David Bodamer, Executive Director, Content & User Engagement

November 6, 2014

4 Min Read
10 Things You Need to Know for the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (November 6, 2014)
  1. What Happens to All Those Soon-to-Be-Useless Political Campaign Signs? “In case you somehow hadn’t noticed, campaign signs currently dot lawns, sidewalks, telephone polls, and storefronts from East Boston to the Berkshires (and, presumably, beyond). By Wednesday, however, those signs will be effectively useless. So what happens to them once the results are in? One way or another, election campaign signs around Massachusetts will get used again. The question is whether that’s because of recycling or because of penny-pinching candidates.” (Boston.com)

  2. Illegal Toxic Waste Dump Costing Residents Millions “Mecklenburg County water and sewer users are being left with a bill in the millions of dollars, following an illegal toxic chemical dump earlier this year. This past February, ethanol and PCB’s were detected in the Mallard Creek and Sugar Creek waste water treatment plants. ‘The material from the plants that had the highest concentration of PCB's had to go to a special landfill in Alabama,’ said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities Director Barry Gullet.” (Time Warner Cable News)

  3. Improving Recycling Rates Could Be Bad for Recyclers “Perhaps ironically, as evidenced by increased activity concerning “recycling rates,” U.S. EPA’s decade-old plan to rethink the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is shaping up to be bad for recyclers at the state and local levels. Guided by its 2002 whitepaper, ‘Beyond RCRA: Waste and Materials Management in the Year 2020,’ EPA began to consider how the RCRA program ‘could and should evolve to meet the challenges and opportunities of the new century.’” (ISRI.org)

  4. Voters say 'no' to toxic waste landfill above aquifer “Voters of DeWitt County voted overwhelmingly Tuesday that the Clinton Landfill above the Mahomet Aquifer is not the place for toxic waste. In an advisory vote, more than 90 percent of voters (4,942) voted ‘no’ when asked by an advisory referendum on the DeWitt County ballot if the landfill should accept toxic waste. Just 517 voters said storage in the landfill was an acceptable practice.” (LeRoy FarmerCity Press)

  5. Somerset County Council expected to extend life of Somerton landfill site “SOMERSET County Council is expected to approve plans to extend the life of a landfill site just outside Somerton for a further 25 years. An application will go towards the council’s regulation committee tomorrow regarding the Whiscombe Hill Waste Management Site on Somertonfield Road. Under existing plans, Westcombe Waste Management Ltd. can operate the site until December 31, 2017.” (Western Gazette)

  6. Ohio County rejects recycling facility proposals “Medina County (Ohio) commissioners accepted a recommendation from a special bid team to reject proposals from two companies to operate the Medina County Central Processing Facility (CPF). The CPF is a mixed-waste processing facility that handles all of the solid waste collected from Medina County. Cleveland-based Envision Waste Services has operated the facility for the past 21 years.” (Recycling Today)

  7. Middlebury Will Discontinue Town-Wide Curbside Recycling “Starting in April 2015, Middlebury residents will be on their own when it comes to contracting for curbside recycling pickup. Part of the reason for the change is Vermont's new universal recycling law, which the town hopes will continue to motivate residents to recycle. Middlebury officials were also concerned with how state composting mandates coming down the pike would affect the town-wide recycling contract.” (VPR.net)

  8. $1M assessed for hazardous waste crime at Greenville “A California company that operated a commercial aircraft painting facility at Greenville’s Mid-Delta Regional Airport will pay $1 million after pleading guilty to a felony count of treating, storing or disposing of hazardous waste without a permit. Leading Edge Aviation Services Inc. was required to properly manage the hazardous waste produced from stripping paint from aircraft in preparation for repainting. But a federal investigation revealed that from April 2 to May 16 in 2010, it stored hazardous wastes in an open pit without a permit.” (The Clarion-Ledger)

  9. Public Works proposes ‘pay as you throw’ garbage plan “The Memphis Department of Public Works collects more than 400,000 tons of garbage each year. Public Works said much of the garbage they collect is left outside of the green containers provided by the city. The Save Money and Reduce Trash (SMART) program, or ‘pay as you go’ program, would only charge citizens for the trash they use, but some city council members said this isn’t the right move.” (News Channel 3)

  10. The Push for a Plastic Bag Fee Is Picking Up in Athens “Cncerned citizens are discussing something a little more feasible for Athens: a legally mandated plastic bag fee. Basically, grocery shoppers would pay a few cents for each disposable plastic bag they used at checkout. The idea is to encourage patrons to bring their own reusable bags and thus reduce film plastic waste on the part of shoppers and retailers.” (Flagpole.com)

About the Author(s)

David Bodamer

Executive Director, Content & User Engagement, Waste360

David Bodamer is Executive Director of Content & User Engagement for Waste360 and NREI. Bodamer joined Waste360 in January 2014. He has been with NREI since September 2011 and has been covering the commercial real estate sector since 1999 for Retail Traffic, Commercial Property News and Shopping Centers Today. He also previously worked for Civil Engineering magazine. His writings on real estate have also appeared in REP. and the Wall Street Journal’s online real estate news site. He has won multiple awards from the National Association of Real Estate Editors and is a past finalist for a Jesse H. Neal Award. 

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