Special Wastes Challenge MSW Directors

On one hand, waste management operations are doing what they can to ensure that bulky items are disposed of properly and not ditched on the side of the road, and that other special wastes receive proper disposal. Still, most waste managers would prefer to see fewer bulky items headed for the landfill and more put to good use for someone else. Suki Janssen, interim solid waste director for Athens-Clarke County, GA, says the term “bulky waste” makes her uncomfortable. “It’s not waste,” she says. “It’s just items that have been misplaced or not in the reuse stream.” [text_ad] Stephen Gillette, solid waste director for Colorado’s Larimer County, concurs: “I think people keep forgetting the three Rs: it’s reduce, reuse, and then recycle—and if all else fails, landfill. I think sometimes we just jump to number four.” Waste management directors such as Debbie Krogwold, recycling coordinator for Waupaca County, WI, are educating the public on sustainable practices that reduce waste. “I believe user fees are important—not only for garbage, but the special wastes like hazardous waste, so they don’t feel like: ‘I’m going to have this; I’ll just get rid of it, and it’s not going to cost me anything,'” she says. “If it does cost a little bit, it will make them think that they’ll just buy what they need.” Many municipal waste operations are partnering with non-profits to reuse and recycle unwanted waste that still has some useful life. Some areas are ramping up efforts to recycle. In response to its residents’ passion for recycling, Athens’ solid waste department is opening up a center for hard-to-recycle materials this year. “It will be taking items that we know there are outlets for in Atlanta, but we ­historically haven’t had the space to save it in a dry area where it can be sold or picked up for cost neutral to go to a recycler,” explains Janssen. Colorado’s paint stewardship bill goes into effect July 1. The state will become the eighth in the US to implement PaintCare, a paint recycling program. [text_ad use_post='27767'] PaintCare is a non-profit organization created in 2009 by the American Coatings Association to represent paint manufacturers in states that pass paint stewardship laws. The Colorado Paint Stewardship Law implements an industry-operated and financed postconsumer paint management system that decreases cost and responsibility for local and state governments and makes paint recycling more convenient. Half of products received through municipal household hazardous waste programs are paints. Some 10% of paint is leftover and unused. Some 65 million gallons of paint are leftover annually in the United States, including 1.2 million gallons in Colorado. While normal waste collection is conducted through fairly predictable routes on specified days in most communities, when it comes to special wastes, operations should always be prepared for the unusual, Gillette points out. “You never know when someone is going to call and say, ‘I’ve got this,’ and you say, ‘You’ve got what?’ Have your regulators on speed dial so you can help your customer in tight situations,” he says. One of the most unusual special wastes with which Gillette has had to deal came at the request of a veterinarian school. “They had an elephant to bring out that had passed away from TB,” he says. “They called the state, and they thought the best thing to do was to bury this animal, because who has a regulation about do you accept an elephant? Be prepared, and think outside of the box.”

Managing municipal solid waste is more than landfilling: publicity, education, engineering, long-term planning, and landfill gas waste-to-energy are specialties needed in today’s complex environment. We’ve created a handy infographic featuring 6 tips to improve landfill management and achieve excellence in operations. 6 Tips for Excellence in Landfill Operations. Download it now!