Fargo facility could handle Ebola-related waste “The Fargo operator of a medical waste incinerator would only accept Ebola-contaminated waste from other states after careful consideration, and it doesn't currently have any plans to do so, company officials said.” (MPRnews)

Duke Energy calculates coal ash costs at $3.4 billion “Duke Energy has set aside a $3.4 billion obligation in its accounting requirements for the costs of cleaning up its 32 ash ponds in North Carolina. Duke had estimated the cleanup could cost between $2 billion and $10 billion. Chief Financial Officer Steve Young emphasized to analysts this week that the obligation could rise or fall, depending on what is required in the cleanup.” (Charlotte Business Journal)

California's recycling problem “California recycling program is leaking money, hundreds of millions of dollars. The program pays Californians to turn in their used bottles and cans. The state does not want cans and bottles to end up in a landfill, so it will pay 5-cents to sell it to a recycling center. Multiply that by hundreds of millions of cans and bottles from outside the state, and you begin to understand why lawmakers are saying California needs to recycle it recycling program.” (KUSI.com)

Manufacturers pay over $100M to recycle televisions, electronics “For nearly two years, state law has forbidden televisions and other electronics from being disposed of in landfills. They can't be put out with the rest of the trash. Keeping electronics out of landfills is good, but a side effect of the law has been an increase in dumping of old-style TVs across the state, said Myrna Newman, executive director of Allegheny Cleanways, an organization that fights illegal dumping and littering.” (TribLive.com)

Scrap metal, recycling company plans $35M rail car refurbishment plant in Hutchinson “An Illinois-based scrap metal and recycling company plans to build a $35 million plant in Hutchinson to refurbish rail cars used to transport crude oil and other combustible liquids. Mervis Industries projects that its new offshoot, Mervis Railcar, will employ 150 people within three years of opening at an industrial park in the city.” (Associated Press)

Waste Workers In Houston Vote To Join Teamsters Local 988 “Workers at WCA Waste Corporation in Houston, who are seeking fair wages, job security and safer working conditions, voted today to join Teamsters Local 988. The vote was 90 to 28. The group of 130 drivers, helpers and general laborers is currently the only unionized private sector waste haulers in Texas.” (Teamster.org)

Class action complaint filed against tire recycling facility “A class action complaint filed by the lawyers for two people affected by a large fire at a tire recycling facility claims that hundreds of people could be entitled to damages from the plant's owners, but some neighbors think it's too soon to go to court. The smoke plume from the fire at Liberty Tire Recycling on Bohannon Avenue could be seen for miles when the blaze broke out on Monday. Nearby residents are concerned about the soot and particles deposited on their property.” (WAVE3.com)

New Charleston County recycling center moves forward with land purchase “Charleston County is moving forward with plans for a new recycling center on Palmetto Commerce Parkway that will have triple the capacity of the current facility on Romney Street. The new plant will be on 22 acres that the county recently purchased for $2.9 million.” (The Post and Courier)

State responds to hazardous waste clean-up company's $20 million federal lawsuit “The state attorney general's office is urging a federal bankruptcy judge to abstain from exercising jurisdiction over a more than $20 million lawsuit brought against it by a Milton-area hazardous waste clean-up firm that has been charged criminally. Minuteman Spill Response Inc. filed suit in September in U.S. Middle District bankruptcy court alleging the state cannot justify seizing assets worth approximately $22 million from Minuteman and the individuals charged in the criminal case in Union County.” (PennLive.com)

Class-action stench: N.J. residents build case against smell from Pa. landfill “The Pennsylvania landfill, whose noxious odors have long been a source of complaints for Burlington County residents, may soon find itself at the center of litigation. The Trenton-based law firm of Kamensky Cohen & Riechelson sent out thousands of letters to residents of Florence during the last week in October, asking them to become part of a class-action lawsuit against the Tullytown, Pa. landfill across the Delaware River.” (NJ.com)