PA Includes New Waste Law in 2003 Budget

Danielle Jackson

Harrisburg — As part of Pennsylvania’s 2003 budget, the state General Assembly and Governor Mark Schweiker passed and signed the Waste Transportation Safety Act, which requires solid waste collection and transportation trucks to obtain written authorization from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to use Pennsylvania waste disposal and processing facilities.

The act gives the DEP the authority to review the compliance history of hauling companies, deny written authorization to those with poor records, and revoke written authorizations if haulers fail to comply with safety and environmental regulations. Under the new law, no landfill, resource recovery facility or transfer station will be allowed to accept waste from a truck without a valid authorization sticker.

The law was enacted on July 1 as part of the 2003 budget and will take effect six months from enactment. For more information, visit www.pawasteindustries.org.