keurig cups. o All film - dry cleaner bags, grocery bags, cellophane wrapping paper, plastic wrapped presents. o Laminated plastics - food packaging any plastic that is clearly multi-layered is mixing too many chemistries to be recycled in a post-consumer system. o Forks, utensils, straws. Food waste - if you do not have home composting, it all goes into the trash.

Murphy Road Recycling’s All American MRF recently completed $40 million in upgrades that focused on improved worker safety and fiber recovery. | Courtesy of Van Dyk

USA Waste & Recycling bases its growth and culture on a foundation of respect for its employees, the community and the environment.

What Goes Around…

Berlin Solar Project completed providing 350,000 kWh of clean energy to All-American MRF single-stream recycling facility

Connecticut-based USA Hauling & Recycling has worked with Machinex Technologies to boost its automated C&D materials sorting capacity.

On a recent site visit in Waterbury, John Pizzimenti noticed a stack of American flags on Chris Follen’s desk. When he asked what they were for, Chris stated that they were all pulled off the tipping floor. Chris offered a little more insight into why they are pulled off the floor, and what it means to him personally to make sure they are properly disposed: When I was a teenager, I wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps- he was in the United States Marine Corp (1964-1969), so I joined an organization called Young Marines sponsored by the Marine Corp League. Most of the adults were retired or former Marines. This organization promotes all the qualities teenagers need to develop, including myself, and promote becoming disciplined, respectful, handle authority and physically fit while gaining a greater understanding of sacrifice. Putting others before themselves. They put those who want to be part of something bigger on the path to Parris Island. The Young Marines teaches self-discipline, a respect for others, and Parris Island makes Marines. I joined at the age of 14 until I was eligible to walk into a recruiting station. As a kid, my father would always tell me never let the flag touch the ground. I didn’t understand why at the time, I thought it was just out of respect for our great country and I didn’t want to get yelled at if he saw it dragging on our deck.  When the Marine Corp League office in White Plains, N.Y. started putting flag drop off containers at some post offices in Westchester, we painted them in U.S.M.C. scarlet and gold and marked them as such. When they were filled, the flags would be properly disposed of. Here is the proper protocol and procedure for flag disposal. I have found out that most V.F.W.’s and American Legion posts also have flag drop off bins.

USA Hauling Named One of Hartford Business Journal's Best Placed to Work in CT 2021

Frank Antonacci, chief operating officer at USA Hauling & Recycling, has been running his family business with the same core values his grandfather had at its founding. The Waste360 40 Under 40 recipient grew up in the waste industry, driving a 15-yard truck to small dump and construction jobs throughout high school and college….  Read the full article on Waste360.com

At the start of the pandemic, the Antonacci family started a fundraising campaign called Millions of Meals to contribute to local food banks and encourage organizations to do the same.

SPRINGFIELD — The Antonacci Family Foundation has donated $125,000 to launch the Millions of Meals food drive with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our photo contest! We had three winners who got very creative with their submissions. They won a dye cast model USA truck and a t-shirt!

From Sonny’s Place to Lindy Farms to Mullen Road, you may have noticed the shiny solar panels on the roofs or carports. They may be an easy thing to overlook or ignore but solar panels serve an important purpose for us and the environment.

I am sure many of you, given the nature of your employment, are seen as the resident recycling expert at any summer picnic, family gathering, or kids sports event. I know I am. More than ever “RECYCLING” is the subject of everyday conversation and concern, sparked by a deepening concern by the general public regarding the environment, along with the considerable shifts in recycling markets worldwide turning the recycling business model on its head! Headlines about recycling are everywhere, and my goal is to arm you with some real answers from our industry leader’s perspective regarding the present and future of recycling in our business and in our communities and dispel some commonly held, misleading ideas.

Komal Charania joined EREF in March 2017. She graduated with honors in May 2018 with a degree from North Carolina State University in Environmental Engineering. At EREF, she worked on the State of Practice of Landfill Leachate Management and Treatment in the U.S. project (see description below) within the Data and Policy program. This involved gathering available leachate quality and quantity data in order to get a better understanding of the state of leachate generation, treatment, and management in the United States. In February 2018, she attended GWMS with EREF and presented a poster on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in landfills.

USA has been awarded funding for 17 new CNG trucks from the State of Connecticut. Thank you to all our veterans; past, present and future, including some of our own employees!

Chicopee, MA – On Saturday, September 29th USA Hauling and Recycling and MGM Springfield teamed up to take part in the annual Source to Sea Cleanup of the Connecticut River. This cleanup is hosted by the Connecticut River Conservancy and brings together thousands of volunteers across New England for local cleanups. This year, USA and MGM brought a group of approximately 40 volunteers to Chicopee, including the varsity and junior varsity women’s field hockey teams from Minnechaug Regional High School, to clean up the area of Tourtelotte Avenue in Chicopee. MGM Springfield employees representing Finance, Warehouse, Front Desk, Front Services, Mlife Desk and Guest Experience participated.

On Saturday June 9th, the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut (MTAC) hosted its annual Truck Driving Championships at the FedEx Freight Facility in Windsor Locks. USA Hauling & Recycling proudly sent Shaun Bryant (East Windsor) to represent our company this year!

The second annual CFR (CrossFit Revelation) Charity Row will be held Saturday, June 16 at Sonny’s Place in Somers, CT from 9am-12pm. Last year our charity was the MS Society and we were able to donate $12,000! ​CrossFit Revelation has selected Wade’s Army as the charity to row for. Wade’s Army was founded by the Welbourn and DeBruin families to recruit others to use their power for good and bring the fight to pediatric cancer. They are a non-profit bringing the fight against neuroblastoma and remembering Wade DeBruin’s battle with this deadly pediatric cancer. No one at any age deserves to get cancer, but when a cancer targets toddlers, it turns our world inside out. Take a closer look at www.wadesarmy.org.

USA Waste and Recycling would like to thank the Belchertown Little League for giving us the opportunity to help out with their waste and recycling needs!!!

We are attending the 50th annual Waste360’s WasteExpo in Las Vegas this week, running from April 23-26. The event will include 13,000+ people in attendance celebrating innovation, education and networking within the industry. If you’re going to be in attendance, make sure to check out the National Waste & Recycling Association Woman’s Council’s Carts on Display, where we entered our cart, titled “Soaring With Community.”

SPRINGFIELD – Calling it a Christmas miracle might be a stretch. Luck didn’t bring Katrina King and her father, Rick, to the Civic Center parking garage in late December.

USA Hauling & Recycling has a deep commitment to the wellness of our employees. In addition to providing great health insurance benefits, we have a wellness committee, a safety team, and a commitment to technology that is for the benefit of each and every employee.

For the third consecutive year, we are proud to donate $10,000 to the Stowe Family Resource Center. The donation will fund the Learning through Play Group for the 2016-17 school year. Amy Morales, Family Resource Center Coordinator, said, “Our Learning through Play Groups are a wonderful setting for young children and families to come together to learn and grow.”

Are you one to be ahead of the game, or follow what others are doing?

ENFIELD — More than 100 people — including local families, town officials, and donors — attended the grand opening of the Stowe Early Learning Center Wednesday night.

The Connecticut River Watershed Council’s (CRWC) 20th Annual Source To Sea Cleanup was held this past Friday and Saturday, September 23-24.

To be the best you must first have a clear understanding of what customer service is; as it is such a diverse area. Most people think customer service is a department that treats customers with a friendly attitude and tries to resolve their problem or question as efficiently as possible.

USA Hauling & Recycling participated with 4 trucks in Connecticut Make A Wish’s 17th Annual Wishes On Wheels Convoy on Sunday, September 11.

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. – Clean Energy Fuels Corp., (NASDAQ: CLNE) announced that it has been awarded a multi-year contract for Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA), which provides transit services to more than 4 million people across the National Capital Region.

The greatest joy and reward resulting from my job responsibilities is re-purposing construction and demolition debris. These materials were formerly land-filled. Now, our company recovers material from these waste streams and provides a wide variety of products. Approximately 153,000 tons of material was recovered in 2014 & 2015.

Somers Library hosted a Vehicle Day on June 29, 2016 as part of their summer reading program. USA Hauling & Recycling brought a rear load waste truck to go along with a fire truck, an ambulance, a plow truck, a school bus, an ice cream truck and more that were brought from other local companies and departments. The event gave kids and their families a chance to see the vehicles and meet with the drivers, as well as sit in the vehicles.

USA Hauling & Recycling presented a recycling demonstration on recycling and the importance of it to our community with one of their split body trucks at St. Francis School in Torrington, CT on Friday, May 20. Students and teachers sat in the truck and got to have their picture taken. Kids from the school were also able to load recyclables that they had been saving into bins that were collected by the truck so they could see it in action. Afterwards, Jim Rockwell and Glen Dietlin, of USA Hauling & Recycling, handed out educational recycling coloring books and stickers to all the students. The event was a great success and was a fun and educational event for everyone involved.

USA Hauling & Recycling has been named a finalist for the DEEP and Hartford Business Journal’s Green Circle Sustainability Awards. The finalists include an elite group of Connecticut businesses, government entities, individuals/groups, schools and universities who are doing their part to ensure that the business they conduct is environmentally responsible and sustainable.

USA Hauling & Recycling participated and was a gold sponsor at the 47th Annual North Central Chamber of Commerce (NCCC) Home & Product Show CT, held on March 12 and 13th. The event took place at 69 Prospect Hill Road, East Windsor, Connecticut in the former Walmart location and saw “the most participants in 20 years,” according to Gary Cote, Show Chairman of the NCCC. USA Hauling & Recycling has been a partner of the NCCC since 1974.

On February 25, 2016, The Business Council of Fairfield County, through its Wellness Roundtable, identified 49 Connecticut employers who are doing something special to promote a healthy workplace and assist all employees to live healthier lives.

USA Hauling & Recycling recently participated in a food and toy drive in Enfield and East Windsor, Connecticut. The toys will be distributed to the local police departments to supply their toy banks. Dozens and dozens of donated food and toys were collected this year, in USA Hauling & Recycling’s 16th year supporting the drive. Employees and their family and friends from all of USA Hauling & Recycling’s locations participated in the yearly event.

The 5th Annual Misfit Toys Throwdown was held on Saturday, December 5, 2015 at CrossFit Revelation in Enfield, CT.

Improving the health of our employees and their families has been our focus for some time. In 2014 we established a Wellness Committee to take that focus to a higher level. This effort began in March of 2015 with a “Know Your Numbers” biometrics event that was held at several company locations. From this event, we were able to determine the top factors that were negatively impacting our employee-family quality of life.

A team of volunteers from USA Hauling & Recycling participated in the 19th annual Source To Sea Cleanup on Saturday, September 26th, 2015.

USA Hauling & Recycling held a healthy company picnic on Wednesday, August 5th in East Windsor, Connecticut. The picnic was part of their Healthier Futures initiative, which promotes living healthy lifestyles.

The Manchester Road Race is making $100,180 in donations to 19 charitable and non-profit organizations from the proceeds of last year’s Thanksgiving Day run.

The 2015 Connecticut Tour de Cure was held on June 14, 2015 at the Durham Fairgrounds. The event raised over $175,000 for the American Diabetes Association, which funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes and delivers services and information to hundreds of communities. 316 riders made up the 42 teams that road the 6, 17, 31, 64 and 100 mile courses. USA Hauling & Recycling was a sponsor for the event.

USA Hauling & Recycling participated in the first annual Vehicle Day at Mile Tree School in Wilbraham, MA on June 11, 2015 along with over 20 other vehicles including “cars, trucks, tractors, fire engines, police cruisers and construction vehicles.”

USA Hauling & Recycling and All American Waste were the proud major sponsors of the South Windsor Rotary Club Golf Tournament, which was held to benefit the South Windsor Veteran’s Memorial Wall.