10 Things You Need to Know For the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (April 1, 2014)10 Things You Need to Know For the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (April 1, 2014)

L.A. poised to OK sweeping overhaul of trash collection “Currently, landlords for large apartments and businesses choose between scores of trash haulers competing for their business — an estimated $250-million market serving some 63,000 properties, according to the Bureau of Sanitation. Under a new ‘exclusive franchise’ system, Los Angeles would be divided into 11 zones for garbage collection. Trash companies would compete to win city contracts for each zone, giving them the exclusive right to haul garbage from businesses and larger apartments. San Jose and many Orange County cities use similar systems, but the Los Angeles would be the largest city in the country to impose exclusive franchises. (Los Angeles Times)

Waste not: Egypt’s refuse collectors regain role at heart of Cairo society “For the waste pickers that have traditionally made a living sifting through the mountain of discarded litter that blights the streets of Cairo, there has been scant cause for celebration these past 10 years. Marginalised by a 2004 Mubarak goverment directive that placed household waste collection in the hands of multinationals, their existence has been one of ever increasing struggle for steadily declining return. But change is afoot. Government acceptance that the corporatisation of waste disposal in Egypt's capital has been a resounding failure has paved the way for the formal integration of the zabaleen – who, for more than half a century, went door to door gathering the vast majority of household waste in Cairo – into the city's official refuse collection system.” (The Guardian)

Newby Island Landfill Owes Workers Millions in Back Pay “Republic Services, the company that runs Newby Island landfill, owes its workers nearly $2.6 million in back pay, according to San Jose’s city attorneys. The amount makes up the discrepancy between what Republic employees were earning—San Jose’s $10 minimum hourly wage—and what they should have earned under a local policy that requires companies doing business with the city to pay what’s called a living wage. The living wage during the time in question ranged from $15.98 to $17.03 an hour. That means each of the non-unionized 193 employees identified by the city should get a check to the tune of $13,396 for time worked since 2011.” (SanJoseInside.com)

Louisville program to boost downtown recycling “Some 300 downtown Louisville businesses are being asked to change the way they dispose of their trash — an experiment intended to dramatically increase recycling and reduce the amount of waste being dumped in landfills. The voluntary program, to be tested over the next six months, would have businesses and some downtown residents served by city trash haulers begin separating their wet and dry waste, putting each in differently colored plastic bags so they can be picked up and taken to a recycling center for sorting.” (The Courier-Journal)

Controversial Clayton, N.J., Recycling plant application withdrawn “Applause erupted in the auditorium of the borough's Herma Simmons Elementary School Monday evening when an application for a new recycling center was withdrawn in front of the combined planning and zoning board. A plan for a single stream, 60,000-square-foot recycling facility was to be considered by the board in a meeting that was moved from the borough's municipal building to the elementary school due to the expected crowd.” (NJ.com)

MassDEP issues fines against Cecil Smith landfill owner “Mary Robinson, the owner of the controversial Cecil Smith landfill, has agreed to pay the state $168,000 in penalties according to a consent order signed Friday. The 15-page agreement between the state Department of Environmental Protection and Robinson outlines penalties to be paid over a period of time as well as the establishment of funds to address future problems at the site. ‘This is the first time we have assessed penalties against the owner,’ said Philip Weinberg, director of MassDEP's Southeast Regional Office, via phone on Monday.” (SouthCoastToday)

Lawrence Township, N.J., struggling to get food waste recycling program running “As temperatures warm up and residents begin swapping snow shovels and ice scrapers for potting soil and flower seeds, Lawrence Township’s recycling coordinator Greg Whitehead hopes spring will focus residents’ attention on a program he’s been having trouble getting off the ground — organic waste recycling. ‘I’m hoping now that the weather is going to get a little better that it’ll pick up,’ said Whitehead, also the township’s director of public works. ‘If the weather gets nice, people can start thinking about something other than snow.’” (NJ.com)

Waste turned into green electricity “A Portsmouth food manufacturer is now powered by green energy produced by its own waste. Quattro Foods Limited, which makes fresh chilled soups, sauces and dishes for food service and retailers across the UK, has signed up to receive power from Veolia’s energy recovery facility in Copnor. The company’s recent investment in improved blast-chilling equipment would increase their energy consumption beyond what was available on site.” (Portsmouth.co.uk)

Tennessee plastics recycler expands operations “Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty, along with officials of plastics recycling company Allied Reprocessing recently held an open house at a new Allied facility in Ripley, Tenn. The company’s original building was destroyed by a fire in November of 2012. The company is likely to invest $1.1 million and create 31 new jobs because of the expansion. ‘After some long days of planning and lots of hard work, we are growing and open to business,’ said Will Douglas, owner of Allied Reprocessing. With $2 million already invested in equipment and infrastructure, Douglas says he plans to invest another $1 million during the next 12 months.” (Recycling Today)

Yakima to run recycling experiment “It’s a weekend, friends from out of town are visiting here for the first time, and before they throw away their soda cans they ask: ‘Do you recycle?’ In Yakima, where there is no publicly owned option for curbside pickup of recyclables, the answer is probably ‘No.’” (Yakima Herald)