Has China killed recycling? Are my efforts still worth it?

Recyclables piling up in warehouses on the West Coast. Container ships of materials suspended mid-journey across the Pacific Ocean. Do China’s increasingly stringent environmental standards spell the death of U.S. recycling?

At our July meeting, we’ll get good answers to these big messy questions from iSpring Associates’ Samantha Wittchen. In today’s economically uncertain recycling climate, Sam will break down for us what is actually happening to all the stuff you wash, sort and send for recycling, how we got here, and whether recycling is still worth it. A LEED GA with a mechanical engineering degree, Sam has worked as a consultant to the City of Philadelphia’s Recycling Office for the last five years on commercial recycling outreach and strategy.

We hope you’ll join us for this important talk, involving global perspective and local action. All are invited. Our meetings are free and open to the public. The meeting is Tuesday, July 31, at 7:00 at TEKPark (9999 Hamilton Boulevard, Breinigsville, PA 18031, between Kutztown and Allentown). After the meeting, please plan to stick around and chat with friends old and new. Light snacks will be served. Hope to see you there!

Samantha Wittchen is Principal and co-founder of iSpring Associates, with the stated mission, “to help organizations understand the value of sustainable behavior and develop ways to embed that behavior in their organizational DNA.” Sam’s work with manufacturing, municipal, and institutional clients has spanned energy efficiency, water efficiency, waste reduction and diversion, carbon footprint measurement, sustainability outreach, evaluation and benchmarking.

Sam has written for Philadelphia-based Grid Magazine, Green Building and Design magazine and online publication Keystone Edge on myriad sustainability-related topics. She has lectured at the University of Pennsylvania, has presented talks on recycling in Philadelphia, and has facilitated sustainability workshops and retreats throughout the Eastern PA region.

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