The proposal was introduced on April 7 and will be decided on April 25.
The Central Tennessee Regional Solid Waste Board, which oversees how waste is handled in Rutherford County, Tennesse, is considering new legislation that would prohibit the acceptance of trash from outside counties.
The resolution, introduced by Rutherford County Representative Donna Barrett, was proposed on April 7. The board will have a public hearing on the matter on April 25, and the board will vote on the proposal following the hearing. The resolution will prevent waste from nine counties from going into the Middle Point Landfill, operated by Republic Services, Phoenix.
“Tennessee has a goal of reducing waste that goes into our landfills by about 25 percent annually,” Barrett says. “I think any opportunity we have to cause the action that makes that change, we should take it.”
In February, the board had previously voted to deny the expansion of the Middle Point Landfill, the main landfill in Rutherford County. With this new resolution, officials hope it will improve the amount of trash within the landfill by attempting to reduce 25 percent of the number of solid waste produced.
Barrett says that about 70 percent of the waste that goes into the Middle Point landfill is from outside counties. The biggest contributor to this statistic is Davidson County, which contributes to about 46 percent of the waste being accepted at the landfill. Davidson is followed by Sumner County, which contributed 4.29 percent, Wilson at 4.04 percent and Williamson at 3.29 percent.
Accepting the outside waste has created hazardous chemical reactions at Middle Point, forcing sections of the landfill to close prematurely.
The resolution is based on the Solid Waste Management Act of 1991. The Act states that regions cannot prohibit acceptance of waste from outside if a landfill agreed to accept it before July 1, 1991. However, if acceptance of outside waste significantly impairs the region's plan, it could then consider banning it.
If approved, the resolution will take effect no later than December 31, 2022.
A widespread push for environmental compliance has put increased accountability on waste, recycling processors.
A growing expectation for environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting has made waves through state legislatures across the U.S., with many practices in the waste and recycling industries becoming a major topic of discussion.
Given the sector’s role in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)—landfills being the third-largest source of methane emissions in the nation—waste facilities are increasingly being called upon to adopt emission mitigation protocols and to forge new relationships with surrounding communities.
At this year’s C&D World, hosted by the Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA), based in Chicago, ESG and environmental justice (EJ) trends were a pressing subject for the conference’s diverse audience of C&D professionals.
“If the state you’re in hasn’t targeted [carbon emissions], they’re likely going to,” said Chris Whitehead, air practice lead for New Jersey-based Enviro-Sciences of Delaware Inc. and C&D World speaker for a session titled “EJ/ESG: Collaborating with Your Local Community.”
During his presentation, Whitehead explained how the widespread push for environmental compliance has put increased pressure on the solid waste industry to take a closer look at its impact on air quality.
More and more states have begun to propose EJ action bills, including Massachusetts, California, Vermont, Illinois and Georgia. In New Jersey, the state made headlines for the passing of a landmark EJ law in the fall of 2020, which has been described as the “strongest law of its kind” in the U.S.
The legislation, known as S232, requires the state Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to evaluate the environmental and public health impacts on vulnerable communities when reviewing permit applications for certain new facilities, such as power plants, incinerators, sewage plants, landfills and more.
“In September 2020, New Jersey Gov. [John] Murphy signed what’s been called one of the most progressive, or gold standard, radical justice rules that has ever come of that … but New Jersey is not the only one [implementing these laws] and there are more to follow us,” Whitehead said.
While many of the proposed environmental compliance laws within state legislatures are still in their infancy, Whitehead noted it is never too early to begin planning for future regulations.
“Every state who is [pursuing an EJ or ESG] law will first form an action group to discuss various mapping capabilities and different [community] stressors, and they want to study this … [In New Jersey], every site is required to do a geographic point of comparison test and take their projected impacts judged against the 80th percentile of non-overt communities,” he said. “If the site’s impact is over the 80th percentile, [NJDEP] has the authority to impose permit conditions concerning the operation of the facility.”
“If you’re talking to the NJDEP, they’re trying to tell you [these regulations] are in no way anti-business and that they are just trying to clean up the environment … but there’s a lot of uncertainty hanging over this,” Whitehead added.
While there has been hesitancy from facility operators surrounding the potential for EJ and ESG laws to hinder C&D recycling operations, state and federal governments have faced increased pressure from communities and environmental groups to better regulate emissions.
In fact, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently revealed a draft rule March 21 that could require U.S.-listed companies to disclose a range of climate-related risks and GHG emissions, known as Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. The proposed legislation—part of President Biden’s push to join global efforts to avert climate-related catastrophes—would also require companies to disclose GHG generated by suppliers and partners, known as Scope 3 emissions, if they are material or included in any emissions targets the company has set.
Described by the CDRA as “the most stringent path” the SEC could take in regard to proposed emission guidelines, some believe it has the potential to pave a path to where private recycling businesses could be requested to divulge climate risks and emissions data by publicly-held customers.
The draft proposal, subject to public feedback, is likely to be finalized later this year, as reported by Reuters.
The company says the machine combines the advantages of telescopic handler and wheel loader.
Sennebogen, Straubing, Germany, is expanding its multiline product line with its second model, the 3.40 G.
According to a news release from Sennebogen, the little brother of the established 355 E has now been developed as an addition to the multiline portfolio for use as a telescopic handler and as a multifunctional machine. The machine has compact dimensions of 18 feet in length and just under 8 feet in width. The stacking height of the telescopic boom is 25 feet. The machine offers unique stability with a long wheelbase of 10 feet and a low center of gravity of the entire machine at an operating weight of 9.3 tons.
Throughout the design and construction of all components, the company says special attention was paid to the requirements of multishift operations in tough material handling. A high-strength, solid steel frame and sophisticated design of the telescopic boom ensure that the forces occurring in loading operation are optimally absorbed by the body. This ensures the reliability and durability of the machine, even in demanding continuous operation, Sennebogen says.
The telescopic handler is equipped with a 100-kilowatt diesel engine in emissions category V and can reach speeds of up to 24 miles per hour with its stepless traction drive, according to the manufacturer. The operator can choose from two further modes in addition to road mode, stacker mode and loading mode.
In the 4-ton class, the Sennebogen 3.40 G is aimed at customers with demanding material handling tasks, such as recyclers. It is also aimed at sectors like biogas plants or contractors in agriculture and municipal services. It can be equipped with a variety of attachments, from buckets to sweeping brushes and snow blades. The machine's infinitely variable travel drive with Compact Drive transmission ensures fast driving or high torque with traction and thrust, depending on requirements.
The company says the 3.40 G can be configured to suit almost any requirement. A wide variety of optional equipment is available, ranging from the automatic central lubrication system for optimal serviceability to the compressed-air brake system for trailer operation or tire variants, depending on the area of application.
The company pledges to invest up to $5 million per project.
New York City-based Closed Loop Partners, through its Closed Loop Infrastructure Group, has pledged support to Resource Recycling Systems’ (RRS’) NextCycle initiative, working collaboratively with Colorado, Michigan and Washington, the states that currently are participating in NextCycle, to identify opportunities to provide competitively priced and flexible financing of up to $5 million per project. NextCycle is a customizable accelerator-style program that facilitates the creation of circular economies.
Ann Arbor, Michigan-based RRS manages and facilitates NextCycle. Selected teams in the NextCycle initiative receive access to business, industry and investment experts to develop project plans, make connections with partners and funders and cultivate investment-ready and implementation-ready projects.
“For a circular economy to be robust and economically sustainable it needs a continuous flow of recycled materials, a viable recycling infrastructure, and accessible end markets,” says Jim Frey, RRS co-founder and CEO. “By leveraging state funds and accelerating the flow of private and nonprofit capital into projects focused on infrastructure, technology and supply chains, we can help mobilize recycling efforts in NextCycle states.”
Through NextCycle, Colorado, Michigan and Washington will identify projects that develop recovery infrastructure solutions for postconsumer recyclables with a focus on polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, and aluminum, optimize innovative collection systems for polyethylene and polypropylene and divert from landfill back into the supply chain. Over the next three years of partnership, Closed Loop Partners will collaborate with the various NextCycle initiatives, identifying investable opportunities that advance collective circularity goals, according to a news release issued by RRS.
Jennifer Louie, executive director at Closed Loop Partners, says, “Building a robust circular economy requires multiple stakeholders to be at the table. Closed Loop Partners is thrilled to collaborate with RRS and NextCycle to help identify and accelerate the most promising solutions. This partnership will continue to drive innovation and develop equitable local economies while keeping valuable materials in play and out of landfills.”
Closed Loop Partners has an existing portfolio of more than 50 investments that have collectively diverted more than 4,600 million pounds of material from landfills into manufacturing supply chains. The firm’s Closed Loop Infrastructure Group deploys capital across a range of circular economy projects, companies, infrastructure and enabling technologies.
The association’s Steve Alexander says claims regarding the additives’ recyclability are “unfounded, untested and possibly misleading as outlined by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guide.”
Steve Alexander, president and CEO of the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), Washington, has issued a statement regarding the potential effects of degradable additives on mechanical recycling of postconsumer plastics.
The statement reads in part, “Claims regarding the recyclability of degradable additives are unfounded, untested and possibly misleading as outlined by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's Green Guide. No third-party testing data has confirmed these recyclability claims. APR urges companies making such claims to share their supporting data with the recycling community.”
Alexandar says the APR is worried that the additives could negatively affect mechanical recycling of postconsumer plastics by compromising “the integrity or useful life of plastic packaging or durable products made from recycled resins that contain these additives.”
He continues, “The use of such degradable additives in packaging may render the packaging nonrecyclable because they lower the functionality and sustainability of recycled postconsumer plastics when included with recyclable plastics. Because degradable additives contaminate the plastics recycling stream, they must be kept isolated from recyclable packaging.”
Alexander adds, “The degradation of otherwise recycled plastics means lost opportunities for the repeated use of molecules through recycling, which according to the 2018 Life Cycle Inventory Analysis of Recycled Plastics, has less environmental impact than single use of molecules.”
His statement concludes, “Although APR has provided test protocols for time-dependent degradation for over 10 years, due to the concern and risks involved, APR does not consider items containing degradable additives eligible for APR Design Recognition Programs. It is also illegal in Alabama, California and North Carolina to label a plastic product both ‘degradable and recyclable.’”
Recently, a U.K.-based tech startup, Polymateria, says it found a way to alter the properties of plastic to make it biodegradable and recyclable at the same time with the use of a proprietary additive.
The U.S. Plastics Pact also has identified oxo-degradable additives, including oxo-biodegradable additives, on its Problematic and Unnecessary Materials List, saying these items "are not currently reusable, recyclable or compostable at scale in the U.S. and are not projected to be kept in a closed loop in practice and at scale by 2025."