By Chris Bragg
- Published on May 9, 2014 by Plastics News
New York City’s first-ever recycling czar, who made waves with high-profile and contentious initiatives during the Bloomberg administration, is leaving the de Blasio administration to run a $100 million recycling fund bankrolled by some of the world’s biggest companies.
Ron Gonen, the city’s deputy commissioner of sanitation, recycling, and sustainability, informed colleagues by email Friday that he was leaving to serve as co-founder and CEO of the Closed Loop Fund.
The new fund will provide zero-interest loans to municipalities that invest in recycling infrastructure and will also invest in private companies focused on waste reduction and recycling. The fund's founding investors include Walmart, Coca-Cola, Pepsico, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Keurig Green Mountain Coffee and Goldman Sachs. The businesses' decision to start the fund was sparked by stagnant recycling rates and corporate concern over supply shortages.
(Note - Ron Gonen will also be a keynote speaker at this year's Plasticity Forum on June 24th in NYC - www.plasticityforum.com)