Casella Waste Systems, Rutland, Vermont, and Austins Rubbish & Roll-Off Services, Charleston, Vermont, have called for an “indefinite” postponement of Vermont’s food waste ban, which is slated to take effect on July 1. The requests come amid the coronavirus pandemic, as many recycling and trash drop-off centers around the state have closed or reduced hours, according to VTDigger.
Vermont lawmakers passed the Universal Recycling Law in 2012, banning the disposal of recyclables into landfills starting in 2015 and leaf and yard debris in 2016. Businesses that generate over one-third of a ton of food scraps a week are currently banned from throwing away food scraps — a prohibition that will extend to all Vermonters on July 1.
Casella CEO John Casella wrote to Gov. Phil Scott on March 17, saying that the company anticipates pandemic-related challenges ranging from difficulty selling recyclable materials to problems with their subcontracted haulers. He called on Scott to “strongly contemplate” taking emergency steps like allowing waste to be collected 24/7 and lifting the ban on recyclables being landfilled, among other measures.
Casella operates 22 transfer stations and the state’s two recycling processing facilities, hauls waste throughout much of the state and owns Vermont’s only open landfill in Coventry.
Kim Crosby, environmental compliance manager for Casella, told members of the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee March 31 that the state has granted solid waste managers some flexibility in terms of hours they’re allowed to operate facilities and haul waste. Other measures, however, would require legislative action.
“It is our understanding that we are in the very infancy of this epidemic’s trajectory,” she told committee members, adding, “It has been incredibly difficult to plan around and predict what the next few months, and possibly longer, will bring.”
Meanwhile, Sen. John Rodgers told committee members that he sees a temporary suspension of the recycling and organics disposal bans as having more to do with a lack of access to recycling and food scrap disposal during the pandemic. Glover and other towns have recently closed their recycling drop-off centers.
“We have no idea how long this is going to go on and how much room people have in an apartment to store their own recyclables — [and] nobody really wants a whole room full of recyclables,” said Rodgers.
Crosby has told senators that Casella is developing “contingency plans” to ensure waste collection would continue amid labor shortages. While none of Casella’s 2,500 employees have yet tested positive for COVID-19, the company does have some staff who are at home quarantined, she said.