$60M plant to turn sugarcane waste to sugars, fuel “A Helsinki company's U.S. subsidiary plans a $60 million plant in Louisiana to turn sugar cane waste into industrial sugars and biofuels. Gov. Bobby Jindal and Virdia Inc. managing director Otavio Pontes said Tuesday the project will create 120 construction jobs and 81 full-time jobs averaging $55,000 a year. The new plant will be next to a sugar mill in Raceland. Officials say Virdia has agreed to use 80,000 tons a year of crushed cane, called bagasse (buh-GAS).” (NewsObserver.com)

Smart Planet debuts recyclable coated cups “Smart Planet Technologies Inc. and printing and packaging distribution company PrintWinner have announced the commercial availability of designed-for-recycling paper hot cups that use a coating called EarthCoating. According to Newport Beach, California-based Smart Planet Technologies, EarthCoating is a ‘highly mineralized coating providing high barrier and heat seal performance while containing 40 percent less plastic than traditional 100-percent-polyethylene coatings.’” (Recycling Today)

First corn waste ethanol plant opens in Iowa “A federally-backed facility in Iowa started producing ethanol from corn waste products Wednesday, becoming the first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in the country to use corn waste. The plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa, is owned by a joint venture between American biofuel maker POET and Dutch chemical materials company Royal DSM. It’s known as Project Liberty.” (The Hill)

Greene Township landfill proposes 47 percent more trash “IESI PA Blue Ridge Landfill Corp. wants to increase by nearly 50 percent the volume of trash that can be dumped daily at the municipal landfill in Greene Township. The Department of Environmental Protection will host a public meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17, at the Greene Township Municipal Building, 1145 Garver Lane, Scotland, about the company's permit modification application. A public hearing follows at 7:30 p.m.” (Public Opinion Local News)

From campus to compost: Salve Regina saves cafeteria food scraps to benefit RI farms “Sodexo Dining Services has partnered with Rhode Island’s first full-service food scrap collection and commercial compost operation to save all food waste generated in the campus cafeteria for processing into high-quality compost for Rhode Island growers. Twice a week, The Compost Plant employees, sometimes the founders themselves – Nat Harris and Leo Pollock – will arrive on campus to empty the color-coordinated 48-gallon totes that are filled with food scraps by Salve/Sodexo employees.” (Salve Regina University)

St. Marys recycling center eyes $2M expansion “A St. Marys recycling center serving the residents and businesses of Elk County and beyond is looking to relocate and expand its operation, citing increased demand and an outgrown facility. After years of expanding, the Elk County Community Recycling Center located in the Stackpole Complex at 45 Heritage Drive in St. Marys is looking to make the move into a new and larger space adjacent to its current location. Opened in October of 2010, the current center expanded into a 5,000-square-foot warehouse in the summer of 2011 and then the entire 13,000-square-foot building.” (The Bradford Era)

County waste plan on track one year after landfill closure “Nearly a year after the closing of the Adrian Landfill, an amended plan for dealing with Lenawee County’s solid waste is taking shape. Waste haulers shifted to landfills outside the county after the Adrian Landfill closed its gates on Sept. 20 last year. The closure, however, undermined the county government’s solid waste plan that was based on having a local landfill. A planning committee appointed by the county commission went to work in February on revising the plan to reflect the changing economics of waste management.” (LenConnect.com)

County says ‘No’ to waste site for the second time “There was a bit of déjà vu at the county commission meeting Tuesday, when the Williams County Commission once again voted to deny a waste disposal facility proposed by IDH Solids Management. The facility was last denied nearly five months to the day ago at the April 1 commission meeting, and the updated proposal was so identical to the last as to render the differences superficial.” (Williston Herald)

Recycling up 47 percent in Falls during first month of new program “The city's new recycling program posted a profit in its first month of operation.  In an update for city lawmakers on Tuesday, Mayor Paul Dyster said figures calculated by the city's waste handler — Modern Disposal Corp. — showed recycling increased and waste volume decreased citywide during August, the first month of the controversial new program.” (Niagara Gazette)

Open bids on Manatee County garbage hauling contracts “Manatee County commissioners should search for the best deal in garbage hauling and not extend current contracts with the two haulers currently working the unincorporated portions of the county. Despite county staff recommending a renewal of those deals -- and for good reason -- taxpayers should be certain that their money is well spent on the best service and price on the market. By opening up a competitive bidding process, residents will be able to judge whether that's the case.” (Bradenton Herald)