Evacuation lifted for homes near waste plant blast “People driven from their homes in a rural section of Santa Paula last week after a truck at a waste treatment plant blew up have finally been allowed to return. Ventura County fire Capt. Mike Lindbery says the evacuation order for homes within a mile of Santa Clara Wastewater was lifted late Saturday afternoon. A vacuum truck exploded early Tuesday, spreading about 1,200 gallons of a chemical mixture containing sulfuric acid and an organic peroxide.” (The Tribune)

Driver killed in highway truck rollover in New Hampshire “A New Hampshire man was killed Friday when the trash truck he has driving rolled over after hitting a tow truck that was parked in the breakdown lane of Interstate 93, state police said. A Casella Waste Management truck was traveling on Interstate 93 southbound in Salem, New Hampshire, at about 10 a.m. when it collided with a AAA tow truck parked in the breakdown lane just before exit 2, state police said.” (WCVB.com)

Lewisville officials focus on landfill legislation “More than 350 bills were filed in the Texas legislature on the first day of filing, but Lewisville officials have narrowed their focus to just a few bills critical to the city, and its residents. The 84th legislative session will begin in January, but some lawmakers wasted no time in filing bills Nov. 10, the first day for filing. Rep. Ron Simmons filed HB 281 on Nov. 12. The bill relates to limiting the expansion of certain landfills – an issue Lewisville is currently facing. The bill would require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to listen to city officials when considering a landfill expansion.” (Lewisville Leader)

Northern California based recycling company buys Crown Disposal “A deal that was first reported in Kern County newspapers and revealed to employees several weeks ago has been formally announced meaning Santa Paula residents and businesses will have a new waste hauler. The acquisition of Crown Disposal by Recology, an employee-owned resource recovery company in the western United States, was revealed Friday in a press release from the City of Santa Paula. Recology services are anticipated to begin in January 2015; the deal, according to news’ reports, is set to close January 5.” (Santa Paula Times)

Daly City retains Allied Waste as sanitation service provider “After three long, dramatic nights of public meetings, Daly City's City Council voted Wednesday to extend the contract for Allied Waste as the city's sanitation contractor. With Allied Waste's existing contract scheduled to end in June, the city put out a call for bids last year to give other sanitation service providers a chance to compete for a new contract, which is worth about $14 million per year.” (The Examiner)

Loudon County mayor promises to give details on landfill tests “Newly elected Loudon County Mayor Buddy Bradshaw said he wants all information about problems at the Poplar Springs Landfill released to the public as soon as possible.” (Knoxville News Sentinel)

Wallingford council delays action on Covanta trash proposal “The Town Council wants more time before it decides whether to allow Covanta Energy to amend its contract with the town and convert a trash-to-energy plant it operates on South Cherry Street into a solid waste transfer station. The council voted 7-1 to table action on the contract amendment after meeting for nearly 2½ hours and giving residents their first opportunity to address the governing body on the issue.” (New Haven Register)

Zero sort recycling now a possibility on Blue Hill Peninsula “Zero sort recycling, which has been on a wish list for many peninsula residents, has become a possibility. With zero sort recycling, residents would toss all of their recyclables, including glass, into one bin. That bin would be taken to a recycling plant for sorting. The decision on whether to offer the service rests with the boards of selectmen in Blue Hill and Surry, which operate the station.” (The Ellsworth American)

Mountain Town News: Diverting food from landfill to composting “A program called ‘Scraps,’ which has a high-minded goal of saving money and the environment, too, got a public push in Aspen this week. It all begins in the kitchen. Cathy Hall, who is solid-waste manager for Pitkin County, wants to divert a larger share of the 17,000 tons of organic material, much of it food, that is currently put into the Pitkin County Landfill.” (Summit Daily)

City of Oberlin's Zero Waste Plan Goals “While this February’s fire that destroyed the City of Oberlin’s refuse fleet was not an ideal scenario, it did provide a catalyst for the City to rethink its public recycling and refuse program.  The new process, which launches this week, is one step toward realizing the City’s new Zero Waste policy, passed by City Council in May 2014.  Oberlin’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Commission worked closely with the City to develop the new zero waste policy.” (The Oberlin Project)