David Bodamer, Executive Director, Content & User Engagement

May 27, 2014

4 Min Read
10 Things You Need to Know For the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (May 27, 2014)

 

  1. NYC trash, shipped by rail, coming to landfill “High Acres Landfill, which sprawls over nearly 1,000 acres in Perinton and Macedon, Wayne County, is poised to become the first landfill in New York state to accept shipments of trash via railroad. Construction of a rail spur leading into the landfill's eastern section in Macedon is underway, and rail shipments of solid waste in closed containers are expected to begin next year. Initially, trains will deliver household waste from New York City, though other sources are possible.” (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)

  2. Current waste plant contractor last on Pinellas bid list “With revenues of about $35 million per year, the long-term contract to operate Pinellas County’s Waste-to-Energy plant is one of the most lucrative the county awards. Little wonder there is a dispute brewing over which company runs it next. That job has belonged to GCS Energy Recovery of Pinellas since it acquired previous operator Veolia ES Pinellas in December 2012.” (The St. Petersburg Tribune)

  3. D.C. said it was recycling — it wasn’t. Nearly 53 tons of plastic trash cans sent to landfill. “Garbage is a rare subject at your average cocktail party. But in the District, trash — or the cans it goes in, at least — is a trending topic. It started with the rush delivery of more than 200,000 shiny-new cans before the city’s primary election last month. That led to the odd problem of trash can proliferation, with old cans waiting weeks to be picked up and streets and alleys overflowing with extra bins. Then there was the arrest and lockup of a little-known District artist for trying to repurpose (as flowerpots) several of the old cans that had been plastered with ‘Take Me!’ signs. And the city’s overcorrection of the languishing can problem, which officials dubbed a ‘blitz’ — cleared away not just unwanted cans, but even some recently delivered ones. And now, it turns out that the city has not been recycling thousands of the cans, as the administration of Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) had promised — but chucking them instead.” (Washington Post)

  4. EPA Claims Exide Battery Recycling Plant Has Repeatedly Violated Lead Emission Standards “Officials announced Thursday that the Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon has emitted risky levels of lead into the air, violating federal limits and endangering nearby residents’ health. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found the facility surpassed federal Clean Air Act standards on more than 30 instances, between September 2013 and April 2014.” (CBS Los Angeles)

  5. Precision Castparts subsidiary hit with record $13.75M fine “A Precision Castparts subsidiary will pay a record Toxic Substances Control Act fine. Titanium Metals Corp., or Timet, agreed to pay $13.75 million in fines, which is a record for a single facility. The company also faces a massive clean-up chore stemming from what the government calls “the unauthorized manufacture and disposal” of polychlorinated biphenyls at a Henderson, Nevada manufacturing facility.” (Portland Business Journal)

  6. Eight Arrested During UES Waste Transfer Station Protest “Eight people were placed under arrest Friday after protesting the city's tree removal in preparation for a planned Upper East Side garbage transfer station, and even as the city says it continues to take community concerns regarding the station under consideration, those opposed say the Department of Sanitation has made a move that can't be undone.” (NY1.com)

  7. Disposal of Fracking Waste Water Begins at Lafarge Cement Plant in Brookfield “Lafarge Cement in Brookfield has begun processing waste water that originated in the waste ponds of two exploratory gas wells fracked 6 years ago in Kennetcook. The waste water being evaporated in the Lefarge cement kiln has been treated to remove radioactivity, and through a reverse osmosis process to remove other substances. In community meetings Minister of Environment Randy Delorey and departmental staff have stressed that after the treatments by Atlantic Industrial Services the waste waters meet national standards for drinking water and for release into aquatic environments.” (Earth First! Journal)

  8. Dell Builds PC from Recycled Plastic, Electronics “Dell, in what it says are two IT industry firsts, has launched carbon-negative packaging and is using UL-Environment certified closed-loop recycled plastics in the manufacturing of computers. The packaging is based on carbon-negative AirCarbon material from biotech start-up, Newlight Technologies.” (Environmental Leader)

  9. Pensacola recycling programs could resume soon “Recycling services could soon resume soon for Pensacola residents after the closure of West Florida Recycling forced the city to begin hauling recyclables to the county landfill. City Administrator Colleen Castille told Pensacola City Council members on Thursday that the city was considering taking recyclables to a processor in Montgomery, Ala.” (Pensacola News Journal)

  10. Buffalo’s recycling program still struggles “Buffalo is trying to burnish its green credentials with big public investments to clean up its waterways and attract clean energy companies. Recycling is an easier lift, but the city’s anemic program is plagued by fits and starts. City Hall took the major step of distributing green recycling totes to residents in late 2011. Last year, Mayor Byron Brown hired a full-time recycling coordinator.” (Investigative Post)

About the Author(s)

David Bodamer

Executive Director, Content & User Engagement, Waste360

David Bodamer is Executive Director of Content & User Engagement for Waste360 and NREI. Bodamer joined Waste360 in January 2014. He has been with NREI since September 2011 and has been covering the commercial real estate sector since 1999 for Retail Traffic, Commercial Property News and Shopping Centers Today. He also previously worked for Civil Engineering magazine. His writings on real estate have also appeared in REP. and the Wall Street Journal’s online real estate news site. He has won multiple awards from the National Association of Real Estate Editors and is a past finalist for a Jesse H. Neal Award. 

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