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Powering the science of sustainable resource management

Our world faces a growing challenge to address how people create, use, and discard the materials that make our lives. With more than 30 years of experience, EREF is the proven source for unbiased, scientific reports and analysis on sustainable materials management.

Advancing a sustainable economy

Instead of a linear economy—which moves raw materials through manufacturing, distribution, and consumption to create waste—we imagine a circular economy that keeps materials moving through reuse, repair, redistribution, and recycling to preserve natural resources and minimize climate-altering emissions.

How we advance circularity

Our impact is driven by our core research pillars

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GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

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EMERGING CONTAMINANTS

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ADVANCING MATERIALS REUSE & RECYCLING

active projects
scholars funded in 2025
funded in research & scholarships since 1992

Featured report

2025 Economic Data and Impact for the Waste and Recycling Industry

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Our Most Popular Resources

Guides & Reports

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Science Sessions

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Scholarships & Grants

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News

August 13, 2026

EREF Science Session to Explore Avoided Emissions in the Solid Waste Industry

RALEIGH, NC, August 13, 2026 – As organizations work to quantify and communicate their environmental impacts, avoided emissions have become an increasingly important topic in…

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June 16, 2026

EREF Auction Raises More Than $4 Million to Advance Waste and Recycling Research 

Industry support funds scholarships, scientific research, and industry education initiatives  RALEIGH, N.C. (June 16, 2026) – The Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF) raised over $4 million during…

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Events

2027 EREF Auction at WasteExpo

EREF is excited to announce that the 2027 EREF Charitable Auction will return to WasteExpo on Wednesday, May 5, 2027, at the Las Vegas Convention…

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2027 EREF Fall Classic & Networking Event

EREF is pleased to announce the return of the EREF Fall Classic & Networking Event, scheduled for September 8–9, 2027, in San Francisco, California. The…

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