HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/08/1990 - Solid Waste Abatement Commission cA
AGENDA
SOLID WASTE ABATEMENT COMMISSION
EAGAN, MINNESOTA
EAGAN MUNICIPAL CENTER CONFERENCE ROOMS A & B
TUESDAY, MAY 8, 1990
11:30 A.M.
I. ROLL CALL AND ADOPTION OF AGENDA
II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
III. STAFF REPORT
A. Earth Day /Week Events Report
B. Budget /Expenditures Report Clarifications
IV. OLD BUSINESS
A. Commission Goals 1990
V. NEW BUSINESS
A. Dakota County Financial Director, Richard
Johnson. - Discussion, Proposed Tax for Solid
Waste Enterprise Fund.
VI. OTHER BUSINESS
VII. DISTRIBUTION
VIII. NEXT MEETING
IX. ADJOURNMENT
MEMO TO: CHAIRS MANN AND HOEL AND ALL MEMBERS OF THE SOLID WASTE
ABATEMENT COMMISSION
FROM: RECYCLING COORDINATOR HAGEMAN
DATE: MAY 2, 1990
SUBJECT: EAGAN SOLID WASTE ABATEMENT COMMISSION MEETING OF
MAY 8, 1990
A regular meeting of the Eagan Solid Waste Abatement Commission
will be held on Tuesday, May 8, 1990 at 11:30 a.m. in the Eagan
Municipal Center Conference Rooms A and B. The City will provide
a box lunch to Commission Members requesting one by noon, Monday,
May 7. Please contact Kris Hageman or Jane Helebrant at 454 -8100
to indicate whether you will attend and your luncheon preference.
I. ROLL CALL AND ADOPTION OF AGENDA
The agenda, as presented or modified, requires adoption by the
Commission.
II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A copy of the minutes of the Solid Waste Abatement Commission
meeting of April 10, 1990 is enclosed on pages ! through
for your review. These minutes, subject to any change,
require approval by the Commission.
III. STAFF REPORT
A. Earth Day/Week Events Report
1. The Parks and Rec. Department and myself were still receiving
phone reservations for the Earth Day Walk up until Friday, April
20th. We had over 70 walk -ons Sunday afternoon to participate in
the event. With the beautiful weather our group reached close to
200. Dakota County Commissioner Don Chapdelaine, Council Member
Ted Wachter and City Administrator Tom Hedges also participated
in the Celebration.
2. The table set up at the Minnesota Zoo (Saturday, April 21st)
was completely wiped out of materials by Tuesday. The "Can Bin"
in the demonstration set out was overflowing with cans.
Materials which were left over from Earth Day were set out at the
Zoo and made a big hit for the remaining days of the display.
3. The weather did not cooperate with the Community Clean Up day
again this year. With the cold and rainy weather, only about 60
of the 110 people checked in Saturday (April 28th) morning. The
majority of the groups worked in the parks and subsequently did
not collect a large amount of waste. Individuals were instructed
to collect recyclable material separately and by doing so just
about filled a 90 K -cart with cans. A small amount of glass was
also collected.
We had an over abundance of food which was all donated, and
there were also other items and services donated that helped the
day's activities run very smoothly. The contributors to this
year's Clean Up Day included: The Eagan Lions Club and Simek's
Meat, TCBY Yogurt, Coca -Cola, Caldwell Banker, Country Club
Markets, and Knutson Services, Inc.
4. About ten people turned out for the Backyard Composting
Demonstration on Sunday, April 29.
B. Budget /Expenditures Report Clarification
1. Commercial /Industrial Activities
1989 Budget 1989 Expenditures Remaining
$10,000 $ 974.55 $9,025.45
1990 Budget 1990 Expenditures Remaining
$ 5,000 $4,025.45
2. Capital Costs
1989 -1991 Allocation $320,000
I
1989 Budget _9O Expenditures Remaining
$150,000 $162,328
+ Transfer to Res.Op
$ 23.000
$185,328 $134,672
IV. OLD BUSINESS
A. Commission Goals 1990
Please review the minutes from our meeting of April 10, 1990. In
these minutes I have tried to organize our original ideas
concerning program objectives for 1990 and beyond. We need to
continue our discussion and work on prioritizing the items. Many
of the elements will overlap but we should try to organize the
list and talk about strategies for implementation.
We may also want to look at proposing ideas to concentrate on or
a "focus" for each meeting, i.e. yard wastes, plastics recycling,
2-
hazardous wastes, etc. We can then have a general focus to our
discussion for the meeting time but also carry on with general
business need too.
V. NEW BUSINESS
I have asked Dakota County Financial Director, Richard Johnson,
to attend our meeting and give an overview of the proposed tax
charged to Dakota County residents to generate revenue for the
Solid Waste Enterprise Fund. In order for the Commission to
follow through with its original wishes we need to be fully
informed on the issue and hopefully by including Mr. Johnson in
our meeting, we can discuss the issue from many perspectives.
VI. OTHER BUSINESS
VII. DISTRIBUTION
Enclosed in your packet you will find the following:
1. Spring_, 1990 Dakota County "Update" newsletter on pages
to /' .
2. BioCycle article March, 1990. Nationwide Survey:
"Recycling /Composting -The State of Garbage in America ". on
pages J (' to Z-J .
3. BioCycle article April, 1990. Part II. Nationwide Survey:
"Legislation -The State of Garbage in America ". on pages
2 to ZI .
VIII. NEXT MEETING
IX. ADJOURNMENT
� A —COG\
t O ti INSIDE
Reduce-Reuse-Recycle Handling Yard
sa�;� Waste
Earth Week
Volume 3, Number 2 Spring 1990
County recycles 2 1/2 times goal in 1989
Dakota County residents have responded enthu- R E S I D E N T I A L
siastically to the opportunity to recycle. R E C Y C L I N G
Materials collected in residential recycling pro-
grams totalled nearly two and a half times the 1989
goal. The County was aiming for 11,000 tons of re-
cyclables such as beverage cans, glass, newspa- 27,207
pers and yard waste. A total of 27,000 tons were Tons
i 11d pu all nxyclables
actually collected. 25000
end prdwatst
This 1989 total is the latest indication of success for 20000
the County's Recycling Implementation Strategy, 15000
which received a 1989 Achievement Award from 11074
the National Association of Counties. 10000 7465
clip
5000
The curbside recycling g Program began in all Da-
kota County cities and townships in April 1989, 0
, rhich means the 1989 result was achieved with 1988 ACTUAL 1989 GOAL 1989 ACTUAL
only nine months of curbside collection.
In an opinion survey conducted for the county cling programs. Staff is developing an overall strat-
recently, 80 percent of residents surveyed said they egy to implement commercial recycling, and is
recycle at least weekly or biweekly. Ninety -seven working with Anoka County to develop a directory
percent of those surveyed felt that increasing recy- for commercial recycling.
cling in commercial and multi- family buildings
was at least a somewhat important goal for the Collection of recyclables is already available in
County in 1990. many multi - family buildings in the county. To re-
ceive 1990 funding, communities are required to
The County is providing technical assistance to extend curbside recycling service to multi- family
residents or businesses who want to establish recy- buildings.
Recycling is good business
Waste disposal costs are rising dramatically. Im-
UPDATE is published by Dakota plementing a recycling program may decrease
County, to serve the purpose of in- your disposal costs for your business while conserv-
forming interested parties of the ing natural resources and enhancing your corpo-
County's progress with its resource re- rate image.
covery and landfill abatement ef-
forts. For more information, contact The most common materials recycled by bust-
the Department of Planning and Pro- nesses are office paper, corrugated cardboard,
gram Management; 7300 West 147th glass bottles, cans, newsprint, and scrap metal. It is
Street; Suite 503; Apple Valley, MN estimated that between 35 and 75 percent of waste
55124; (612) 431 - 1158. in offices is paper. Dakota County offices alone re-
cycle 7 to 8 tons of paper a month, along with other
materials.
continued page 7
• Printed on Recycled Paper •
Yard waste doesn't have to be a problem
Cleaning up the yard in February? In Minnesota? conserves moisture). There is a danger that grass, if l
applied too thickly, will mat down when it is moist,
As improbable as this sounds, people were rak- become moldy, and cause odors. Grass should be
fng their lawns in light jackets in February. The applied in a thin layer so it will dry quickly; after
stage is set for outlining alternatives available to one layer is dry, additional layers can be applied
people when they clean their yards this spring. and allowed to dry. Leaves are good mulch and
can be used whole or after they have been re-
In Dakota County, since August I , 1989, it has duced in size with a lawn mower or a small chip -
been illegal for any person to dispose of yard per.
waste:
• Yard and garden wastes, even small
(1) in mixed municipal solid waste (garbage); softwood cuttings, can be managed with back -
(2) in a disposal facility (landfill); or yard composting. A person wishing to do back-
yard composting should consider the kinds of ma-
(3) in a resource recovery facility except for the terial being used, the amount of areas available for
purposes of composting or co- composting. composting, and the neighbors. There are con-
cerns surrounding almost all compost operations,
It also has been illegal for haulers to knowingly large and small, including odors and rodents. If
collect any garbage which contains yard waste. managed correctly, compost operations do not
This does not mean that haulers cannot collect have these problems. For backyard composting,
yard waste; but they must collect it separately from there is a wide range of management techniques
garbage. which can be used; all of them will avoid the prob-
lems of odors and rodents.
State legislation placed a similar disposal ban,
effective Jan. 1, 1990, on yard waste throughout the The University of Minnesota Extension, Dakota
metropolitan area. The statute defines yard waste County, and the Dakota County Planning and Pro -
as "garden wastes, leaves, lawn cuttings, weeds, gram Management Department, have information
and prunings." Prunings which Dakota County will on the use of yard waste for mulching and corn -
accept at its facilities include cuttings up to 4 inches posting. You can contact them at 431 -1158 or 463 -
in diameter. 3302 for this information.
There are several alternatives to disposing of yard • Residents, businesses and lawn service com-
waste by throwing it in the landfill. The most cost ponies can take yard waste, including prunings
effective alternatives are those that reduce the up to 4 inches in diameter, to a yard waste com-
amount of yard waste disposed; this should be the post facility. There are several facilities in Dakota
first prionty. The second priority should be to man- County; the material taken and the fees charged
age yard wastes to produce useful products. vary. Dakota County facilities will operate this year
in the cities of Lakeville, Eagan, and South St. Paul.
Here are four alternatives: There are city -operated sites in Burnsville and Hast-
ings. Private compost facilities are operated by the
• Grass cuttings left on the lawn can be benefi- Pine Bend Landfill in Inver Grove Heights, and by
cial, if done properly. Grass should be cut at a Empire Organic Gardens in Rosemount. Specific in-
height of two inches or higher; the lawn should not formation can be obtained by calling 438 -INFO
be wet when it is mowed. The amount of grass cut (4636).
should be 1 inch or less. Grass cuttings blown
evenly over the lawn should sift downward through • Residents and businesses can set their yard
the growing grass to the soil and decompose. Avoid waste out for their garbage hauler to collect. Yard
leaving the grass so that the cuttings lay on top of waste cannot be mixed with solid waste, nor col -
the growing grass. lected with mixed waste. However, most haulers do
make separate collections, and deliver the yard
If grass gets too long between cuttings, it should waste to a yard waste compost facility. Materials
be collected and managed differently. which can be collected by the haulers include
yard and garden wastes, and prunings up to 4
• Grass and leaves are good materials to use inches in diameter. Call your hauler for information
as mulch (mulch keeps weeds from growing and on specific collection programs.
t
Yardwaste Compost Facilities
For facilities affiliated with Dakota County the fee schedule is:
Commercial Individual residents Individual residents
users Until June 1, 1990 After June 1, 1990
. Bagged $5.50 / cu.yd. $.50/bag $.50/bag
Debagged 3.75 / cu.yd. 0 .15/bag or $1.00 / cu.yd.
Prunings 3.00 /cu.yd. 0 $2.00 / cu.yd.
Hours for the County sites:
Monday 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Tuesday - Friday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Yard waste can be managed as a resource, Increased landfill life because yard waste is not
whether in your backyard or at a compost facility. taking up space in the landfills. Contrary to popu-
Three results of managing yard waste correctly are: lar belief, yard waste does not decompose quickly
in a landfill.
Better soil conditions because of the added hu-
mus; Each person in the county can recycle yard waste
and be part of the solution.
Reduced costs that normally would be paid to
dispose of yard waste; and
/ \
/ ri_9 \
IN O \
Q /
BRIEF
\, ��'
• An Open House at the Recyclables Collection
\ J Center, Burnsville, will take place from 9 a.m. to
1 p.m. April 28. The event will include displays,
Earth Week videos, drawings for movie tickets, and a bonus
for bringing in recyclable materials for redemp-
• The County Board proclaimed April 22 - 28 as lion. Demonstrations on backyard composting
Earth Week in Dakota County. and lawn management will be given at 9:30
a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
• An appreciation breakfast April 25 will recognize
those who had a part in making Dakota County • Residents can pick up as much as one -half yard
recycling programs a success. Mike Robertson, (two 30 -gallon bins) of free finished compost at
director of the stale Office of Waste Management, Dakota County's yardwaste sites during Earth
will speak. Week. continued page 4
fC)
IN BRIEF
Yardwaste Plastics
• The County's yardwaste compost sites opened in • Six drop -off sites in the county now accept plas-
Lakeville and Eagan on April 2. The Eagan site is tics. Several haulers axe collecting plastic bever-
new this year and is a transfer site for landscape age containers curbside, and others have ex-
and lawn service companies and individual res- pressed interest in doing so. The County is
idents only. Haulers cannot take material there. evaluating options to accept and process bever-
The site is on Wescott Road next to the Eagan City age containers from haulers at the Recyclables
Hall. Both sites accept leaves, grass, clippings, Collection Center in Burnsville.
and prunings from Dakota County residents only.
• Plans are underway for a compost site in South St. Resource Recovery
Paul which will accept yardwaste from haulers, • The County Board of Commissioners amended
landscape and lawn service companies and the solid waste ordinance April 10 to designate
residents. It is expected to open in the next few solid waste generated in the county. This com-
weeks letes a process begun p gun a year ago that requires
Household batteries that waste in the county go to the proposed Re-
source Recovery Facility.
• Pilot curbside collection programs of household • The commissioners also authorized the signing of
batteries began last fall in Rosemount and Far- contracts negotiated with 35 waste haulers,
mington and this spring in Hastings. Dakota meaning that most of the waste in Dakota
County residents may also drop off household County will be handled under contract and not
batteries al the Recyclables Collection Center in the designation ordinance. The contract was de-
Burnsville. Through March 1, 1194 pounds of veloped with the assistance of interested waste
household batteries were collected (approxi- haulers and provided certain benefits to those
mately 300 button batteries and 10,000 other signing the contract, including a lower tipping
ms fee. The County projects that enforcement of the
designation ordinance could be a significant
In -house Recycling cost, and this cost should not be paid by waste
haulers who have a contract.
• Participation and materials collected in the
County's in -house recycling program continue to • The proposed Final Environmental Impact State -
grow. A special collection of telephone books ment for Dakota County's Resource Recovery Fa-
was conducted early in April. cility is expected to be released at the end of
Household Hazardous Waste April. The Metropolitan Council is expected to
determine the adequacy of the document in late
May.
• Three one-day collections of household hazard-
ous waste will be organized and sponsored by • Combustion Engineering, Inc. (C E) is now a
the County in 1990. In June, collections will take wholly owned subsidiary of Asea Brown Boveri,
place in Rosemount and Apple Valley/Burnsville. Inc. (ABB), and part of ABB's worldwide group of
The third collection is planned for Inver Grove companies. Effective immediately, C -E's Re-
Heights in September. source Recovery Systems ystems division will be identi-
fied as ABB Resource Recovery Systems. The
• Dakota County is developing a plan for an inte- company has a contract with Dakota County to
grated system of household hazardous waste build a waste -to- energy facility. The acquisition
management in the County that may include a of C -E by ABB strengthens and expands the corn -
permanent drop -off facility, a Reuse - Recycling
Center for usable paint and other household haz- Pty s products and services.
ardous products, regular drop -off sites, and ex-
tensive public education.
AG -FS -3899 MINNESOTA EXTENSION SERVICE
1990 UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
AGRICULTURE
Backyard Composting
Deborah Brown and Carl Rosen
New laws that limit dumping leaves and Mulching: A Guide to Managing Organic
clippings into public landfills have reawak- Yard Wastes, AG -FO -3296, for sale at
ened public interest in composting. your local County Extension Office, or from
Composting is a process that allows the University of Minnesota's Extension
naturally occurring microbes to convert yard Service Distribution Center, 3 Coffey Hall,
waste, such as leaves and grass clippings, 1420 Eckles Ave., University of Minnesota,
to a useful organic soil amendment or St. Paul, MN 55108.
mulch. Gardeners have used compost for
centuries to improve the physical condition * Locating Your Compost Pile. Locate
of soil and to add some of the nutrients your compost pile close to where it will be
needed for plant growth. Incorporating used so it won't interfere with activities in
compost into Tight, sandy soil helps it hold the yard or offend neighbors. The pile will
both moisture and nutrients, while adding it work best where it is somewhat protected
to heavy soil improves drainage. from drying winds, yet receives partial
To produce compost efficiently from yard sunlight to help heat it.
waste several conditions must be met. The
micro - organisms responsible for decompo- * What Can be Composted? Many or-
sition need oxygen, water, and nitrogen. ganic materials can be composted besides
Particle size also affects efficiency. The grass and leaves: non -woody shrub trim -
smaller the plant pieces, the more rapidly mings or twigs Tess than 1/4 inch in diame-
they will break down. Use a shredder or ter, faded flowers, weeds, left-over plants
power mower to chop up leaves and small at the end of the gardening season, lake
twigs before adding them to the pile. plants, straw, coffee grounds, eggshells,
fruit and vegetable scraps, shredded
• Composting Structures. To save space, newspaper (black and white print), small
keep your yard looking neat, and speed amounts of wood ash, and sawdust. Saw -
composting time, plan to contain your com- dust requires the addition of extra nitrogen;
post in some type of structure. Typical wood ash raises compost alkalinity and
dimensions of a compost pile are 5' x 5' x 5'. may result in nitrogen loss from the pile.
Simple bin type structures can be built from There should be little need to compost
woven wire fencing and metal posts. More grass, since clippings may be safely left on
permanent and elaborate structures can be the lawn if you mow regularly and remove
made from rot - resistant wood, wire, and only 1/3 of the blade length each time. If
metal posts. you do compost grass, mix it with other
For a more detailed discussion of com- yard waste. Grass clippings, alone, pack
posting yard wastes, see Composting and down and restrict air flow which limits the
12—
availability of oxygen that is needed for lead to Toss of nitrogen from the compost
decomposition. pile.
Some things should NOT be com-
posted. Pet feces can transmit diseases. • Maintaining Your Compost Pile. An
Meat, bones, grease, whole eggs, and active compost pile will heat to somewhere
dairy products attract rodents and other between 130 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
animals. Badly diseased or insect - infested As the center cools, turn the pile to help
plants and weeds that are loaded with seed speed decomposition and minimize any
may not heat up enough to be rendered objectionable odors. You will need to do
harmless. this once or twice a month. Continue to
water your compost pile periodically to keep
* Preparing Your Compost Pile. Build it moist but not soggy. You can add a little
your compost pile in layers. Begin with fresh material when you turn the pile, but
eight to ten inches of leaves, grass, or plant generally, you're better off beginning a new
trimmings. Water it to the point of being pile.
moist, but not soggy. Then add a nitrogen A well - managed compost pile will be
source, such as ammonium nitrate, ammo- ready in two to four months in the warm
nium sulfate, or an inexpensive high nitro- season, whereas an untended pile will take
gen lawn fertilizer without herbicide. a year or more to decompose. When com-
Sprinkle the pile with 1/3 to 1/2 cup of pleted, your compost pile will be about half
fertilizer per 25 square feet of surface area its original height, and will have a pleasant,
(a 5' x 5' bin). If you live in a rural area and earthy smell.
have access to livestock manure, you can
use a two inch layer of manure as your
nitrogen source.
You may choose to add a one inch layer
of soil or completed compost over the
nitrogen to increase the number of decom- There are many structures for composting; no one
posing microbes in the pile. However, most structure is best For a more thorough description of
different structures, refer to The Complete Book of
leaves and plant scraps have enough Composting by J.I. Rodale, Rodale Books, Inc. It should
micro - organisms to get the job done with - be available at many public libraries.
out the addition of soil or compost.
Repeat these layers until the pile
reaches a height of five feet, watering each
time you add new layers. Deborah Brown is an extension horticulturist- - environ-
mental horticulture. Carl Rosen is an extension soil
* Liming. It is normally not necessary to scientist—fertility.
add lime to your compost pile to improve
the breakdown of most yard wastes. Fin-
ished compost is usually slightly alkaline; if
Issued in furtherance of
cooperative extension work in agricul-
- you add lime during the decomposition cur and home economics, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in
process, it will probably be too alkaline cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Patrick J.
when completed. If your pile contains large Borich, Dean and Director of Minnesota Extension Service,
University of Minnesota, St..Paul, Minnesota 55108. The Uni-
amounts of acidic materials such as pine versity of Minnesota, including the Minnesota Extension Serv-
needles or fruit wastes, you might add lime, ice, is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal
but no more than one cup per 25 cubic feet access to its programs, facilities, and employment without reg ard
to race religion, color, , national origin, handicap, age,
of material. Excessive lime application can tacos, ar sexual ai;
f 3
Master Gardener is king of the heap
by Barbara Stendahl An active compost heap can reach temperatures
of 130 to 160 degrees at the center. When the mate -
Minnesota's new laws that prohibit the dumping rial has decomposed, Mark is left with only about
of yard waste in lanc fitk have reawakened public one -third of the original volume. There is no odor
interest in the age -old practice of composting. from a properly managed heap.
Composting is the microbial process of converting Mark's advice for those interested in beginning a
plant materials (yard waste) to a useful organic soil compost area is twofold: keep it simple and keep it
amendment or mulch. One Dakota County Master convenient. A five quart pail placed just outside the
Gardener, Mark Cebuhar, excels in this area. kitchen door can be used to collect fruit and vege-
table peelings and egg shells. (Meat and fat are
In his suburban yard, Mark has fine -tuned the art never included because they tend to draw ro-
of composting. He layers wood chips and yard dents.) When full, this pail can be dumped into a
waste three inches deep, followed by a one inch five gallon bucket, then the contents are covered
layer of manure. with a layer of soil and the layers repeated. Eventu-
ally, compost is the finished product.
This layering process is repeated over and over
again until, at times, the pile has grown to heights Mark says that composting is an excellent hobby.
of eight feet or more. Water, an essential element of
composting, is added liberally and Mark also uses It is non - destructive and good for the environ-
his garden tiller to mix the materials. ment. It provides soil tilth, can be used as a mulch,
saves space in landfills and saves money.
Mark was raised in a military family that gar-
r - : ,..--x_. -
dened at each new location. He began compost-
rip_ - ': ° � z ` ing at age seven. Now a pilot for an intemational
1 ■ F air carrier, he has continued learning and teach -
�` ' - L � i ing about composting as a Dakota County Master
_7./7 r . ' -- _ t i ' Gardener.
•_ r� -Ifs - ,. _ wv:'
. . r _ � , � - r- ' . - -- i - � K - vv77ff - ` He says he receives a great deal of self- satisfac-
- f,c- - ..1,43•:T. '-- �: , ti -,,
-: 3 }. ; •_ �--- - � lion from his composting and encourages begin -
- :.:., I-- :w I.._ '; r'! --`` v=` - -
=- - ners to try it Mark Cebuhar says composting is just
1 1- -/-: - ? _ �-' "P / , ��- 1 - -'- -- �►'- - doing what Mother Nature was going to do any -
=4 - �' 2r - - -. ;, way.
44 � 1 1 - Demonstrations on backyard composting and
- _ ----+ .'..�';- -:' - -1."..- . _ - . := lawn care will be given at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30
Mark Cebuhar makes backyard composting a p.m. April 28, during the Open House at the Dakota
family project. County Recyclables Collection Center.
Recycling is good business continued from page
The basic steps to designing a recycling program The three basic collection methods are:
are
1. Having your current garbage hauler also
1. Designating a recycling coordinator. collect the recyclables; or
2. Analyzing what recyclables are currently in 2. Contracting with a recycling company to
your waste. pick up your recyclables; or
3. Determining the best collection method. 3. Delivering the materials yourself to a recy-
4. Developing a storage system.
cling center or market.
5. Publicizing the program! For more detailed information, contact Recycling
Specialist Gayle Prest of the Dakota County Recy-
cling Program at 431-1158.
'4
EIS confirms safety of, need for resource recovery plant
The evaluation of environmental and health risks Harris said the health risk review shows a range of
related to the planned Dakota County Resource Re- possible impacts well below those considered safe
covery Facility confirm that the facility will be safe. by federal and state environmental protection
agencies. "The factors used to estimate possible ex-
Dakota County is proposing to build an 800- ton - posure were very conservative," he said. "Even the
per -day plant that will bum trash to make electric- worst -case scenario shows a risk for exposure to pol-
ity. The plant is one part of the county's integrated lutants that is ten times below the guidelines set by
approach to handling solid waste. The county has the Minnesota Department of Health."
become a state leader in recycling, and has been
recognized nationally for its aggressive recycling Those guidelines call for no more than 10
program. chances in one million, while the EIS estimates a
risk of less than 1 in one million for an individual
The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is be- living near the plant. "The Dakota County facility
ing prepared by the Metropolitan Council. A draft will operate well below the levels analyzed in the
version was released in late January for public re- EIS, further reducing the anticipated risk," Harris ex-
view and comment. planned.
Joseph A. Harris, chairman of the County Board The alternatives reviewed in the EIS indicate that
of Commissioners, said the EIS presents a compre- the County should not change its balanced use of
hensive review of the project. "This may well be the waste reduction, yard waste composting, recy-
most extensive evaluation of a project of this type cling, resource recovery and limited disposal of res-
ever done in the state," he said. "Not only does it idues in landfills. "The County's plan to recycle 35
provide a thorough assessment of the impact of the percent of the waste is reasonable and achieva-
project, but it identifies the serious consequences ble," Harris said. "Even with the aggressive recy-
that will occur if the county does not fully imple- cling program in place, there will still be a large
ment its solid waste plan." amount of waste requiring the kind of sale disposal
offered by the resource recovery facility."
The Draft EIS describes the Dakota County Re-
source Recovery Project, discusses alternatives, and
evaluates environmental, socio - economic, land
use, and solid waste system impacts.
Dakota County Department of
Planning and Program Management
7300 West 147th Street: Suite 503
Apple Valley, MN 55124
4 pS
Reduce-Reuse-Recycle
M0 • Printed on Recycled Paper •
NATIONWIDE SURVEY: RECYCLING /COMPOSTING
, THE STATE OF GARBAGE
IN AMERICA
VER HEAR the expression and regulate recycling facilities, yard waste
"Moving like a herd of turtles ?" and MSW composting projects.
A look at how Throughout most of the 1980s, As with last year's survey, the vast major -
that pretty much described the ity of the information was provided by the
much MSW is progress that was made by racy- agency principally responsible for solid
cling toward becoming a viable waste in each state. That information in
gg enerated and the part of the this country's solid some cases was augmented with data from
1 waste management system. Well, recycling is other sources.
numbers and typ es shifting out of first gear and it's picking up
speed ... fast. NSW ROUTE — WHAT HAPPENS AFTER IT GOES
of curbs BioCycle magazine's second annual solid OUT THE DOOR?
waste management survey has found that in The results of the survey suggest that be-
ret y clin efforts, addition to action taking place in state legis- tween 268,000,000 and 270,500,000 tons of
g f latures, local and county governments as municipal solid waste (MSW) are generated
materials recovery well as the private sector are implementing in the United States annually. That figure is
recycling and yard waste composting pro- considerably larger than the 160,000,000
f acilities and and grams at a significant rate. used by the United States Environmental
y The number of landfills dropped by about Protection Agency as an estimate of MSW
waste composting 550, but to offset those losses, in 1989, the generation. The figure is a soft, even spongy
number of curbside recycling collection pro- number. The reason is simply that few states
programs. ams. grams rose by almost 400, and more than have endeavored to develop such informa-
300 yard waste composting projects were lion. This has led to states either relying on
P art I added to the rolls. Additionally, the number the application of some per capita rate (usu-
of materials recovery facilities more than ally the U.S. EPA nationwide rate) to its pop -
doubled over those existing at the end of ulation or the utilization of figures based on
1988. All in all, the problems with the paper what is being disposed of in the state.
Jim Glenn market notwithstanding, it was a good year Using the "disposed of" figures are mis-
for program start -ups. leading, first because often such figures in-
Our annual survey serves as a means of elude everything going into MSW landfills
tracking how individual states handle munic- such as sewage sludge, some types of indus-
ipal solid waste within its borders. Part 1 of trial waste and demolition waste, so the fig -
the survey details how much waste is genet.- urea include non - municipal waste. Secondly,
ated, landfills and incinerators in each state the "disposed of" figures don't include mate -
and describes the expanding numbers and rials that are diverted from the traditional
types of recycling and yard waste utilization solid waste management system, such as by
programs in place. recycling and yard waste composting proj-
Part 2 of the survey, which will be pub- acts.
lished next month, looks at the legislative However imperfect, using the 268,000,000
initiatives put in place by states, including tons per year figure as a starting point,
requirements for local governments to plan based on estimates provided by each state,
for and/or mandate recycling programs, between 83.5 and 83.9 percent of the MSW
product taxes, mandatory deposits and dis- generated still goes to landfills, with 7.8 to
posal bans. Additionally, Part 2 will cover 7.9 percent processed through incinerators
the approaches states are taking to permit and 8.3 to 8.6 percent being recycled. Munici-
48 BioCycie
pal waste composting accounts for about .04 a lot of capacity. Of the states that could give
percent of the waste nationwide. an estimate of remaining capacity, 13 have
While landfills are still the repositories of less than five years if no new facilities were
most of this country's waste, there are sev- put into place. Another 10 states have be- Th number of
eral states which landfill a minority of the tween 5 and 10 ears of
MSW they produce. Heading the list is Con- (Delaware, Idaho, Orego rte, W W ty ashington d only six l dro d b
necticut which incinerates about 67 percent and W y o ' , ppe y
of its MSW and recycles an undetermined pit reem) have 20 or more years of ca-
amount, followed closely by Delaware, which All percent y of these mbers could about 550; curbside
incinerates 43 percent, composts 16 years change the U.S. r ecycling programs
and recycles at least 4 over the next several ears if the U.S.
as about 6 percent. Maine recy- EPA follows through with more stringent
percent of its MSW and inciner- landfill requirements. North Dakota esti- rose by almost 400,
ates 57 percent. The last state to landfill less mates that only about 20 of its 70 landfills
than 50 percent of its MSW is Massachu- will meet the U. S. EPA requirements. Even and more than 300
Betts, which recycles 7 percent and inciner- if those
ates 48 pent, requirements don't have the impact
In addition to these states, another seven that many feel they will, numerous states are yard waste
landfill 75 percent or less of their waste. In- case
tightening landfill its already. One
chided in this list are New Hampshire (62 through a p P ry roce s s whic is going composti projects
pmt), Minnesota (66 percent), Oregon (69 ing 72 land fills. According to for its fci remain-
s, were added to the
t), Washington (70 percent), and the at least 24 of those sites will b fic i
of Columbia, Florida and Maryland, 1990 rolls.
all with 75 percent. Tipping fees for landfills are still at their
Currently, incinerators are bearing the highest in the Northeast and Northwest
brunt of the shift from landfills. Beyond Con- parts, and still remain relatively Delaware, Maine and Massachu- in the portions of the South and Midwes . In
setts, three other states, Florida, Maryland almost every
and New Hampshire, plus the District of Co- munici all section of and country, there are
lumbia all report that they incinerate 20 P Y perated landfills that f hargs
per- users
cent or more of their MSW. at the gate. While the figure
W
collected in the survey don't show a dramatic
The recycling rates in many states are sim- increase in tipping fees, they do show that in
ply not available. In fact, for this survey 13 many states the high end of the range is in-
states could not come up with a figure. Many creasing, with at least 18 states having maxi -
other states could provide only guesstimates mum tipping fees at landfills of $30 or more.
of the rate. In all, 11 states reported recy- As might be expected to take up the slack
cling rates that were more than the nation - in the dwindling number of landfills, the
w atts ver identified in this report. Those number of incinerators has increased from
Washington last year's total of 136. The number of oper-
29 percent ating incinerators in 1989 increased to 154,
Oregon 22 percent an increase of 13 percent. The capacity avail-
��J� y 18 d
percent able in those incineration units increased
Colonedo 15 percent more than 10,000 tons per day, from just un-
ChodIsland 14 percent der tons 59, tons per day in 1988 to 69,387 Shredded waste on its
Per day, an 18
Cermon�ta 12 percent percent increase. way to the compost site
Califo
12 percent In Sumter County,
New York 10 percent Merida.
Nebraska 8-10 percent
Virginia 8-12 percent `'°
[ANDFILLS, INCINERATORS AND COMPOSTERS "'1°" ,. r
Last year's survey identified approxi- , •_ Y �.' - �- , + 4s,r }
mately 7924 landfills in operation through- - , , ,;;,,,,,; - .
out the United States. This year that num- -.7..-:-.-, �, ` '' °'
her has dwindled by '" `«
-
about 550 to 7379 a -
seven percent drop. California leads the list
``'- . �°' Y-
of states that lost landfills, �
the last �� a drop of
about 200 in year. Other states that `
lost significant numbers of landfills include ..
Wisconsin (100 +), Alabama (68), Oklahoma - ` -4 = _
(50), Massachusetts (34) and Connecticut
(30). _ "
Certainly, in absolute terms there are still a
significant number of landfills remaining in - -
most states, with 25 states having 100 or -
more landfills each. The states with the most Y
landfills include Micas (934 ,
.4...7......!,.." i_ - _�'.. t - _ - _
Alaska (740) -- 1pro ; , - ...
Wisconsin (700 +) and although it lost 200 _ '''...6a4,- " �" �` ; ""
California (423).
_ ;i �: ` "�.''. _ "G
• Y -•Y �
Although there are a lot of landfills out 3 • �." , ~ ° �-- ri
there, that doesn't necessarily translate into - '>a ''-+ r .:,, 1 ,.-. — . - , ` " r ._ -
BnoGYcn,E
MARCH 1990 49
i_.. In all, 16 states have 1000 tons per day of served by curbside recycling and covers 877
., capacity at incineration units, with five programs, more than half of those known.
states having more than 5,000 tons per day The average number of people served per
- — New York (9877), Florida (9200), Massa- program is approximately 26,400. Assuming
�_ = � chusetts (8600), Connecticut (5700) and the remaining curbside recycling programs
�'�
•"° - 7. Maryland (5,000). The
` are destined to increase figures on e g total number of p eooplle e number served by
people
l it- - .; : a>,� � over each he p
e. ! the next several years. New York has another curbside programs throughout the country
. 1 17 units in planning with an additional is approximately 37,000,000 or 15 percent of
20,000+ ton of daily capacity. Washington the population.
11 y ; has four units in planning that have 4900 As was the case last year, New Jersey
a? OR tons per day of capacity. Additionally, Flor- surely has more people served by curbside re-
:r ida expects six more incinerators to come on cycling, assuming that 85 percent of its citi-
- line by 1993, and Virginia and Michigan zens are covered (roughly 85 percent of the
have another 3000 tons da under con- municipalities per day p provide the service), about
a ` .' -" struction. 6,500,000 would be served. New Jersey is fol-
Tipping fees at the operating incinerators lowed by California (4,000,000), Florida
appear to be generally higher than those at (3,400,000),Pennsylvania (2,600,000), Oregon
landfills. It's not unusual for incinerators to (2,000,000), Illinois (1,100,000) and Virginia
charge $40+ for tipping fees, with a number (1,000,000). A special mention of Rhode Is-
of projects in the $60 to $100 range. land is needed. Programs in that state cover
As identified in "Solid Waste Composting approximately two-thirds of the state's pop -
in the U.S." (BioCycle, November, 1989), ulation, a percentage that ranks with Ore-
there are currently seven operating mixed gon's 66 percent and New Jersey's (esti-
MSW composting projects. The total capac- mated by BioCycle) 85 percent.
ity of those seven facilities is just under 600 In terms of increased population served,
tons per day. The largest is in Delaware with Pennsylvania jumped from 1,300,000 last
a design capacity of 350 tpd; it currently year to 2,600,000 in 1989. Others with signif-
composts about 250 tpd of MSW with icant increases reported included Texas
sludge. Minnesota has the most facilities op- (from 100,000 to 511,000), Ohio (from
The survey reveals erating with three. Those three facilities 175,000 to 497,000), Washington (from
have a total capacity of about 85 tpd. 500,000 to 800,000) and Louisiana (from
that between 21 100,000 CURBSIDE RECYCLING Of e 1298 programs that could be identi-
million and Wow, what a year for curbside recycling! fled as collecting either multiple materials or
Although it's difficult to know if there has a single item, 1250 or 96 percent collected
37 million people been better years, it's hard to imagine that multiple materials. That percentage is about
there could have been. Last year's survey the same as was observed last year. The
are being served by identified 1042 curbside recycling programs number of programs identified as mandatory
operating (both on a full and pilot scale) in was up slightly in 1989, with an increase of
curbside recycling the U.S. In 1989, that figure grew by 476 to 63 to 592. Those that could be identified as
1518 programs or approximately a 46 per- voluntary increased by 36, to 540. The per -
programs in the cent rate. Nationwide there are 41 states centage of mandatory programs also in-
that have at least one curbside program creased slightly, from 51 percent in 1988 to
U.S. The average within its boundaries, up from 36 identified 52 percent in 1989.
last year
program has about This year, five states reported having 100 YARD WASTE COMPOSTING PROGRAMS
or more programs in operation. Again New Composting of yard waste also had a ban -
26,400 participants. Jersey heads the list with 452, followed by ner year, with the number of programs re-
Pennsylvania (245), Minnesota (185), Oregon ported increasing from 651 in 1988 to 986 in
(106) and California (103). Last year, only 1989, a boost of more than 51 percent. While
New Jersey (439), Pennsylvania (141) and Or- it would be nice to think that the entire in-
egon (106) topped 100 programs. crease in the number of programs was due to
In terms of increase, Pennsylvania raised project start -ups, at least part of the increase
its total from 141 to the 245 figure, a 74 per- must be attributed to better recordkeeping
cent increase. Illinois jumped from 25 to 65, on the part of the states and the identifica-
a 160 percent increase and California ex- lion of programs that had gone unreported.
panded from 62 to 103, a 66 percent increase. In 1989, 31 states were host to at least one
Other dramatic increases in curbside pro- yard waste composting project, up from 29
grams occurred in Florida (which went from last year.
8 to 42 programs), Connecticut (almost dou- New Jersey again heads the list of pro-
bling from 24 to 47), Ohio (doubling from 13 grams with 235 facilities, followed by Michi-
to 26), Virginia (a 275 percent increase from 4 gan (150), Minnesota (130), Massachusetts
to 15 programs) and Washington (with a 300 (115). States with significant increases in the
percent increase from 4 to 16). number of programs reported over last year
The information gathered for the survey include Minnesota (an increase of 52), New
revealed that, at a minimum, approximately Jersey (50), Massachusetts (45), Wisconsin
21,100,000 people are served by curbside re- (39), New York (38) and North Carolina (17).
cycling programs. This information comes In the survey 12 states estimated the num-
from the 23 states that could provide Bio- ber of people served by projects, with a total
' Cycle with an estimate of the population of about 10,500,000 people served. The 409
50 BiocycL6 1 D MARCH 1990
MALE 1: INesre Genoa dad Methods Of Disposal (By Stare)
MSW RECYCLED/
STATE POPULATION GENERATION COMPOSTED INCINERATED LANDFILLED
(96) Gans) ON (95)
Alabama 4,100,000 4,400,000 5 2 93
Alaska 500,000 450,000 5 8 87
Arizona 3,400,000 3,100,000 Unk 0 100
Arkansas 2,400,000 1,800,000a 5 3 92
California 27,700,000 44,000,000b 12 2 86
Colorado 3,300,000 2,000,000 14 0 86
Connecticut 3,300,000 2,900,000 Unk 63 37
Delaware 650,000 600,000 4/16 43 37
Dist of Columbia • 600,000 740,000 5 20 75
Ronda 12,000,000 16,000,000c 4/> 1 21 75
Georgia 6,200,000 4,400,000 Unk 5 95
Hawaii 1,100,000 1,000,000 4 13
Nano 1,000,000 83
Minis 000, 6 2 95
11,600,000 15,000,000 92
Indiana 5,500,000 3,500,000- 5 10 85
bwa 5,500,000
2,800,000 2,300,000a 7 -10 2 88-91
Kansas 2,500,000 1,600,000
5 0
Kentucky 3,700,000 4,600,000a Unk 0 100
Louisiana 3,500,000 3,500,000d
Maine and 1,200,000 900,000 2 57 3 7
4,500,000
7,200,000 Unk 25 75
Massachusetts 5,900,000 6,600,000 7 48 45
Michigan 9,200,000 11,700,000 Unk 4 96
Minnesota 4,200,000 4,000,000 15/> 1 18 66
Mississippi 2,600,000 1,800,000
Unk 4 96
Missouri 5,100,000 5,100,000a 7 1 92
Montana 800,000 600,000 Unk 4 96
Nebraska 1,500,000 1,100,000 8-10 0 90-92
Nevada 1,000,000 1,000,000 5 0 95
New Hampshire 1,100,000 1,000,000e 5 33 62
New Jersey 7,600,000 9,500,000 18 2 80
New Mexico 1,500.000 1,000,000 1 0 99
New York 17,800,000
North Carolina 6,400,000 6,000,000a 1 77
Unk
North Dakota 650,000 450,000 U 50,000 1 nk 0 99
0 99
Ohio 10,800,000 13,900,000a 5 10 85
Oklahoma 3,300,000 2,700,000 2 17 81
Oregon 2,700,000 2,200,000 - 22 9 69
2,500,000c
Pennsylvania 12,000.000 9,200,000 2 3 95
Rhode Island 1,000,000 1,000,000 13 0 87
South Carolina 3,400,000 3,900,000 8 2 90
South Dakota 700,000 750,000 1 0 99
Tennessee 4,800,000 3,900,000a Unk 13 87
Texas 16,800,000 17,800,000e 8 1 91
Utah 1,700,000 1,100,000 Unk 12 88
Vermont 550,000 330,000d 12 10 78
Virginia 5,900,000 9,000,000e 8-12 10 78-82
Washington 4,500,000 5,200,0001 29/> 1 1 70
West Virginia 1,900,000 2,500,000 Unk p 100
Wisconsin 4,800,000 3,600,000a Unk/> 1 13 87
Wyoming 500,000 550,000 5 0 95
TOTALS 245,650,000 268,220,000-
270,520,000
Link - Figure is unknown
a - includes some industrial waste "
b - includes some sewage sludge and demolition waste _�
c • includes demolition wastet �' 46._ -
d includes some sewage sludge i ' i f f f � P " � _
e - includes some demolition and industrial waste ` '
Iliad \\ t: T
• Yard waste is celiac/ad ' �' f
with vacuum trucks in �-_
Camp Hill, � -
Ponnsylvania. -1...;:-....._ -- `----' ` - , `
BtoClrcLe
MARCH 1990 51
I
WILE k LandfII And incinerator Disposal Capadty, Numbers and Tipping Fees (By State)
LANDFILLS INCINERATORS
REMAINING DAILY
STATE NUMBER COST/TON CAPACITY NUMBER COST/TON CAPACITY
(5) (Years) (5) (tons /day)
Alabama 107 5.25 <4 1 n/a 225
Alaska 740 up to 40 15-20 2 up to 100 100
Arizona 100 up to 20 n/a 0
Arkansas 85 15-20 <5 3 20-30 160
Calitomia 423 3-30 10 3 15-20 2500
Colorado 150 up to 45 n/a 0
Connecticut 60 60-110 n/a 7 60-85 5700
Delaware 3 42 20+ 1 42 600
Dist of Columbia 1 n/a 4 1 n/a 600
Florida 170 10.45 <5 10 45-65 9200
Georgia 191 10-45 3-4 1 n/a 500
Hawaii 17 n/a 5 1 36 600
Idaho 110 up to 10 20 1 n/a 50
Illinois 126 8-29 7.5 1 n/a 1200
Indiana 83 12 7-8 3 18 3000
Iowa 82 10 11 1 37 125
Kansas 130 4-14 15-20 0
Kentucky 83 6-20 5 0 .
Louisiana 41 8-30 10+ 0
Maine 185 n/a n/a 5 n/a 1400
Maryland 41 up to 60 n/a 4 40-60 5000
Massachusetts 160 45-65 6 10 45-65 8600
Michigan 71 n/a n/a 3 n/a 1250
Minnesota 87 20-45 4-6 11 50-90 2000
Mississippi 102 n/a 6 1 20 200
Missouri 84 13 9 3 n/a 50
Montana 140 15 10-20 1 50 70
Nebraska 39 6.50 8 0
levada 150 up to 10 5-7 0
New Hampshire 56 up to 50 5 17 n/a 910
New Jersey 90 70 n/a 1 n/a 400
New Mexico 130 n/a 2 -5 0
New York 250 50-120 10 12 50-120 9877
North Carolina 124 up to 29 <5 2 n/a 250
North Dakota 70 n/a n/a 0
Ohio 103 15-20 5-10 7 15-20 3750
Oklahoma 150 8-15 15 3 0-42 1250
Oregon . 94 26-50 20+ 2 Ala 650
Pennsylvania 72 37 n/a 2 n/a 700
Rhode Island 4 13-59 2 0
South Carolina 79 22 10 2 38 800
South Dakota 36 3-10 nla 0
Tennessee 110 n/a n/a 4 n/a 1450
Texas 934 8-13 15 8 n/a 200
Utah 40 up to 20 20+ 1 35 350
Vermont 60 10-75 n/a 0
Virginia 257 15 n/a 7 35 4000
Washington 95 35 20+ 4 75 370
West Virginia 51 15 2 0
Wisconsin 700+ n/a n/a 8 n/a 1300
Wyoming 113 10-12 20+ 0
TOTAL 7379 154
n/a - Figure not available
, P li1 -
_ III rb r• '
' --- - -- ' '" ' (7.A-, , - '..
Fresh Kills Landfill, • "° : `� • "
Long Island, Now York. -s . ;a. t
(Photo by Brien = . j
Spi.lmonn) Z.6 - -
is oun
52 BioCYCLF
projects that were included in that estimate
averaged 25,600 people served. If the that • - B -
average held for all 986 projects, the total a N
population served in the U. S. would be • ,<
roughly 25,000,000.
Like curbside recycling, New Jersey yard _
waste composting facilities serve more of its s
residents than any other state, given that - ' , - " . j
leaves have been banned from disposal facili- -: = ?
ties for several years. There are five states Aum..
that -
s�• .
report programs serving 1,000,000 or
more people including Massachusetts
(3,400,000), Washington (1,500,000), Wiscoa• how
sin (1,300,000), Illinois (1,000,000) and Michi- L- - NW •
gan (1,000,000). -
In addition to windrow composting, five _ 3 ��
states have direct land application projects ' - f
for yard waste. They include New York (15- ! 1 _ i
20), Wisconsin (15-20), Pennsylvania (16), 4I �:. '
Hawaii (3) and Massachusetts (3). Wiscon- `
sin's programs serve approximately 250,000 _ , •
- People- -
Of the nearly 600 yard waste programs 4.• L — � S
that could be identified as composting only e rt -
leaves or composting a full range of yard � `�^ - - ° ` . -- - waste, 466 projects (79 percent) were for '' '' 4_ - -
leaves only and 124 were capable of compost-
ing a variety of yard wastes including leaves, As residential
�8 talk has started to be translated into any op- commingled collection
grass and brush.
erational facilities. The survey revealed that prog increase, so
MATERIALS RECOVERY FACILITIES there are only seven operational full-scale fa- do the number of M.
cilities in the U.S. Two more projects are in
First let's explain what materials recovery construction and at least another six in pro-
facility (MRF) means when we talk about curement. Another 71 projects were report -
them in BioCycle. In our usage, a MRF is a edly being considered.
stand alone facility that accepts primarily Two projects that should be coming on line
residential commingled recyclables (paper in the not too distant future appear certain
products can and often times are brought in to make considerable waves. Agripost is cur -
separately from commingled bottles and rently finishing construction on an 800 ton
cans), sorts the incoming materials into the per day facility in Dade County, Florida. Ad-
various marketable commodities and then ditionally, Riedel Environmental Tbchnolo-
processes those commodities to meet market gies has signed a contract to build a facility
specifications. in Oregon to compost 600 tons per day of
With that said, 1989 was a tremendous waste from Portland. As noted earlier, the
growth year for MRFs. Last year's survey largest MSW composting facility in Dela-
identified some 16 operational facilities ware has a design capacity of 350 tons per
around the country. This year's survey pro- day.
duced 40. Existing MRFs are most common
on the East Coast, with New Jersey home to PERMANENT HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE
10 and both Pennsylvania and New York COLLECTION SITES
having six each. However, as the number of A new addition to our survey this year is
residential commingled collection programs an accounting of permanent household haz-
increases, MRFs are beginning to be seen in ardour waste (HHW) collection sites. The
other sections of the country. Washington re- separate collection of HHW is a relatively
ported six in operation this year and Califor- new method of solid waste management.
nia three. When it was first initiated, communities set
From all indications, the number of MRFs up single day collection events. While these
will continue to grow along with the spread are still the norm, some locations have begun
of curbside collection programs. Currently, to install permanent collection sites, so that
there are at (east five MRFs under construe- citizens can have a greater opportunity to re-
tion and another five are in the procurement move hazardous materials from homes.
stage. At least another 37 locations are con- The survey identified 23 permanent HHW
sidering plans to develop MRFs. (Note: Bio- collection sites throughout the United States
Cycle will be doing a complete report on that are currently operating. The bulk of
MRFs in the May, 1990 issue. If you're in- those sites are on the West Coast, with Cali -
volved in the development of a MRF, we'd forma having 10 and Washington seven. An-
like to hear from you.) other 28 sites, in 12 states, are under consid-
MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE COMrOSTIN6 eration.
MCI BioCycle will conclude its report on state
recycling and composting developments
There certainly is a lot of talk about MSW with a look at state legislation and regula- '
composting these days, but not much of that tions. •
BIOCYCLE
Z r MARCH 1990 53
NATIONWIDE SURVEY: LEGISLATION
•
. THE STATE OF GARBAGE
IN. AMERICA
HE FIRST PART of the annual (taxes ?) also caught fire in 1989, particularly
BioCycle State of Garbage in as a means of funding approaches to dealing
Recent legislation America survey in last month's is- with old tires.
sue verified that the number of re-
advances goals of cycling and yard waste compost- WASTE REDUCTION GOALS • EVER NIGHER
ing programs is increasing As state legislatures sink their teeth into
recycling and rapidly. There are now more than
y g the solid waste problem, they are beginning
1,500 curbside
recycling programs and just a to set their sights on greater and
composting, and shade under 1,000 yard waste composting waste reduction goals. Where once, states
projects currently operationaL Both figures tai tin a 25
begins to deal with reflect close to a 50 percent increase over g h r goal were at
1988 figures. the forefront, those jurisdictions are now fol-
problem wastes as While the root cause of this interest in re- lowers of states that have begun to pursue
cycling and composting can be attributed to 40 and ye 50 percent goals.
tires and white concerns about lantlf ling and incineration, Lest s that had had dev a d dev le elop p d a goal identified least
legislative action at the state level (which of states a goal for at least
goods. course has been prompted by this same recycling. In this year's survey, t24 hey states trying are Part II cause) has been perhaps the most significant having ficant to achieve. e. The number that they that
factor in the rapid advancement of program to achieve. r of states that have
•
Jim Glenn development. As one surveys the states that been mandated from m eight last year respective ye r 1 5 by
have the largest concentration of programs, thee have grown froar to 15 by
they are more likely than not to have imple- the end of 1989.
mented or passed some form of recycling leg- While some of the first s that tar -
islation. 8e waste reduction goals such as Michi-
As this final part of BioCycle's survey i1- he co of the soli wa ste manage
lustrates, 1989 was indeed the year for pas- meat hierarchy, the first wave of mandated
a
sage recycling legislation. From Maine to goal setting (in New Jersey, for example) usu-
California legislation was passed encourag- ally aimed at recycling exclusively. However,
ing recycling and composting. In 1989, there of late, states have become more corn rehen-
was a decided move away from states direct- sive in their p
ing municipalities to require citizen partici- setts, New York goal setting. i nh n set
Sys not only for
pation. Instead, most states opted to either York and Washington setting
c
simply require municipalities to put pro- eyclig.
g, but also source
reduction and composting. in place or designate recycling goals
and allow local governments to reach those
objectives any way they see fit. MANDATORY LEGISLATION
In addition to this direct push to develop WNAT THE NECK IS IT?
programs, the use of disposal bans as a Categorizing recycling legislation used to
means of encouraging recycling and com- be easy. When one thought of mandatory leg -
posting continued to gain legislative propo- islation, what came to mind was New Jer-
nents. The use of advanced disposal fees sey's model that ultimately required waste
34 BIOCYCLE 7 J _ APRIL 1990
ibis 1: Statewide Solid Nbste Maaagalweat leek
State Source
Reduction Recycling (A) Composting Other Mandated Deadline
California
Connecticut (C) 50% Yes 1991 1
(8) Yes 2000
Delaware
Dist of Columbia 1046 20% 60% (0) No 1994
Ronda 30%D 50% (0) Yes 1994
Illinois
25%
Its 1995
Indiana Yes 2000
Iowa 50% No 1992 (E)
Louisiana No 2000
Maine 25% Yes 1992
Massachusetts 10% 50% No 1994
10% 38%
Michigan 8-12% 2030% 6.12% 35-45 %D) No 2005
Minnesota 2596
(F)
2005
Missouri nne o 25% Yes 1993
New Jersey ' No 2000
New York 10% 25% (G) Yes N/A
North Carolina 25% 40%D (D) No 2000
Yes
Ohio
1993
Pennsylvania (H) 25% 25% Yes 1994
Rhode Island Yes 1997
Vermont 15% Yes 1993
Virginia 25% Yes 2005
NFashington 5046 Yes 1995
Yes 1
W consin 2% 1046 1096 4596 (0) No 2000
2% (F) 2000
(A) Includes leaf or yard waste composting (E) Or within five
include 10 years o/ solid waste plan adoption
(8) May percent waste transformation (F) Reuse
(C) Goal is no change in waste generation rate (G) Does not include leaf composting as part of the goal
(D) Incineration (H) Goal is to reduce the amount of waste generated
generators to participate. To date, New York,
P ennsylvania and Rhode Island and the Dis-
trict of Columbia have followed New Jersey's
lead and passed legislation that mandates >lrble t Stites That Require Mwik*allths lb Pass NeruilierY Ruldieq Oreelureee
municipalities to develop recycling programs
and pass ordinances that require both resi- Municipalities
dential and commercial waste generators to State Involved
participate. (The District of Columbia is the Deadline Act ID
only state-type jurisdiction to pass this style
of mandatory legislation in 1989.) Dist of Columbia N/A N/A 7226 1989
While the New Jersey -form of mandatory New Jemmy All 8/88 PL 1987,C.107
legislation is the most structured, it is argue- Pe York All 9/92 Chap. 70. 1988
bly not the only type of mandatory program nsylvama Population of W26/91 101 , 1988
that can be put in place. Another approach is 5,000 or Greater (A)
patterned after Oregon's "Opportunity to i1e Island All (8) 23 1986
Recycle" Law, which was passed in 1983.
This method, which is becoming increasingly (A) All municipalities with 10,000 and above must pass mandatory ordinances. for municipalities with
Popular, requires municipalities to develop populations between 5,000 and 10,000, only those that have a population density of 300 people per
recycling programs, but does not dictate arse must pass ordinances.
that those municipalities require waste gen- (e) Deadline is based on the implementation schedule of each municipality. All municipalities should have
erators to recycle. Last year, Minnesota, by 12131/90.
North Carolina and Washington passed such
legislation. One step removed from mandating recy-
A final approach to mandating recycling at cling activities is for states to require plan -
the state level is to require either municipali- ning for recycling by some level of local gov-
ties or counties to reach a specified goal. ernment. This is sometimes coupled with a
While in most instances, this method is cou- form of mandatory action, but in Illinois,
pled with one of the two ventures described Iowa and Michigan, it is stand alone action.
previously, Florida, Ohio and Virginia are Where planning takes place alone, the entity
leaving the local jurisdictions to their own required to plan may not be obligated to put
devices in the development of recycling pro- the programs in place even if such programs
goal- , so long as they reach the mandated are considered to be feasible.
Whatever approach a state takes to fur -
BIOGYCLE
APRIL 1990 35
Mk k Slate LogislaUen Met Requires Local Government Unit 11 b Develop Recycling Programs
Local Government
State Units Involved Deadline Act ID
Connecticut Municipalities 1/91 87- 544
Maryland Counties 1/94 HB 714 - 1988
Minnesota Counties 10/90 HF 1;S.S.89
North Carolina (A) 7/91 58 111 - 1989
Oregon (3) 7/86 SB 405 - 1983
Washington Counties and Cities (C) ESHB 1671 - 1989
(A) Designated local government, which could be either a county or municipality.
(8) The legislation did not place responsibility on any particular level of govemment or on The private sector. In practice, municipalities have assumed the responsibility. The
legisladon called for municipalities with a population of 4,000 or greater to have curbside recycling service.
(C) 7/91 for Spokane, Snohomish, tang, Pierce and Kipsap Counties.
7/92 for all other counties west of the Cascade Mountains
7/94 for all counties east of the Cascade Mountains
(B) Programs must be fully implemented hvo years alter plan adoption.
MN 4: State LogislaUon Requiring Local Government Units lb Reach Specified Waste Reduction Goals
Type Of
State Goal Deadline Govt. Unit Act ID
California 50% (A) 1/2000 County/City AB 939 - 1989
Florida 30% 12/31/94 County SB 1192 - 1988
Louisiana 25% 12/31/92 Parish (B) 185 - 1989
Maryland 20% (C) 1994 County HB 714 - 1988
Minnesota 35% (D) 12/31/93 County HF 1;S.S.89
New Jersey 25% (E) Municipality PL 1987,C.107
North Carolina 25% 1/93 County/Municipality SB 111 - 1989
Ohio 25% 6/24/94 SW Planning Dist. HB 592 - 1988
Rhode Island 15% (F) Municipality 23-18, 23-19
& 37-15-1986
Vermont 40% 1/1/2000 SW Mgmt Dist. 78 - 1987
Virginia 25% 12/31/95 Municipality HB 1743 - 1989
(A) May include 10 percent waste transformation
(B) Also targets major municipalities
(C) 20% recycling rate for counties with populations of more than 100,000
15% recycling rate for counties with populations of less than 100,000
(0) 35% recycling rate for the seven counties in the twin cities metro area
25% recycling rate for the remainder of Minnesota's counties
(E) Within two year after the implementation of the county recycling plan
(F) Within three year of a program's implementation
bide 5: States Requiring Local Government Units lb include Recycling hi Solid Mode Management Plans
Type Government Deadline For
State Required to Plan an Act ID
California Cities & Counties 1/91 (A) AB 939 - 1989
Florida Counties 7/89 SB 1192 - 1988
Illinois Counties (B) RI 85 - 1198 - &
PA 86 -228
Iowa Cities & Counties N/A HF 753 - 1989
Maryland Counties (C) 7/90 HB 714 - 1988
Michigan Counties 1990 PA 641 - 1979
& PA 6 - 1988
Minnesota Counties 10/4/90 HF 1, SS.89
New Jersey Counties 10/87 PL 1987, C. 102
North Carolina Counties 10/90 SB 111 - 1989
Vermont SW MGMT Districts - 7/90 78 - 1987
Virginia Municipalities 7/90 HB 1743 - 1989
- ,A) Cities must adopt and submit plans to counties by 7/91
(8) 9/91 for counties over 100,000 population and cities over 1,000,000
3/95 for counties with less than 100,000 population
(Cf Baltimore City is also required to plan
36 BIOCYCLE Lq APRIL 1990
ther recycling, the actual responsibility for population of 4,000 or more. IMMOniiiMEMI
developing the programs rests with smaller In other cases, the dates when programs
jurisdictions, in most cases municipalities or have to be developed are different for monad- What approach
counties. Often the question of what govern- palities or counties. Thus in Pennsylvania's
mental unit will be responsible is based on case, municipalities with a population of
what unit has traditionally handled solid 10,000 or more must develop programs by i taken, actual
waste. September, 1990, while those with a popula- responsibility for
In some states, not all governmental units lion between 5,000 and 10,000 have an extra
are required to participate in developing or year to comply. Washington's recently
planning programs. For instance, in Pennsyl- legislation has three separate dates, developing programs
F
vania, municipalities with a population of or five counties in the Seattle area the dead- fa ll s to smaller
less than 5,000 do not have to develop pro- line for developing programs is July, 1991.
grams. In � curbside programs only For the other counties west of the Cascade 'd W.
have to be d in municipalities with a mountains, the date is July, 1992. And for ll r15
Mkt State apyesaI Bans
Effective
Slate Type of Material Act ID Year Date
Connecticut Designated 87-544 1987 1/91
Recyclabies (A)
NickeVCadmium Batteries 89 -385 1989 1993
Florida Auto Batteries SB 1192 1988 1/89
Tires 7/89
Yard Waste (B) 1/92
White Goods 1/90
Demolition Debris (B) 7/89
Used Oil 10/88
Hawaii Auto Batteries HB 1445 1989 1/90
Illinois Auto Batteries PA-86 -723 1989 9/90
Tires PA -8.452 1989 7195
•
Yard Waste 86 -1430 1989
W86-1430 7/90
Iowa Beverage Containers (C) HF 753 1989 7/90
Auto Batteries 7/90
Used Oil 7/90
Tires (D) 7/91
Yard Waste 1/91
Non - Degradable Grocery Bags 7/92
Minnesota Auto Batteries 115A.915 1987 1/88
Tires 115A.904 1984 7/85
White Goods 115A.9561 1989 7/90
Yard Waste(Metro Area) 115A.931 1988 1/90
Yard Waste(AII of MN) 115A.931 1988 1/92
Used Oil 115A.916 1987 1/88
New Jersey Leaves PL 1987,C.102 1987 9/88
(As Amended)
North Carolina Auto Batteries SB 111 1989 1/91
Tires (D) 3190
Used Oil 10/90
White Goods 1/91
Yard Waste (B) 1/93
Ohio Yard Waste HB 592 1988 12/93
Oregon Auto Batteries HB 3305 1989 1/90
Pennsylvania Auto Batteries 101 1988 9/88
Leaves 9/26/90
Washington Auto Batteries ESHB 1671 1989 8/89
Wisconsin Yard Waste 296 1987 1/93
Wyoming Auto Batteries W.S. 35-11.509.513 1989 6/89
(A) Leaves, lead acid batteries, used oil, scrap metal, corrugated cardboard, newspaper, gl ass food containers, metal food containers, white office paper (tor commercial
establishments only)
(8) Cannot be placed in lined landfills
(C) Only pertains to beverage containers returned to wholesalers through Iowa's mandatory deposit law.
(D) Only pertains to unshredded Ores
!hoer APRIL 1990 37
the counties east of the Cascades, the dead - in landfills and incinerators. Seven of -those
line is July, 1994. states passed the ban in 1989. Used oil has
One of the most As stated before, only the District of Co- been banned from disposal in a total of five
lumbia was added to the four states with leg- states, with two states being added in 1989.
popular approaches 'station mandating waste generator partici- Automobile and truck tires are also tar -
pation. Three states passed legislation in geted for banning in five states, but in some
to reduce landfill 1989 local government units to es- cases, such as in Iowa the ban is only on un-
tablish recy • programs, thus bringing processed tires entering landfills. The dis-
and incinerator use the total to six. Another three states last posal of white goods is now or will be banned
year passed legislation requiring local gov- in three states, with North Carolina and Min-
is to ban certain ernments to reach specified recycling goals, nesota passing legislation in 1989 to join
to go with three other states that had previ- Florida's 1988 ban.
materials at di sposal Ous'y Passed such legislation. In terms of the number of items involved,
Connecticut has taken disposal bans further
facilities. STATE DISPOSAL BANS than any other state. By January 1, 1991,
nine materials - leaves, lead acid batteries,
Beyond passing some form of mandatory used motor oil, scrap metal, corrugated card -
recycling legislation, many states have be- board, newspaper, glass and metal food con -
gun to use other approaches to reduce the tainers and white office paper (from commer-
use of landfills and incinerators as disposal cial establishments only) - will be banned
alternatives. One of the most popular ave- from disposal in landfills and incinerators in
flues is to ban certain materials from accep- the state. Additionally, in 1993, nickel/
tance at disposal facilities. By the end of cadmium batteries will also be banned from
1989, 14 states had passed legislation ban - disposal.
ning at least one type of waste from disposal Florida, Minnesota, North Carolina and
facilities, with seven states banning two or Iowa passed legislation with extensive dis-
more types of waste. posal ban lists. All of those states will be
When bans first came into use, the most banning yard waste, tires, lead acid batter -
popular waste material to be considered was ies, and used motor oil. The first three will
yard waste. The 1989 survey revealed that also ban white goods. Florida has banned
10 states now have passed bans on either demolition debris from its most sophisti-
leaves alone or all types of yard waste going sated landfills and Iowa will ban the disposal
to disposal facilities. That figure is up from of non - degradable grocery bags. Minnesota
seven the previous year. Currently, three is also banning the incineration or compost -
states have bans on only leaves, while seven ing of any paper, glass or metals separated
others are targeting all yard waste. for recycling.
Lead acid batteries are now the most
banned waste material that is commonly MANDATORY DEPOSITS
found in municipal solid waste, with 11 Mandatory deposits have not been as pop -
states passing legislation outlawing disposal ular with state legislatures as they once
Table 7: State Mandatory Deposits Lows
Beverage Auto Effective
State Containers Batteries Act ID Year Date
Connecticut X CGS SEC 22A- 243 -246 1978 1980
Delaware X (A) Title 7, 1979 1982
Florida Del. Code, Chap 60
X (B) SB 1192 1988 1/89
INinois X (8) PA86 -723 1989 9/90
Iowa X Chap. 445C 1978 1979
Maine X P1. 1975, C. 739 1975 1978
Massachusetts (As Amended)
X 301 CMR 4.00 1981 1983
Michigan X MCI 445.571 -.576 1976 1978
Minnesota (AS Amended)
New York X X (C) 115A.9561 1989 10/89
Oregon Title 10, C. 200 1982 1983
X ORS 459.810 .810 -.890 1971 1972
X (8)
Pennsylvania X (8) 101 1/90
Rhode Island X (C) 23.60.1
1988 9 9/26/88
Vermont X Title 10, C. 53 1972 1973
Washington X (C) ESHB 1671 1989 8/89
tyoming X (8) WS 35- 11.509 -513 1989 6/89
(A) Any containers that holds a carbonated beverage, except aluminum.
(8) Retailers are required to accept old lead acid batteries when a person purchases a new battery.
(C) $5.00 deposit charged if an old battery is not retumed when a new one is purchased.
38 BroCYCLE Z(0° APRIL 1990
kaiak States Width Nave Erected Packaging/Product bus o Fees
Type Of Type Of Effective
State Product/Package Fee/Tax Act ID )bar Date
California Tires 8.25/New Tire AB 1843 1989 7/90
Aorida Tires 81.00/New Tire SB 1192 1988 1/90
Newsprint 8.10/Ton (A) 1/89
Glass, Metal & 8.01/Container (B) 1W92
Plastic Containers
Ninths Tires 8.50/Title PA 86 -452 1989 1/90
Transfer
Louisiana Tires Not Set Yet Act 185 1989 N/A
Maine - Tires 81.00/New Tire Chap. 585 1989 7/90
White Goods 815.00 Each 7/90
Brown Goods 815.00 Each 7/90
Auto Batteries 81.00/Battery 7/90
North Carolina Tires 1% Sales Tax SB 111 1989 1/90
Oklahoma Tires 81.00/New Tire HB 1533 1989 7/89
Oregon Tires 81.00/New lire HB 2022 1987 1/88
W
•
ade Island Tires 8.50 /New Tire H 5504 (C) 1989 1/90
Used Oil $.05 /Ot 1/90
Antifreeze 8.10/Gal 1/90
Organic Solvents 8.0025/Gal 1/90
Virginia Tires 8.50/New Tire HB 1745 1989 1/90
Washington Tires 81.00 /New lire ESHB 1671 1989 10/89
Wisconsin Tires $2.00/Tire On WA 110 1987 5/88
New Vehicles
(A) Increases to $.50 /ton in 1992 it at least newsprint is not made with at least 50% recycled fiber.
(B) If a 50% recycling rate is not achieved for these containers by 1992. The fee will increase to $.02 /container if a 50% rate is not reached by 1995.
(C) $3.00 /each new vehicle purchased to cover all hard to dispose of materials.
were. Starting in the early 1970s until New
York passed its legislation in 1982, nine
states enacted mandatory deposits on bever- Table 9: Spite FNanclad entiva lb Produce goods Abide With Recycled Abtertafs
age containers. Since that time, no beverage
container deposit legislation has been Sales/
passed. State Tax Credits Loans Grants Tax Exemption
Several states have begun to apply some
of the principles of deposits to other materi- California Yes
als, most notably lead acid batteries. Two of Florida Yes
these "second cousins" of mandatory de- Iuinois Its Yes
posits have "take back" provisions, where re- Iowa Y
tailers are obligated by law to accept used Maine Yes
batteries when a person purchases a new bat- Michigan Ws Yes
tery. There are also requirements for a fee to Minnesota Yes Ws
be charged when an old battery isn't re- New Jersey Yes Yes Yes Yes
turned. Currently, five states have legislation New YC Yes
requiring retailers to accept old batteries at North
re o Ca arolina s (
A)
the time of a sale, with Illinois, Oregon and Pennsylvania I Ws Yes
Wyoming passing laws in 1989. Also in 1989, Vermont Yes
Minnesota and Washington joined Rhode Is- Wisconsin Yes
land in charging a fee if an old battery isn't
returned at the time of purchase. (A) Oregon has three separate tax credits that pertain to market development
PRODUCT TAXES /FEES have passed similar legislation, with nine
Another piece in the encouragement of bet - passing the legislation in 1989.
ter resource utilization is the initiation of ad- In the case of tires, most states have cho-
vanced disposal fees for products that corn- an to collect the fee at the,retail level. Of the
monly find their way into landfills and states that take this approach all but North
incinerators. While some have suggested the Carolina collect a flat fee ranging from 8.25
use of this type of fee (or tax) on packaging to 81.00 per replacement tire. North Carolina
products, to date, the fees have been used charges a one percent sales tax on tires. The
mostly to deal with orphan wastes, particu- other approach to collecting the fee is to do
larly tires. so when vehicle titles are transferred. Cur -
Oregon was one of the earliest states to rently this is done by two states. Wisconsin
pass an advanced disposal fee when, in 1987, charges a fee of 82.00 per tire for all new ve-
it placed a 81.00 fee on all replacement tires hicles purchased. And in Illinois, the state
sold in the state. Since then 11 other states has begun to assess a fee of 8.50 every time a
BloC rcLE . APRIL 1990 89
the materials are not available.
Sable 1h State Activltles h p> prp Made fiool�� While it's certainly true that more states
have passed some form of mandatory recy-
State Paper ��' Recycled Products Act ID �g legislation than have passed provisions
Year to aid in the development of markets, of late
California more and more states have included financial
Colorado X AB 4 1989 incentives in their recycling legislation pack -
Co adocut X Ex. Order DO 11789 1989 age. To date, more than half of those states
Dist a Columbia X X 88-231 1988 that have passed mandatory laws have also
Dist of 7 -228 1989 passed some form of financial incentives to
Hawaii ` SB 1192 1988 stimulate the marketplace.
Haii
I wai X X H B 66 1� The most frequently used incentives are
Iowa X HF 753 1989 low interest loans and grants. Currently, at
Louisiana X 185 1989 least seven states have grant programs and
X
Maine PL programs targeted
C. 585 1989 s have low interest loan ge
Led
Maryland X HB 714 1988 to the recycling X Exec Order 287 1987 grams have been put in put in four states,
Michigan X PA 412 1988 with California's 1989 provisions being the
Minnesota X P A 413 1988 latest.
Mino X HF 1,
HB 89 1989 There are other approaches to market de-
New Hampshire X Exec Order 89-3 1989 Velopment beyond financial incentives. The
New Jersey X PL 1987, C. 102 1987 one effort that received the most attention
New York X SFL C.849, Sec. 177 1987 last year was the passage of legislation in
(As Amended) Connecticut and California that will require
North Carolina SB 111 1989 newspaper X sp per Publishers to purchase newsprint
Ohio X H6 592 1988 with recycled fiber content. This legislation
Oklahoma X Title 74, 1988 is aimed at
Sec. 85.50 - .57 providing a market for what l
Oregon now the most troubling of the materials col
X ORS 279.371 -.379 1975 lected, newspaper. To say the least, this
Pennsylvania X
Rhode lvania X 2 08 1988 action has gotten the attention of the pub -
Vermont X 78 1987 fishers. While the publishers talk about this
Virginia X HB 1747 1989 legislation infringing upon the First Amend -
Washington X SSB 6446 1988 meat, the threat of its passage has spurred
some newspaper publishers in Pennsylvania
vehicle title is transferred. to agree to voluntarily utilizing recycled con -
Three states — Florida, Maine and Rhode tent newsprint.
Island — have taken the use of advanced dis- , _ lay far the most popular form of a ma g ket de
posal posal fees beyond tires. In addition to tires, - }- .. ... _ velopment help initiated by state govern -
fe e advanced disposal fees include a ' , .__ manta has been procurement provisions that
$.10 per ton fee on newsprint, which will in- ` encourage, or give preference to, the use of
crease to $.50 per ton in October 1992, if 50 1 , - -z ii ' products made from recycled materials. The
crea
percent of .50 r ton i newsprint used October
in the �
1992,
state is first such efforts started in the 1970s and
not made from recycled fiber. Also if glass, ~ �` it '* �/ generally concentrated on paper products.
metal, plastic and plastic-coated fiber.
- • 4 -' t Unfortunately, few of this first round of pro-
percent r curement attempts (Maryland being an ex-
ile recycling rate by Oc-
don't reach a 50 ____ ! caption) resulted in any meaningful pur-
tober 1992 a fee of $.01 per container will be = chases of products made from recycled
charged, with that fee increasing to $.02 per materials
• container if a 50 percent recycling rate isn't - i The latest round of procurement efforts,
reached by October 1995. whether legislation or executive order, has
Maine's advance disposal fees, passed in _ - begun to be and
1989, have decidedly different targets. Tires -,. ; - g y paper and into other
batteries have a fee of $1.00 eluding ,' -. V
and lead acid k products made from recycled materials, in-
each, and white goods and brown go eluding such things as road construction ma-
each s, and white etc.) have a $15. brown fee at- tenals and compost. In fact, all but one of
`" A the 11 states identified in the survey as hav-
tached. Rhode Island's 1989 "Hard to Dis- ing put procurement provisions on the books
pose of Act" covers tires, used motor oil, in 1989 include a range and organic solvents. The fees are sage of products beyond
$.50 per new tire, $.05 per quart of oil, $.10 paper.
of procurement at least pro o visions , stets t he some
range of with 21 tar-
per gallon of anti -freeze and 1.0025 per gal - gating range of products and six aimed at
Ion of organic solvent. only paper products.
MARKET DEVELOPMENT SUTE PROGRAM FUNDING
It used to be that everyone talked about If a state legislature passes anything close
market development; now at last states are
- loing something about it. One complaint o l comprehensive recycling package, lac
om the thing sector, p Far funds will be needed to put it in place.
P particularly the Far and away the most popular approach
scrap industry, about state recycling legisla- states are
taking
tion has always been that mandating the d provide a t monies eoa dis-
cling of collection programs will not in ar programs e O impose a ax/
a ix
s
and of itself further recycling if markets for state sites. Last year's survey identified six
states that had disposal surcharges. During
40 BioCYCLE
APRIL 1990
1989 — Arkansas, California, Connecticut, these taxes are expected to generate
Maine, Oregon, and Thxas— passed legisla- $15,000,000 and $3,200,000 annually.
tion to tax waste going to disposal facilities. Other methods of funding recycling pro-
In all six states, only a portion of the fees go grams include the use of the advance dis-
to recycling. posal fees collected in Florida and Maine for
The fee structure of disposal surcharges such things as tires and white goods. States
varies significantly. In California and Thxas, including Connecticut, Massachusetts,
the current fee is $.25 per ton. California's fee Michigan and New York are using bond
will eventually reach $1.00 per ton. Maine, funds, while portions of litter tax proceeds
the District of Columbia and Vermont have are used in Nebraska, Ohio and Virginia.
the highest fees, $4.00, $5.00 and $6.00 per
ton respectively. Maine's fee is an interesting CONCLUSION
case because in addition to the base $4.00 per Sort of makes your head swim, doesn't it?
ton, an additional $1.50 per ton will be added As dizzying as the pace of all this legislation
to the waste going into landfills from munici- is, where will it end? It's likely that the push
palities that aren't actively working toward to develop some form of mandatory legisla- To date, more than
the state's 50 percent recycling goal. tion will level off in 1990, but other legisla-
Another approach to financing programs lion, such as bans and taxes (oh, excuse me, half of states with
was initiated this year in Minnesota and read my lips, fees) will continue at a hearty
Washington. Minnesota passed legislation clip and likely continue to grow in the num- mandatory recycling
that will impose a six percent sales tax on ber of waste materials each covers.
garbage collection services. Washington's Now for many, the hard work begins. Tak- laws have also
i slation will place a one percent service ing these laws and putting meaningful pro-
tax on residential collection. Respectively, grams on the ground is straight ahead. • passed some form of
financial incentives
bbie 11: state Program fending
to stimulate the
Type Of Current Annual marketplace.
State Funding Rate Amount
Alabama Appropriation
Arkansas Disposal Fee 61.00/ton (A)
Califomia Disposal Fee $.25 /ton (A)
Connecticut Disposal Fee 61.00/ton (B)
Dist of Columbia Disposal Fee $5.00/ton
Florida (C)
Georgia Appropriation
Illinois Disposal Fee $.65 /CY 516,000,000
Iowa Disposal Fee $2.00 /ton (A)
Kansas Appropriation
Louisiana Appropriation (D)
Maine Disposal Fee $4.00/ton (A)
Maryland Appropriation
Massachusetts Appropriation (E)
Michigan Bond Funds
Minnesota Collection Tax 6% (F) 515,000,000
Mississippi Appropriation
Missouri Appropriation
Nebraska Litter Tax $240,000
Nevada Importation Tax $3.00/ton (A)
New Jersey Disposal Fee $1.50/ton (A) 112,000,000+
New York Appropriation (E)
North Carolina Appropriation (G)
Ohio Litter Tax
Oregon Disposal Fee $.50/ton
Pennsylvania Disposal Fee $2.00/ton (A) 123,000,000
Rhode Island Disposal Fee (H)
Texas Disposal Fee 6.50/ton (A)
Vermont Disposal Fee $6.0O/ton 61,300,000
Virginia Litter Tax
Washington Collection Tax 1% (I) 63,200,000
Wisconsin Appropriation
(A) Only a portion of the lee goes to recycling
(B) Also has used bond monies and a/ overcharge funds
(C) Uses advanced disposal fees
(D) Has authority to impose a disposal fee starling July 1, 1990.
(E) Also uses bond funds
(F) Tax is on garbage collection
(G) Also uses funds from tire tax
(H) Monies come from the fee charges at the state -owned landfill
(I) Tax is on residential collection only
BIOCYCLE _ APRIL 1990 41