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Recommendations for Statewide Solid Waste Management Plan

 

Recommendations for the Statewide Solid Waste Management Plan

 

The overall State goal is the recommendation to shift focus from collection and disposal to waste

diversion.

 

There was discussion on whether to set a reduction goal (e.g. 5% year or 40% at the end of the 10

years). The committee recommended not establishing a goal initially but doing a “reality” check in

year five of the plan to see if we were moving in the right direction and whether a numeric goal

would be helpful. The discussion also pointed out that if numeric goals were to be established,

they should be established based on waste generation sectors (household, commercial, industrial,

etc.).

 

 

A. Needs Assessment Subcommittee Recommendations

 

Recommendation #1 – Change the statutes and/or regulations to reflect a change in the purpose of

the Needs Assessment and Solid Waste Management Plan (from tracking waste across RSWMD

jurisdictional boundaries and providing for disposal capacity) to meeting the goal of waste

diversion, as established in the state and district solid waste management plans.

 

1. ADEQ action for proposing legislative action

2. Mandate

3. Statutory changes during the 2015 legislative session will be required. No additional funding

required.

4. Mandate will be completed after legislative changes are in place and incorporated into a Needs

Assessment template developed by ADEQ and provided to each RSWMD for their use in developing their

10 year plan.

 

 

Recommendation #2 – Change the time frames so that each district updates its Needs Assessment and

Solid Waste Management Plan every five years. For proper sequencing, the first Needs Assessment

 

 

 

 

 

 

would be due in year four, and the Solid Waste Management Plan update due the next year. This would

clarify the times in which certain plan elements are due, which are currently confusing and

sometimes contradictory.

 

1. ADEQ action for proposing legislative action

2. Mandate

3. Statutory changes during the 2015 legislative session will be required. No additional funding

required.

4. Mandate will be completed after legislative changes are in place and ADEQ develops and provides

a management plan template for use by the RSWMDs in the development of their 10 year plan.

 

 

Recommendation #3 – Require that each district provide only an annual report updating the

district’s progress toward goals in its own 10-year plan. This would be a short, simple report.

 

1. ADEQ action for proposing legislative action

2. Mandate

3. Statutory changes during the 2015 legislative session will be required. No additional funding

required.

4. Mandate will be completed after legislative changes are in place and ADEQ develops and

provides an annual report template to the RSWMDs for their use.

 

 

 

B. Collection Subcommittee Recommendations

 

Recommendation #1 – Weekly curbside/roadside and/or drop-off collection services should be made

available for all household solid waste for residential dwellings within the state by either city,

county or private collection.

 

1. RSWMD / CITY / COUNTY action

2. Goal

3. No legislation or regulation required. No additional funding required.

4. Goal will be measured by each RSWMD polling the counties and cities within their district to

identify the services being provided and including those results in their annual report.

Recommendation #2 – A minimum of semi-monthly yard waste collection services should be provided for

all residential dwellings within the state. Collected wastes must be managed at a Class Y compost

facility or an alternative approved pursuant to 8-6-220(b). Each district should include the

schedule of implementation within its solid waste plan, beginning with the larger cities.

It was recommended that a Special committee be convened by ADEQ to develop acceptable alternatives

to composting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. RSWMD / CITY / COUNTY action

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2. Goal

3. No legislation or regulation needed. No additional funding required.

4. Goal will be measured by each RSWMD polling the counties and cities within their District to

identify the services being provided and including those results in their annual report.

Recommendation #3 – Collection services or a suitable alternative (transfer stations or community

based drop-off locations) for bulky items should be made available for all residential dwellings

within the state. Implementation of the program should be included in each district’s plan and be

based upon population.

 

1. RSWMD / CITY / COUNTY action

2. Goal

3. No legislation or regulation required. No additional funding required.

4. Goal will be measured by each RSWMD polling the counties and cities within their district to

identify the services being provided and including those results in their annual report.

Proposed to be deleted – Recommendation #4 – Each district must have a waste tire program that

accepts all the tires within the district. It must be adequate to handle all of the tires generated

by residents and businesses within the district’s area.

 

There is currently a waste tire program that meets these requirements; therefore no action is

required at this time. Committee members agreed that his recommendation should be deleted from the

plan as no further actions were identified.

 

C. Disposal Subcommittee Recommendations

 

Recommendation #1 – Evaluate the disposal capacity of permitted landfills. Establish a 7-year

minimum of disposal capacity for each district. If a district has no existing Class 1 landfill or

has a facility with less than 7 years’ capacity, it could partner with an adjoining district or

neighboring state to offer low cost disposal for their residents.

 

1. ADEQ action for proposing legislative changes and RSWMD ongoing action for the planning and/or

securing disposal capacity

2. Goal

3. No legislation or regulation required. No additional funding required.

4. Goal will be measured by each RSWMD reporting the permitted disposal capacity available to

residents in their annual report.

 

Recommendation #2 – Evaluate the waste stream in the geographical area of each district through an

annual waste audit. Develop a business plan for the diversion and recycling of waste based on the

audit results.

 

1. RSWMD action on audit performance

2. Goal

3. No legislation or regulation needed. No additional funding required.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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4. Goal will be measured by each RSWMD reporting waste audits results and waste diversion program

decisions and goals in their annual report.

 

Recommendation #3 – Expedite the permitting process through the addition of personnel and other

resources at ADEQ.

 

1. ADEQ action

2. Goal

3. No statutory changes will be needed. Regulatory changes may result after evaluation of the

permitting process is performed. No additional funding will be needed.

4. Goal will be measured by ADEQ after conducting a process evaluation to streamline the permit

review process, where possible, and to identify and develop additional guidance for permit

application development. The current average permitting timeframe prior to this streamlining

evaluation will be the baseline for measurement.

 

Proposed to be deleted – Recommendation #4 – Allow for the establishment of “dirty” material

recovery facilities (MRFs) at permitted landfills.

 

Members of the committee agreed to remove the recommendation because “dirty” MRF are currently

permissible with ADEQ permitting as Solid Waste Recovery Facilities and no further actions were

identified.

 

Recommendation #4 – Require districts to establish a Household Hazardous Waste program (either

permanent sites or collection events) within their boundaries.

 

1. RSWMD action on planning events and establishing HHW programs

2. Mandate for districts that access the $2 fee per Act 209 of 2011 and a goal for districts that

do not.

3. No legislation or regulation needed. No additional funding required.

4. Mandate/Goal will be measured by either reporting by the RSWMD if they are the implementers of

this program or RSWMD polling the counties and cities within their district on their HHW programs

and collection events. The results will be included in their annual report.

 

Recommendation #5 – Phase in bans of certain materials from landfills, including HHW, e-waste,

clean cardboard, etc., and require manufacturer responsibility programs for recycling or reusing

those materials.

 

1. ADEQ action(s) on proposing legislative changes based on recycling market or reuse option

availability and stakeholder feedback.

2. Mandate

3. Legislative action would be required on landfill bans for all waste types except for electronic

waste which would be banned through regulatory changes. Additional funding could be required to

ensure that waste materials proposed to be banned are managed in a sustainable manner.

4. Mandate will be tracked and achieved by monitoring ADEQ legislative proposals that result in

materials being banned from landfills. The number of items will be tracked by ADEQ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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D. Recycling Subcommittee Recommendations

 

Recommendation #1 – All municipal waste recycling programs should evaluate the economic viability

of accepting the following items: paper products, including news print, cardboard, white office

paper, mixed paper, magazines, junk mail catalogs, phone books, boxboard and chipboard; metals,

both steel and aluminum cans; plastic – #1PET, #2 HDPE and others where possible; clear and colored

glass (no window glass, glass ceramics, light bulbs or ovenware); and white goods (large

residential appliances).

 

1. RSWMD/County/City action on expansion of their recycling program as waste audits and economic

analyses support.

2. Goal

3. No legislation or regulation needed. No additional funding required. Allocation of recycling

funding distributions will be managed by the districts.

4. Goal will be measured by RSWMD reporting the location, available services and items accepted

in all municipal waste recycling efforts, to include county and city programs, in their annual

report

 

Recommendation #2 – All incorporated cities with a population of 5,000 or more offer residential

curbside recycling. Communities of this size must work with the districts to make available

convenient opportunities for commercial and multi-family recycling. A minimum of semi-monthly

collection services or a suitable alternative system (e.g. transfer stations) for recyclable

material collection should be made available for all residential dwellings within the state. Cities

should be required to implement a curbside recycling program, beginning with the most populated

cities and eventually including cities of all sizes. The implementation schedule should become part

of each district’s plan.

 

1. RSWMD/City action

2. Goal

3. No legislative or regulatory action required. No additional funding required.

4. Goal will be measured by RSWMD reporting on municipal waste curbside recycling opportunities in

each city in the district, with a population over 5,000 or more, in their annual report.

 

Proposed to be deleted – Recommendation #3 – All incorporated cities with a population of less than

5,000 offer convenient residential, multi-family, and commercial recycling opportunities, such as

drop off locations. This should be done in cooperation with the districts.

 

Recommendation proposed to be removed because no action item has been identified. Regulation

28.407 mandates that each county offer recycling opportunities for a minimum of three items and the

committee felt that meets the recommendation of convenient recycling opportunities for cities less

than 5,000.

 

Recommendation #4 – Districts will encourage the development and implementation of public

venue/special event recycling programs. Districts will offer guidance for best management

practices, education assistance and information, along with collection and marketing strategies for

public venue facilities and special events. Districts will discourage use of non-recyclable items

like Styrofoam cups.

 

1. RSWMD action

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2. Goal

3. No legislative or regulatory action required. No additional funding required.

4. Goal will be measured by RSWMD reporting the special event recycling programs in their annual

report.

 

E. Special Recoverable Materials Subcommittee Recommendations

 

Special Waste Definition: (Reg. 22.102) – any materials that require special handling precautions

and disposal procedures for the landfill owner or operator beyond the normal activities associated

with landfill operations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recommendation #1

Establish a series of workshops and/or committees to explore the alternative uses of special

recoverable materials in other states. This recommendation should be implemented in early 2014.

 

1. ADEQ action

2. Goal

3. No legislative or regulatory action required. No additional funding required.

4. Goal will be measured by ADEQ tracking the output of workshops and committees developed for

alternate uses for special waste.

 

Recommendation #2 – Develop an on-going directory of special recoverable materials that, if

diverted from landfills, would conserve resources and provide an additional market of reusable

materials. The use of these materials should follow ASTM standards or other industry criteria. This

directory should be ready to go on the ADEQ website by June 1, 2014.

 

1. ADEQ action

2. Goal

3. No legislation or regulation required. No additional funding required.

4. Goal will be monitored by ADEQ establishing a directory for diversion and alternate use options

for special recoverable materials using insight from stakeholders and researching other states

efforts.

 

Recommendation #3 – Encourage and incentivize the use of thermal recovery from municipal,

commercial and industrial sources.

 

1. ADEQ action

2. Goal

3. No legislation or regulation required. No additional funding required.

4. Goal will be measured by ADEQ building a directory of organizations that utilizes thermal

recovery. (Additional research was going to be conducted by ADEQ on other thermal recovery

sources). ADEQ will also clarify the applicability of the Recycling Tax Credit Program to thermal

recovery projects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Recommendation #4 – Encourage ADEQ and districts to exercise due diligence in the selection, use

and operation of recycling and disposal facilities.

 

1. ADEQ and RSMWD action

2. Goal

3. No legislation or regulation required. No additional funding required.

4. Goal will be measured by ADEQ developing a checklist for evaluating the compliance status of

potential vendors for use by ADEQ and the RSWMDs in their respective procurement processes. ADEQ

will continue to update their website with all inspections and enforcement actions

 

Recommendation #5 – Develop an illegal dump program that provides additional resources to identify

and remediate illegal dumps, while providing education and enforcement to prevent future dumping.

 

1. ADEQ action to propose legislation for a funding source for illegal dump clean-up and RSWMD

action to operate and maintain a district illegal dump control program.

2. Goal

3. Legislation will be required to establish a funding source and program for the use of these

monies.

4. Goal will be completed after legislative changes are in place and RSWMD begin reporting the

identification and cleanup of illegal dumps in their district and their educational programs to

prevent illegal dumping in their annual report. The current number of valid illegal dumps reported

to ADEQ will be compared to the inventory in upcoming years.

 

F. Education and Public Participation Subcommittee Recommendations

 

Recommendation #1 – Implement a statewide media campaign addressing various avenues of solid waste

management, including proper disposal, handling special waste streams (paint, sharps, HHW), waste

reduction and recycling. The campaign should also address improper/illegal disposal (e.g., burn

barrels, burning household wastes etc.). Pick-up Arkansas should be considered as a model. Develop

a media and/or education campaign that recognizes and explains the current and future costs of (1)

transporting, diverting, disposing and recycling solid waste, (2) operating a properly run

disposal facility, (3) maintaining closed landfills, and (4) developing emerging technologies. The

campaign should also emphasize the economic impact a properly operated disposal program will have

on local and state economic development.

 

1. ADEQ action for an annual campaign focusing on different waste each year as well as solid waste

management cost.

2. Goal

3. No legislation or regulation required. No additional funding required.

4. Goal will be monitored by tracking the different media outlets utilized by ADEQ to educate and

disseminate information addressing solid waste matters.

 

Recommendation #2 – Every regional solid waste management district should have an updated, accurate

website (or webpages on a partner’s website) that provides citizens easy-to-use access to

information about recycling, composting, waste reduction and waste management services in their

communities.

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Information should include what materials are accepted, days and hours of operation, physical

location, how materials are collected/accepted and contact information for further questions. The

districts are to ensure that city and county recycling/diversion programs are financially

sustainable and are using best management practices.

 

1. RSWMD action

2. Mandate

3. Legislation, regulation and additional funding may be required.

4. Mandate will be measured by each district having an operational, updated web presence. This

can be accomplished by combining resources with counties or cities within the district.

 

Recommendation #3 & #4 Combined – Districts should develop partnerships within communities to

improve information dissemination. Solid waste districts and individual waste management entities

(cities, counties, designated recycling collection centers, etc.) should use social media to

increase awareness of waste management methods and opportunities.

 

1. RSWMD action

2. Goal

3. No legislation or regulation required. No additional funding required.

4. Goal will be monitored by RSWMD providing information regarding partnership efforts and

examples of social media utilization in their annual report.

 

Proposed to be deleted – Recommendation #5 – Requirements for teaching environmental education in

schools should be increased/expanded or established

 

Recommendation was recommended to be removed because no action item was identified. The current

efforts of environmental education performed by ADEQ in partnerships with the districts will

continue to be a focus of the state in aiding with the overall State goal of waste diversion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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